Is Natural Birth Worth the Effort?

Just how sincere is your desire for a natural birth? How committed are you to a birth without medical interventions? In today's highly medicalized birth setting natural birth is not just going to happen as a matter of course. It takes serious commitment, diligent study, thorough preparation, competent labor support, and a great deal of patience. So why do all that work and endure the pain of it? What makes natural birth worth all the trouble and effort to accomplish it? How could feeling the pain of natural birth be a good thing?

There are many articles, books, and studies that make a compelling case for why natural birth is best and well worth the pains and efforts to achieve it. However, what I wish to discuss in this essay is the emotional and cultural battle over the question rather then the facts (since they rarely become part of the conversation at large). Though the scientific facts support the physical and emotional advantages of natural birth, emotions are what drive most women in answering these questions. Whether or not you think the effort and exertion of birth is worth the trouble is largely dependent on the attitudes and opinions that you have been exposed to.

Natural Birth is Best

As mothers we naturally want to do what is best for our babies and when a mother is convinced that natural birth is best even a great deal of pain and effort is a small sacrifice. Discussions about whether or not natural birth is best often become contentious and emotionally charged. I believe this is largely because women have deep and sincere desires to be the very best mothers they can be; they often feel belittled by natural birth advocates when they do not choose natural birth or are unable to avoid medical interventions.

When I say "natural birth is best", I do not say that without understanding that there are natural complications inherent in the birth process. For this reason I am keenly aware of the great blessing of modern medicine in saving the lives of mothers and infants faced with these unsurmountable circumstances. When things go wrong we need doctors, but what I contend is that labor and birth aided by proper preparation, reliable constant labor support, and free from medical constrants will proceed safetly and complication free 95% of the time.

With natural birth advocates passionately asserting that natural birth is best and doctors taking the position that as long as the outcome is a healthy baby the process used to get there is relatively insignificant, it becomes difficult to know which is truly best and therefore we are left with the impression that there is no real difference between the two, making the decision less imperative and therefore more optional.

Mothers are not strangers to fatigue and hardship in the care of their children. Such things are inseparably tied to motherhood. Learning to except the pains and distortions of pregnancy, the extraordinary pains of labor, and the sleepless nights and sore nipples of infancy are only some of the things mothers face in the bearing of new life and the nurturing of new human beings. Mother's know all too well that what is often best for their babies is inconvenient, exhausting, and difficult, and yet it is the nature of mothers to give their bodies, might, mind, and strength to their children.

It is because of this that I am convinced that if women understand that natural birth will greatly benefit their babies they will seriously commit themselves to the study and preparation necessary to achieve a natural birth, and will patiently put forward their best efforts as they cope with and endure the pains and exertions required.

The "Old Ways" Reborn

A good example of how women respond when they understand what is best for their babies is the history of breastfeeding in our society. Breastfeeding has gone from only 20% of US women breastfeeding in 1957 (about the same percentage of women today who choose "all natural" birth) to 61.0% in 1980 a 210% increase. There has been a decline in this rate over the past twenty years, but it is a largely undisputed fact that "Breast is Best".

The continual decline of breastfeeding at the onset of the industrial revolution resulted from "bad advice from pediatricians in an era where industry and schedules" were seen as superior to the "old ways", and recent declines are mostly an extension of the trend that has convinced mothers that there is no need to sacrifice their bodies, their beauty, or their careers to provide the best nutrition and nurture to their infants. The cultural attitudes toward natural birth mimic these same assumptions and many women today believe that medicalized childbirth is superior to the "old ways" of labor. Ignorant assumptions about the reasons for unimaginably high infant mortality rates "before modern medicine" has lead to a belief that medically managed labor is safer for babies and their mothers. On closer examination of history will uncover the conditions that caused these high rates were rarely a result of common labor complications, but rather poor nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation.

In the case of breastfeeding advocates like the La Leche League educated the public about the real physical and emotional needs of infants. Today the medical community takes the issue of breastfeeding seriously and supports a wide spread initiative to educate mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding on the physical and emotional health of their babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that "Advocating for children through the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding is a high priority." In almost every OB's office today you will find posters and pamphlets that encourage breastfeeding. Where are the posters encouraging natural birth?

