Childbirth
A normal delivery should be exactly what the word implies: normal. This means that it begins and ends within a reasonable time frame and without the need for significant obstetric interventions, resulting in the birth of a healthy child. Today, it is not acceptable to use techniques such as external or internal version or forceps, because there is a risk of injury to the baby or the mother. Natural childbirth is more painful, although epidural anesthesia has reduced the pain, especially when it is most intense during the dilation phase, when the cervix must open to allow the baby’s head to pass through. Of course, even with an epidural, this doesn’t mean the woman won’t feel anything, because labor must have already begun for it to be administered. Otherwise, it stops the pain, and the woman will have to wait for the medication’s effects to wear off before labor resumes.
In the final stage, that of delivery, the woman must be able to push, to drive the baby through the birth canal so it can be born. It is a fact that the birth of a human baby is a more complex process than it is for other mammals, due to the upright posture that altered the course of the birth canal, and the large size of the brain. Thus, a woman’s body, particularly her pelvis, is called upon to endure moments of intense strain. However, even without an epidural, the pain is bearable, and most women forget what they went through once they hold their newborn baby in their arms. After all, if things were that difficult, no woman would have a second or third child, since their births are usually easier than the first.
Furthermore, natural childbirth has the advantage that the husband can be present and witness the entire process, if he can handle it, thereby strengthening the couple’s bond with each other and with their newborn baby. Of course, natural childbirth is unpredictable and may be delayed beyond the expected due date, drastically increasing the anxiety and worry of the expectant parents. Many women report having nightmares about the birth process toward the end, and as the due date approaches, they become more anxious and stressed. The uterus is a strong and large muscle: there is no larger one, not even in men. It does important, hard work and needs to be free of obstacles so that contractions can be truly effective.
What are these obstacles?
It is the anxiety that often overwhelms a woman, negatively affecting her breathing, her muscle tone, and the dilation of her cervix. It is the way she reacts: when contractions are more intense, a woman tends to tense up, as if she could avoid the sensation that way. But this creates a state of muscular contraction around the uterus that opposes the natural process, resulting in a slower labor, potential complications, and consequently medical intervention. Encouragement, sensitivity, support, reminders of pain relief options, and information about what is happening can, on their own, provide significant relief. Studies have shown that, in such cases, the duration of labor is shorter, interventions in the natural course of labor are fewer, the need for pharmacological pain relief is reduced, and the number of cesarean sections is lower.