Did you have a natural childbirth and how did you prepare for it?

Answer 1

Yes, I did two times. Natural childbirth generally means giving birth without any pain medication. Some people choose to give birth at home and use natural methods of pain relief like laboring in water, walking, changes positions, hypnobirth, and breathing exercises.

First find a childbirth class that you like. There are 4 main types of birth classes: Lamaze, Bradley, Hypnobirthing, and Brio (the new kid on the block). Personally, I've use Lamaze and Bradley (my favorite is the latter) but next time around I'm going to go to a Brio class.

Then you'll need to decide if you want to have a home birth in which case you'll need a midwife. There are also birth centers which are sort of a middle ground between home births and hospital birth. You'll have a midwife at a birth center but there is more medical equipment and they are usually very close to a hospital in case a transfer is needed. In both a home birth and a birth center you will have one on one attention from your midwife and she will stay with you and make sure that you are comfortable and the baby is doing fine.

It's harder to have a natural birth in a hospital because your ability to walk around, eat, and labor in different positions is limited. It is known that the hardest and most painful position for a mom to labor in is laying down and in a hospital, unfortunately, you'll be confined to a bed which is very uncomfortable. Also, you'll be competing with a whole floor full of other women for the nurses attention so it's not the cozy intimate atmosphere of having your own midwife. That's why if you do decide to have a hospital birth you should definitely get a doula!

A doula is trained in natural pain relief methods and she will stay with you the entire time to make sure that you are comfortable and getting all of your needs met. There are a bunch of statistics on how the help a hospital birth ending with shorter labors with fewer complications, and medications.

Finally, trust your body! You can do this, many women do and speak glowingly about how wonderful having a natural birth is!