Natural vs. C section
Pros of vaginal birth
• Pros of vaginal birth
• With vaginal birth, women can expect a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery time,
as vaginal birth is less surgically intensive and doesn't scar. Any subsequent births are less
likely to require a C-section as well as being quicker and shorter. Vaginal births are also
less risky for the mother, as less interference from the hospital staff means a lower
chance of an emergency scenario for the mother. According to the American Pregnancy
Association, the mortality risk for mothers is much lower in vaginal births.
• For the baby, there are a number of benefits. Because they are able to come when they
are ready, as the body begins the process naturally, the baby is more likely to be finished
maturing and developing. Passing through the vaginal opening also expels the amniotic
fluid in the baby's lungs. The baby also picks up protective bacteria that they ingest,
helping them form more balanced immune systems as the bacteria colonizes in their
intestines.
Cons of vaginal birth
• Cons of vaginal birth
• Because vaginal births are more dependent on the mother's body,
there isn't really a way to schedule the labor and delivery. The mother
may feel more stress and anxiety as the uncertainty of labor looms.
Vaginal birth also increases the risk of incontinence for the mother, as
well as sexual problems in the first few months after the birth. For the
baby, risk of birth trauma increases, due to the passage through the
birth canal and the possible need for forceps.
C section pros
• The ability to schedule a C-section can give the mother peace of
mind, as she knows exactly when she will be giving birth. She is less
likely to suffer from incontinence, and will not suffer the same sexual
problems that woman who give vaginal birth suffer from in the first
few months after birth. The baby is less likely to suffer birth trauma
that can happen with forceps or vacuum extraction.
Cons of c section
• Because C-sections do not occur when the baby is ready to come, there is
the possibility of pre-term delivery if the mother's due date has been
calculated incorrectly. As a surgical procedure, there is a risk of damage to
the mother's organs, as well as increased blood loss and complications
from anesthesia. The mother is also more susceptible to infection and
blood clots. There is a slightly higher mortality rate for the mother and
twice the risk of infant mortality.
• After the surgery, the mother might suffer from decreased bowel function.
Because she needs to recover from the surgery, there is a longer hospital
stay and recovery period. This can lead to complications with
breastfeeding, and take a mental toll on the mother, increasing the chance
of postpartum depression. The scar tissue can also present problems in
future pregnancies, increasing the chance of complications.
What is it? Home birth
• During a planned home birth you'll give birth in your home instead of in a hospital or birth center.
You'll need to be assisted during labor and delivery by a knowledgeable midwife or, in some cases,
a doctor to help ensure the health of you and your baby.
• During your prenatal care your health care provider will review a list of conditions during
pregnancy and labor that would require treatment by a doctor and compromise the safety of a
planned home birth. Your health care provider will also review the challenges that can occur
during childbirth, how he or she — in comparison with a hospital — would handle them, and the
possible health risks for you and your baby.
• During labor, your health care provider will periodically — rather than continuously — monitor
your temperature, pulse, blood pressure and your baby's heart rate. After delivery, you'll be close
to your baby. Your health care provider will examine your newborn and determine whether he or
she needs to be transferred to a hospital. In addition, your health care provider will give you
information on how to care for your newborn. Follow-up care might include home visits and
lactation support.
What to choose?
• Because birth is a deeply personal experience that varies from person
to person, you need to choose the process that best fits you. Talk it
over with your healthcare professional and come up with a birthing
plan that takes all risks and benefits into account.
Home birth vs. hospital
• Natural birth is more painful in a hospital than outside a hospital. In a hospital your
laboring position(s) will be limited by fetal monitors, IVs, hospital staff requests, and
simple lack of facility to support a variety of positions (for example, if they don't have a
birth stool, you can't labor on one). There is no continuous professional labor support
staff to help you find and to implement the natural methods that are most effective in
controlling labor pain for you, even if they are available. For example, there is no staff
available to put counter pressure on your back during each contraction, a most effective
method for reducing labor pain. This lack of support and options will make your labor
more painful, and make you more likely to need an epidural. In a birthing center or at
home you have many more effective options and you have continuous, professional
labor support and people dedicated to helping you through your labor.
• You are more likely to accept drugs in a hospital because they are so readily available.
They will certainly be offered to you, perhaps many times during your labor. At an
intense moment in your labor you may yield to these offers, whereas if you were
properly supported in a birthing center or at home you wouldn't feel the need for them
or be exposed to this suggestive undermining of your natural birth desires.
