Endporphins are nature's way to provide pain relief in response to a stressful and painful experience. Unmedicated childbirth triggers a massive flood of endorphins leaving you with a "birth high" that can not be duplicated.
2. Zero chance of the epidural not working.
If you are mentally prepared and confident in your body's ability to give birth, your fear will subside and you can actively look forward to the labor that will bring your baby into your arms. There is no need to dread childbirth once you realize that the pain is for a purpose.
3. Golden Vagina Award.
Need I say more?
4. Faster and easier recovery.
After Henry's medicated labor and delivery, I was numb from the waist down for the next 12 hours. My tailbone hurt from sitting in the hospital bed and my lower back ached for months. The moment Liza was born I felt like my normal non-pregnant self again. 30 minutes later, I was up and walking around. Ask any woman who has experienced both types of childbirth and she will tell you how amazing she felt after her unmedicated baby was born.
5. No worries about the 'cascade of interventions'.
6. Clean pregnancy, clean birth.
Pregnant women are the most paranoid people on earth. They worry about 2nd hand cigarette smoke, caffeine, listeria in soft cheeses and chemicals in household cleaners. Most won't even take a tylenol for a headache but will gladly accept narcotics and synthetic hormones during labor.....something to think about.
7. Less likely to tear and need stitches.
Unmedicated, your body will let you know when dilation is complete and you will feel the urge to push when your body is ready. Medicated, a nurse will tell you to hold your breath, tuck your chin and push while she counts to ten. "Purple Pushing" increases your chance of perineal tearing by not allowing subtle changes within the contractions to signal your body for needed periods of rest prior to pushing and during crowning.
8. Bonds you with million of women around the world and through the ages.
I am thankful for inductions and c-sections when they are medically necessary and I am certainly glad to live in an age of sanitary conditions for giving birth. But, childbirth is not a disease and does not necessitate medication and hospitals. Birth works. How else would Earth be populated?
9. Your body is perfectly designed for labor and delivery.
Your body knows exactly what it is doing during 40 weeks of pregnancy and during labor and delivery. Learn about it and trust it!
10. Sense of empowerment and accomplishment.
Seriously. It is an amazing feeling to know what you are capable of. You CAN do it!
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Comments are welcome!
10 comments:
I'm still giggling about the golden vagina award. ;)
I'm planning to go drug free w/ this one just to see if I'm as tough as I think I am! And I also want a "Golden Vagina Award"!!!
Becky, are you serious? Do I have a convert?
if we move back to vegas, i'm definitely having more in-depth convos about this with you.
Preface - I follow you from BBC!
I couldn't agree with you more! I was dead set on going drug free with my July baby...I was attempting a VBAC and I knew my chances were greatest drug free. It was the most amazing experience of my life, and I have such a feeling of pride in myself for doing it. I absolutely didn't need anybody to tell me to push - my body just did the work itself, and she was out in 15 minutes. Couldn't be happier with our choice!
I've never had a medicated birth.. but I can say that my three non medicated birth expericanes where the highest most spiritual times in my life. :) Love, love, love the golden vagina award!
Laura, they didn't get the epi in until I was already at a 10 with Nathan so I think I might give it a go this time! Hopefully little girl will be as anxious as Nathan was to make his entrance! BUT, I'm not as brave as you are and will be doing this in the comfort of a hospital bed!
Love this post! Thanks for the encouragement to keep with the plan!
Kaitlin,
I specifically thought about you as I wrote this post. It won't be long until you win your Golden Vagina Award!
Great post! I've had a medicated hospital birth and 2 unassisted homebirths and even though my hospital birth wasn't a bad experience, there is NO comparison. I don't think people realize what they are missing until they've experienced a homebirth!!!!
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