GOT THIS OFF SOME WEBSITE
Benefits of Natural Childbirth
1. Mothers who labor naturally can move freely, go to the bathroom, walk and change positions throughout labor. According to the Cochrane Review, recent studies have shown that getting medication makes changing positions even after birth more difficult.
2. Since you can feel your body's reflexes in natural childbirth, mothers can push better and generally faster. In fact studies show that getting an epidural prolongs your pushing time.
3. The pain during labor serves a purpose by guiding the mother to seek certain positions. For example, if her back hurts, she will naturally seek positions off her back which can help to turn her baby. Having back pain is one sign that the baby might be posterior and needs to rotate.
4. Mothers often describe that their recovery after a natural childbirth was faster and easier since they could get right up and walk and shower. Usually they eat right away and their appetite is normal.
5. Endorphins secreted during a natural childbirth have been found in the placenta and umbilical cord. This may serve a purpose to help the baby adjust to life outside as well as make the journey more comfortable for baby.
6. Research has shown that in mothers who have natural childbirth, babies are more alert and show more interest in pre-breastfeeding behaviours such as sucking and massaging the mother's breasts, as well as the actual length of time they spend nursing within the first 90 minutes.
Benefits of Medicated Birth
1. Mothers who are having a very long labor can benefit from using pain medication to get some rest before the pushing stage.
2. If the mother is tensing up during contractions, pain medication can help her relax so that her body is not fighting against the labor.
3. If the mother has a lot of fear about birth or issues from her past, it may affect the progress of her labor. At times, medication may help to ease her anxiety.
Additional Thoughts:
Mothers have the ability to give birth naturally. Very often the things done or said to her inhibit her ability to do this very important job (i.e., restricting her movement, restricting food/fluids, lack of support or encouragement as well as a lack of non-medical pain relief techniques.)
Pain medication is a wonderful resource in very difficult and long labors when the mother simply has no energy left to birth her baby.
Pain medication, such as epidurals, carry with them hefty sacrifices and intervention such as restricting movement to bed, IV fluids and increasing her need for pitocin. Epidurals also increase the mother's need for instruments to be used such as vacuum extractors or forceps, since pushing is more difficult.
I very seldom have clients in my doula practice who have natural childbirth with a first baby, choose to use pain medication with the next birth. Once they have realized the benefits of natural childbirth, they do not tend to go back.
Pain medication solves one big problem - pain. However I wonder when we take the pain away, if we are also removing helpful feedback for the mother. (see #2 above - Benefits of Natural Birth) Is it not like a person who takes medication for headaches (ie.. treating the symptom) instead of finding out why they are getting headaches?
Though a woman is able to give natural birth it should never be used as a scale to judge the woman either as a person or as a mother. How she lives her life, treats others and raises her family tells us much more about who she is than whether or not she used pain medication in labor.
Evaluate for yourselves the benefits and downsides to both natural birth and medicated birth before you jump to any hasty conclusions.
I firmly believe that there are two valid sides to consider and that you should discuss this issue at length with your spouse or birthing partner, family, doula and primary provider as well as factor in the circumstances of your own labor before you decide.
Do you plan to have a natural or medicated birth?
HOPE THIS HELPS!!
Regards