The Disconnect Between Facts and Practice

Most women today are skeptical of natural birth because the medical community puts such a low priority on the practice. The trust they place in their doctors leads them to believe that if natural birth were better for women and children doctors would advocate for more natural birth practices, as they have done with breastfeeding. In the case of breastfeeding advocacy both inside and outside the medical community applied pressure to make the health of babies paramount. It has proven more difficult to effect this change in birth practices. Therefore, the truth about natural birth is not so readily available and the advantages not widely advertised.

In my discussions with doctors about natural birth they talk about the benefits of natural birth over medically manged labor as a matter of fact, but they believe that it is impractical. The doctors I know believe that the success of natural birth is in large part out of their hands and is the result of the efforts applied to it by laboring women. As doctors they are there to handle challenges that arise, not to provide constant natural labor support. Therefore, it is because mothers are not committed to a natural outcome that it is so rare.

"Even those who come to the hospital wanting a natural birth almost always end up demanding the epidural." One doctor said. "They take little thought for the preparation and support side of birth, and my primary concern must be a healthy mom and healthy baby. So if it becomes necessary to manage the labor I will not hesitate!" In a good conversation with an OB after the delivery of one of my clients the doctor commented, "Well, this is something I don't see much in my practice." She had thoroughly enjoyed the "all natural" birth she had just witness and expressed a sincere desire to see more of this type of labor and birth. So, who is responsible for educating women about natural birth? Is the low natural birth rate in the U.S. the fault of the uninformed public or the medical community?

I think that the answer lies somewhere in the middle, women need to take a greater role in seeking out the best birth for their babies, and doctors need to be more proactive in promoting natural birth. It is sad to me that doctors who know that natural birth is better don't employ greater effort in advocating for it. One of the lessons of the successful public education initiatives that improved breastfeeding rates in the U.S. is that the medical community has a critical role in advocacy. It makes sense that more women could be persuaded to choose a natural birth, seek adequate preparation and support, and therefore benefit from the healthy outcomes of natural birth for their babies and themselves if only it were a high priority among doctors.

Why have American women said "NO" to natural birth?

With no clear direction on what is best for mothers and babies, the vast majority of American women have decided it is not worth the trouble and that the pain is too great, and birth options become largely a matter of convenience. Women have come to believe that there is no difference between natural birth and medicalized birth. I was astonished at how often women made comments like, "There is nothing un-natural about using medication." or "It's completely natural to have an epidural."

Over 80% of American women choose the epidural for pain management, and labor inductions have more then doubled in the past ten years. What most women don't know is that women who are induced are twice as likely to have a C-section as those who experienced spontaneous labor and epidural use significantly increases the chances of further medical interventions; including a 20% increase in c-sections.

As a doula you can imagine that I find myself part of conversations about birth on a regular basis. I must admit it is disheartening to hear the apathetic attitudes women have toward the routine use of epidurals and inductions. Even more astonishing is the number of women who have no plan to ever attempt a natural birth. Planned epidural births make up just over half of U.S. epidural rate and I believe this is the result of peer pressure. A first time mom said that, "every single one" of her friends with kids told her to "Get the epidural!" It's just a fact today that natural birth is rare and that almost every woman you meet today will enthusiastically recommend the epidural, and most will say it was the best thing they ever did.

A growing segment of this peer pressure is coming from women who at one time had sincere desires to labor naturally. This is especially concerning to me because these mothers had their initial desires squashed by poor preparation and labor support and not natural ability; such as this mother who said she wanted to have a natural birth until she, "found out that labor hurt really bad". Sadly her experience convinced her that though other women are capable of coping with labor, in her words, "unfortunately it's not for me." Very often these women advise other reluctant friends to have planned epidural births spreading their own damaged confidence to others and the cycle continues. Therefore, Peer pressure and ignorance perpetrate a growing childbirth industry based on a medicalized model.

Why should you say "YES" to natural birth?

