Childbirth Pages

Labor and Delivery

In most conversations with young women, this subject holds the most fear. With female sexuality comes reproduction, and with that comes all the worries and fears of giving birth. Compound the facts with all the old wives tales, sprinkle in the accounts of women who love to regale you with every horror story they've heard and it's no wonder childbirth becomes a fearsome and mystic subject.

The truth sets you free, so why don't we take a look at some facts?
  1. The birth process is not a disease, it's a natural event of the female body.
  2. Although few women experience a pain-free birth, the pain is manageable with techniques (discussed below)
  3. The process of giving birth is most often going to follow a specific pattern

One important matter that affects pregnancy and delivery is acknowledged by the medical establishment, but not emphasized enough. This is the mothers sense of well being, her emotional state. A recent fact concerning toxemia and pre-eclampsia is the role hormones play. These two related problems complicate pregnancy and can harm both the Mom and Baby. The inter-relatedness of hormones and emotional states make a logical explanation for the relationship between toxemia and "high-strung" personalities. It is also a medical fact that a woman's contractions can shut down due to distractions and distress.

Pain Techniques

The best known technique for handling labor pain is the Lamaze method, and many of the others, such as Bradley, are very similar. I am all for women learning these methods because they give the two best tools for a satisfactory birth: relaxation and preparedness. The pregnant body is going to give birth! The question is how well is the Mom and those around her going to facilitate the process? A woman prepared with knowledge of labor and delivery, and surroundings conducive to confidence and encouragement help tremendously.

When the uterus contracts, it is an involuntary muscle contraction, which is why relaxation is so important: you actually help the action of the uterus by doing nothing during the entertainment and transition stages. The methods, such as Lamaze, teach relaxation and breathing exercises which, I think, allow a woman to help her body work optimally in the labor process. They also provide a needed distraction! I concentrated so much on counting, focusing, and breathing, that I came through the contractions feeling capable and in control. Actually, I use the breathing and focus technique when I get a shot or sit in the dentist chair ~helps immensely!

The fact is that women vary widely in pain tolerance and birth events, so although I believe every woman should be prepared to give natural birth without medications and interventions, I also believe that some women will need these things. And, Thank God, there are facilities and caregivers available. As an individual, a woman should gauge her pain thresholds and research her options to make the best choice for her birth experience. The majority of women can and do give birth without complication, so homebirth, and certainly, natural childbirth could be more utilized (producing healthier results) than it is. More, on pain management.

LABOR and DELIVERY

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