• It's more convenient for the hospital and doctors for you to have an epidural, and they will encourage you to do so.
An epidural makes you less likely to make requests of the staff, and makes it easier for the staff to call your doctor
to arrive "just in time" to catch the baby. Without an epidural you will want more frequent visits from the nurses,
have more questions, require more support, and they will have to call the doctor sooner for your delivery because
without an epidrual the exact timing of the delivery is less predictable. Without an epidural they can't reasonably
tell you not to push if the doctor hasn't arrived yet because, if undrugged, your uterus will do it's job on it's own
time. This convenience factor makes it more likely the hospital staff will encourage you to have an epidural.
• Hospitals and the providers who work there get paid more when you have an epidural. This gives them a profit
motive to encourage you to have one. Did you know that when you have an epidural you have to pay an
anesthesiologist you otherwise would not have to pay, your nursing charges per hour increase, the amount of
supplies and drugs you will need will increase, and your complications rate will increase, likely resulting in further
procedures and charges? The estimated total increase in cost when you have an epidural (including hidden charges
no one tells you about) is about $2,000. Even if you have insurance and do not have to pay these charges yourself,
it is important to realize that the hospital and its staff do have financial pressure to encourage epidurals.
• You are less able to handle labor in a hospital than you are out of hospital. When you step into a hospital in labor
you will be in a strange place, lying in a strange bed, cared for by strangers to you. You will be asked to strip and
don strange clothes, you will be hooked up to a variety of strange wires and tubes, and suddenly there will be
strange rules for what you can and cannot do, which you will have to discover as you go along. The combination of
all this strangeness results in a personal sense of insecurity that most people don't realize until they leave the
hospital. Have you ever asked permission to go to the bathroom, drink a glass of water, or have or hold your baby?
I guarantee you'll do it in the hospital. This insecurity will undermine your confidence in yourself and your body to
birth naturally, and will increase your fear, which will increase your pain, and it will make it more likely you'll
choose an epidural.
• Can I choose the hospital where I'll give birth?
• In most cases, you'll deliver your baby at the hospital where your
healthcare provider has admitting privileges. So keep in mind that
when you choose a doctor or midwife, you'll likely be choosing the
place where you'll give birth. It's worth doing some research to make
sure the hospital's policies and approach to birth fit your needs.
• What if I have a high-risk pregnancy?
• If you're at high risk for preterm birth or other complications that
might affect your baby and you live in an area where there are a
number of hospitals, you'll want to choose one with a neonatal
intensive care unit (NICU
• What if I want a hospital birth in a more low-tech environment?
• Some hospitals have on-site birth centers in addition to traditional labor
and delivery suites. Birth centers offer the option of laboring and giving
birth in a more relaxed setting, often with amenities such as a whirlpool
bathtub for you and a comfortable sitting room for family members.
• If you need to be transferred for any reason – if, for example, you decide
you want an epidural – you'll only have to move down the hall or up a floor
or two. Of course, you'll have to make sure that the caregiver you choose is
willing to deliver in a birth center.
Shouldn’t have a home birth if
• A planned home birth isn't right for everyone. Your health care provider
might caution against a planned home birth if you:
• •Have diabetes, chronic hypertension, a seizure disorder or any chronic
medical condition
• •Previously had a C-section
• •Develop a pregnancy complication, such as preeclampsia
• •Are pregnant with multiples or your baby doesn't settle into a position
that allows for a headfirst delivery
• •Are less than 37 weeks or more than 41 weeks pregnant
• Why do women choose planned home births?
• You might choose a planned home birth for many reasons, including:
• •A desire to give birth in a familiar, relaxing environment surrounded by people
of your choice
• •A desire to wear your own clothes, take a shower or bath, eat, drink and move
around freely during labor
• •A desire to control your labor position or other aspects of the birthing process
• •A desire to give birth without medical intervention, such as pain medication
• •Cultural or religious norms or concerns
• •A history of fast labor
• •Lower cost
To eat, or not to eat?
• The placenta can be eaten raw, or it can be incorporated into a special
meal. Placenta recipes are a real thing that are on the Internet. Lest
you never want to eat lasagna again, I have not included links. It can
be cooked (usually steamed) then sliced, dehydrated, and
encapsulated into a pill. Sometimes women freeze it in small chunks
and blend it into a smoothie