What most American women don't hear are the beautiful experiences of mothers who have been changed by the gentle natural births of their babies. Very rarely are they exposed to the great confidence such women have in their natural ability to cope effectively and bring their babies into the world by their own power and intuition. They may be few, but women do overcome the obstacles set against successful natural birth in our system and solidify their confidence in themselves and in the natural process of labor.

In the words of one mother who experienced the disappointment of her failed first attempt at natural birth, "The second time around I spent the whole nine months preparing myself... and succeeded in the natural childbirth I was looking for." This mother dusted herself off and got serious about making it happen for herself and her baby the second time around and her efforts paid off, she found the satisfaction she desired.

Many years ago at a church luncheon I happened to sit down at a table with a handful of pregnant ladies, of course it didn't take long for the discussion to turn to labor and birth and like most conversations of the type there was lighthearted advise given to "get the epidural" and be done with it. I debated with in myself whether to expose my opinions, something that is always quite a quandary for me, but for some reason I ventured cautiously announcing that I was a natural birth doula. This steered the conversation in a different direction. Though most of the pregnant mothers feigned an interest in my perspective, however, there was one who engaged me with many thoughtful questions and began to share her disappointments over past labor experiences. I gave her several book recommendations and encouraged her to study and prepare.

I saw her again several years later, she stopped to talk to me while I was out to eat with friends, she asked timidly, "Do you remember me?" She was very familiar and when she reminded me of the lunch we spent together I immediately knew her. She said, "When I saw you I just had to stop and say thank you for talking to me that day. I had my baby "all natural", and it was a wonderful experience. I am so grateful you were there that day and that you were willing to speak up about the truth of natural birth."

After two difficult "natural" births, my sister-in law finally asked me to attend her at her third birth. She had known only the "grin and bear it" form of natural birth and had truly suffered through it in bed with her first two. With her third I went to be with her in labor, I did what I always do as a doula, I encouraged her to get our of bed and work with her labor. She walked, and rocked, and danced with her husband. When things got really tough I ran the bath for her and she labored in the water. Things moved quickly and she birthed a nine pound baby in two pushes. She often told me afterwards, "If only I had known with my first two that if you just get out of bed it doesn't hurt so bad." She went on to have two more gentle natural births.

The experiences of such women are the best counter argument to those women who regularly testify to the horrors of natural birth. What women need to hear is that it is well worth the effort and that if they will have the courage to say "Yes" to natural birth they can experience the same amazement and satisfaction these women have found.

In conclusion here are a few beautiful testimonials from natural birth moms who found the joy in birth and rather than speaking of the horrors and an epidural rescue, these mothers know a very different reality.

"The birth had been one of the most incredible spiritual experience of my life, I was filled with pure love for my perfect, beautiful baby boy. It was truly the most empowering moment when I realized that I had done it, that I was strong enough. I did have the ability to birth my child in a gentle, natural way. So when I say I loved my labor, believe me, I loved it. It was the hardest work I have ever done, but the greatest satisfaction came out of that work. It was everything I had hoped for and more, so much more. It was everything I had imagined it would be and everything I hadn’t imagined it would be."

"The birth of my baby girl was beyond anything I ever thought birthing a baby could be. She was born in a warm tub of pure water, about the most gentle and serene way possible. You might cringe at the thought of a baby being born in a tub, but actually it is very safe and much gentler on the mother and baby. I birthed her myself; gentling gliding her through the water till she surfaced and I laid her next to my breast. It was wonderful. I had never dreamed I could have such a lovely labor and delivery. Water birth is truly the most gentle of gentle births; the water creates a comfortable holding environment for the mother and a warm, safe, and familiar environment for the baby. Everything I had read proved to be true in my case, and I am so happy to have been able to experience labor in this way."

Is it worth it?

Judge for yourself, but judge wisely. Do your homework, study the the question out and decide, which is it, do you follow the advice of the vast majority of women who have chosen the separation and mind and body that the epidural provides, or do you dig deep and find the God given power you have to birth your child. On closer examination you may find that when it comes to natural birth it may be well worth resisting the common peer pressure and ignorance that swirls around this subject and study it out on your own.  I hope you will find the passion necessary to choose a natural birth and do what it takes to be successful.