These tips are summarized from The Birth Book by William
Sears, M.D. and Martha Sears, R.N.
Every
birth is different. Why is it that some women agonize through, while others breeze through birth? Many factors determine the
length and intensity of labor: your previous birth experience, your usual perception
of pain, your physical and mental preparation for birth, the position and size
of the baby, your choice of birth attendants, and the support you receive
during labor. There is no one way to
birth babies. But there is a best way for each mother to birth her own
baby. Finding that way is a challenge. Our desire is not to judge your
way of giving birth, but rather to inform you about them. It is up to you
to choose what you believe is best for you and your baby.
1.
Trust your body. For the
majority of mothers, birth is a normal physiological process and the system
works well, as long as you don't interfere with it. By understanding how
your body labors to give birth, and how you can work with it instead of against
it, you lower your chances of having to suffer or be drugged to give
birth. Trust that your body is built to give birth.
For
90 percent of women who prepare for birth, birth goes right. Around 10
percent of women need varying amounts of medical help to deliver healthy
babies, but even for these women, having confidence in themselves will enhance
their births.
2.
Use pregnancy as a time to prepare.
Preparing for birth does not mean simply attending childbirth class. It does
not mean cramming yourself full of facts and breathing techniques. Preparing for birth means being studied up: learning about all the
childbirth options available to you, selecting what best fits your
birth-experience goal and your individual obstetrical situation, coming to
birth equipped with a philosophy and a plan for the birth you want, and having
the wisdom to be flexible to adjust if, due to circumstances beyond your
control, your birth does not go according to plan.
3.
Take responsibility for your birth
choices. Giving birth is the most powerful act you will ever perform, and
it should leave you feeling good about yourself. Go to your birth
empowered to make the choices that will give you the birth you want.
4.
Formulate your own birth philosophy.
Birth memories last a lifetime. How a woman approaches birth is
intimately connected to how she approaches life. What kind of birth
experience is right for you? What, besides a healthy baby, do you expect
from your baby's birth? Early in your first pregnancy you may not know
the options available to you, so you may not yet know what you want. Know
the pros and cons of the most common birth choices.
5.
Choose your birth attendants and birthplace
wisely. Birth attendants should do just that--attend the birth.
Most women need continuous support during all stages of labor. But different attendants
attend birth differently, some being interventive while others allow birth to
progress naturally.
There is no one right place to birth a baby--only the right place to birth your baby. The best place for you
may be at home, at a birth center, or in a hospital. Explore these
options. And be prepared to change birthplaces if your circumstances or
your goals change during your pregnancy.
6.
Explore the best positions for
your birth. There is no right position for laboring and giving birth;
there is only the one that works best for you. Many women's minds are
stuck in the scene of mother lying on her back with her feet up in stirrups
while the doctor waits, hands extended quarterback-style, to catch the baby.
This is a scene from birthings past, and one that new insights show is neither
healthy for baby nor comfortable for mother. Attempting various labor and birth positions, such as
walking or kneeling, you will be able to find the ones that work for you and your
baby.
7.
Use technology wisely. For the
majority of women, birth is not a medical matter; it is a natural, biological
event. If used wisely, technology can detect problems and provide
solutions should nature fail. If abused, technology can actually become
the problem and cause failure. In birth, nature causes fewer
complications than humans do. Whether you need or desire a high-tech
birth depends on your birthing philosophy and your individual obstetrical
needs. If you learn about the benefits and risks of tests and technology,
you can be part of the decisions about using these modern tools wisely. In
labor, like life, things sometimes don't go as desired. And because of
circumstances beyond your control, you may need a high-tech birth. This
"high-risk" label (often overused and unnecessary) does not mean you
must become a passive patient. Instead, you must play an even more
responsible role in your birthing decisions. Even high-risk births can be
satisfying.
8.
Learn some of the many self-care
techniques to ease the discomforts of labor. Women do not have to
suffer or be drugged to give birth. Pain compels a woman to
do something to relieve it, and in making helpful adjustments in her body she
often makes adjustments that help her baby's well being. Unmanageable pain, for example is not normal during
labor. Instead, it is your body's signal that you need to make
change. Thus alleviating the pain and allowing it to progress faster, shortening your labor.
There is no
pain-relieving drug that has ever been proven to be totally safe for mother and
baby. But by understanding when and how to use medical pain relief
wisely, and by doing your part to lessen the need for drugs, you increase your
chances of having a satisfying birth and a drug-free baby.
9.
Learn ways to help your labor progress.
"Failure to progress" is frequently cited as the reason for a
cesarean birth--but the problem is usually avoidable. Different labors
progress at different rates. Some take hours, some piddle along for
days. It is your reaction to your individual labor that counts.
Fear and tension stall labor. Confidence and knowledge of what's
happening and how to work with your body help labor progress.
10.
You can prevent a cesarean section--most
of the time. With the cesarean-section rate in the United States
averaging 25 percent (1 of every 4 births), women are beginning to question the American way of
birth. In approximately 5 percent of births, a cesarean section may be
necessary, occasionally even lifesaving, but women have the power to prevent
the remainder of surgical births, which are unnecessary.