Is Natural Delivery For Me?
Starting from the decision of having a baby to the end of delivery, pregnancy is full of personal choices. As an experienced OB/GYN in Ankara I observe that when it comes to the delivery collecting dependable information and knowing your personal expectations will lead you to the delivery which is right for you. Talking about your choices with your OB/GYN and expressing your feelings will let both your medical providers and yourself know how to take action during the labor and delivery. If you are open to non medical non interventional vaginal birth then you should know about the risks, benefits and necessities of the natural delivery.
What Is Natural Childbirth?
Natural delivery is a vaginal labor and delivery with no or limited medical intervention. Delivering can be in hospital or at home, both with the help of midwives, doulas and/or doctors. With the natural childbirth you'll be progressing with your own body capacity and natural physiology. You'll be choosing your own alternative position throughout the labor, will be using warm bath/tub, massage, hypnotherpy or manual therapy for relieving the pain. When the time of pushing comes you'll be pushing the baby with your own instincts and desire instead of someone else's guidance. The surgical cut (episiotomy) will not be used to widen the outlet of vagina and your baby will be given to your chest right after the delivery, before the clamping of the umbilical cord.
What Are The Benefits of Natural Delivery?
Because you'll be using your own body and instincts instead of defaulting to medical intervention natural birth methods may make you feel more empovered throughout the process of delivery.
Since you will have a skin to skin contact immediately after delivery your bonding with your baby will be very fast and also you'll be more successful and easily breastfeeding.
Moving throughout the labor makes you more comfortable and will let you cope with pain easily.
Pushing may be more effective with the natural delivery since you will not be using any pain killer or epidural anesthesia.
You will be able to get out of bed and walk around sooner post birth and this will help speed recovery.
What Are The Risks of Natural Delivery?
As with any health related decision natural birth carries some risks that should be part of your final decision. Here are a few worth considering;
1) You'll feel everything. Pain sensation can change person to person and some women find the pain to be more intense than they anticipated. However you can have an epidural at any time during the process even if it was not your intention at the very early beginning.
2) If an emergent cesarean will be indicated you may not have time to use your epidural anesthesia chance, general anesthesia may be the choice in terms of emergency.
3) Home birth carries 2 or 3 times increased perinatal death compared with hospital deliveries. If you won't be able to get to the hospital quickly in case of emergencies it would be logical to give birth in hospitals open to natural birth.
