What's everyone's definition of Natural Childbirth?

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Just curious here. I thought Natural Childbirth was to have NO medical interventions at all. I mean no IV access-not even a saline lock, no pain meds, no breaking the bag, no constant monitoring of the fetus, etc. Many people I have taken care of think natural childbirth is just saying NO to the epidural. Personally I can agree with a saline lock if in the hospital and still call it "natural" if no other interventions were done..just curious to what others think...

I'd say that any time a human mother gives birth to a human child no matter the level of intervention or the mode of delivery (vag vs. section) to be "natural". I think that a lot of people get hung up on the "natural" label, momentarily forgetting that everyone's ultimate goal is a healthy mom/healthy baby and it puts a lot of pressure on the mom-to-be to have an unrealistic vision of a "perfect" birth experience.[/quote']

On the other hand the pressure could be not to rock the boat do as the OB says after all thay are the birth gods! any deveation from the hospital routine and you are seen as a shelfish woman who is risking the health of their baby.

For me natural labour is spotanous labour which leads toa vignal birth and anythingit takes intervention or non to get there.

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Specializes in LPN.

Even to call a birth "intervention-free" depends on your definition of intervention. I consider my births "natural", even though I had intermittent fetal monitoring with a doppler, my vital signs were taken occasionally, and I had two cervical checks for dilation during one of my births. I was in a free-standing birth center with CNM's, but was allowed to move around and change positions as I wanted, eat and drink, have multiple family members with me, and others things I've seen forbidden in the local hospital.

I think it would be difficult to have a birth in a hospital that felt "natural". Even if they didn't use pain medication, some women feel stifled in a hospital setting. Women may feel they are on someone else's "territory" and that decisions are often made for them based on hospital policy rather than what the mother truly feels is in her own best interest.

You can't assume all homebirths are completely intervention-free either. People have been known to have interventions such as membranes stripped, IV fluids, and/or episiotomies in the home environment. This isn't typical, especially since most women who choose homebirths want to get away from these things. Still, it can happen.

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Is anyone here familiar with the Read method? I understand it was in vogue for a while in the 1950s, until it was shown that the divorce rate for women who actually did it was astronomical because many of them were so afraid of having another baby, they completely refused to engage in any sexual activity with their husbands, ever again.

Unlike other women who had "natural" childbirth, they DID NOT forget the pain and had a lot of difficulty bonding with their babies as well.

That's what I've heard.

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Is anyone here familiar with the Read method? I understand it was in vogue for a while in the 1950s, until it was shown that the divorce rate for women who actually did it was astronomical because many of them were so afraid of having another baby, they completely refused to engage in any sexual activity with their husbands, ever again.

Unlike other women who had "natural" childbirth, they DID NOT forget the pain and had a lot of difficulty bonding with their babies as well.

That's what I've heard.

What exactly is the Read method? I've never heard of it.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

It's actually the name of a British obstetrician, Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, and the method is named after him. He wrote a lot about labor & birth, but here's some quick info about him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grantly_Dick-Read

(I know it's wikipedia, but this is pretty accurate! ;) )

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Specializes in LPN.

I hadn't heard of the "Read" method per se, but Grantly Dick-Read is still well respected in natural childbirth circles. I read his book in its entirety a few years ago. It's a bit dry since it lacks illustrations, and parts of it are a bit outdated now (consider that it was first published in 1944 and referred to hospital practices at the time. However, his ideas were very good and are still around in different forms. He emphasized understanding and working with the normal physiology of labor, rather than ignorance and fear of the unknown.

I have heard it said that the newer "hypnobirthing" method is actually based on Dick-Read's philosophies. It is just updated and made more practical and user-friendly. I didn't use hypnobirthing, but I've met women who swear by it, saying they felt calm and in control throughout their labor.

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Is anyone here familiar with the Read method? I understand it was in vogue for a while in the 1950s, until it was shown that the divorce rate for women who actually did it was astronomical because many of them were so afraid of having another baby, they completely refused to engage in any sexual activity with their husbands, ever again.

Unlike other women who had "natural" childbirth, they DID NOT forget the pain and had a lot of difficulty bonding with their babies as well.

That's what I've heard.

Fansinating - is this actual fact or fiction made up by the medical society to ensure that women can not labour and birth without the aid of a Doctor.

Hypnobirthing I have resently had experience of we had a women who

wanted a home birth unfortunatly she had pregancy induced hypertension so bad she need a induction of labour on medical grounds as well as mag- she was devistated we did the best we could soft lighing music bed clothes from home etc- she was derminded to use hypnobirthing and she did pictocin induction no analgesia and push out as a primip in under one hour a direct op baby- they were delighted that she managed to fill some of her expectations - she sent us all cards thanking us for supporting her and giving her respect that she could birth her baby.

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My own definition was no drugs for pain.

I had NO idea about the controversy regarding all the rest . . .prior to becoming an ob nurse.

steph

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What would the opposite of natural birth be? Unnatural childbirth? Artificial birth? Faking it?

Try bragging to your friends that you want really unnatural childbirth. It is good for a laugh.

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Specializes in midwifery, NICU.

I'm with those who don't enjoy seeing GBS septic kids go from fine to almost dead in a matter of hours.

I agree Arwen. been there, it's so scary! We have a wee guy right now, 34 weeker, initially fine, late report of GBS, right around the time he started going off. GBS is such a frightening thing.

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Specializes in OB L&D Mother/Baby.

I consider a natural birth to be intervention free... no epis, no pain meds, no iv's (maybe a saline lock for amp if gbs+), no arom, no pit etc etc etc...

Most of the patients that I've had refer to any lady partsl delivery as "natural" even if they were an elective induction at 38 wks, tied to the bed for monitoring, requested stadol every hour and then an epidural... if the kid emerges from the womb via the lady parts... to them it's "natural"

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What would the opposite of natural birth be? Unnatural childbirth? Artificial birth? Faking it?

Try bragging to your friends that you want really unnatural childbirth. It is good for a laugh.

:lol2:

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