I believe that natural childbirth is something that every woman who is pregnant or wants to become pregnant should consider.  I have always thought that life is short, and that I want to experience it fully.  That is one reason that I have chosen to birth without pain medication three times so far.  Denying yourself this experience is like denying yourself a trip to the moon when presented with the opportunity or denying yourself the love of your soul mate.  It is a beautiful and powerful and rare experience and should be embraced and not feared.  I cannot even put it in to words, but once you experience natural childbirth, your life and your concept of yourself will never be the same.

Click Here and claim your copy of Childbirth Magic.

Now, all philosophizing aside, there are many tangible benefits to natural or unmedicated childbirth as well (this includes any pain medication or unnatural means of induction):

• Quicker recovery for mother and baby
• Shorter labor
• More effective pushing, shorter pushing time
• Less tearing of the perineum
• Lower Cesarean rate
• Less chance of damage to baby’s brain due to drugs or misused forceps or vacuum
• Less chance of bodily harm to baby from forceps or vacuum
• Less need for interventions such as internal fetal monitor, continuous monitoring, IV, catheter
• Mother can move freely and get in comfortable position
• Mother can squat to push, which makes pushing easier and shorter
• Shorter hospital stay
• Baby is alert and reactive to environment
• Baby is more coordinated
• Baby can latch on better and more quickly for breastfeeding moms
• Mother is in control of her body and can use instinct to birth the baby
• Mother is unmedicated and can bond more easily with her child
• No risk of prolonged pain from botched epidural or from Cesarean wound
• No long-term negative developmental or behavioral effects on the baby

I would like to add that there is a trend of interventions leading to more interventions.  I have read about this, but I have also witnessed it among my family and friends first hand.  The scenario goes like this:  The woman decides to get an epidural, which slows down labor.  Pitocin is administered along with the epidural (whether or not the labor has actually slowed most of the time).  Pitocin speeds up the labor (in theory) but causes longer and stronger contractions than normal.  This can cause the baby to go into distress, and can cause the uterus to rupture.  If the baby goes in to distress, the next step is cesarean.  If mother hemorrhages, Cesarean to save baby, transfusion for mom.  If mom does make it to pushing stage, she may not be able to feel her contractions and does not know how to push.  If she cannot push the baby out, the next step is Cesarean or use of forceps or vacuum extraction.  Again, possible harm to mother and baby.  It happens time and time and time again.

Click Here and claim your copy of Childbirth Magic.

Birth is natural.  We are made to give birth.  The interventions used during birth are the causes of the problems associated with birth.  The environments that we are forced to birth in are the causes of the problems associated with birth.  Natural birth is the safest way to birth, hands down.