Preparing for a Natural Birth: Mentally & Emotionally

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on Preparing for a Natural Birth!

I can’t remember the exact day when I knew I wanted a natural birth.  It’s strange to me that I can’t remember exactly when I made that decision, but I know my mom’s words of wisdom to me during my first pregnancy shaped my opinions a lot!  As soon as Tad and I got pregnant the first time, I started reading books on pregnancy, labor & delivery, and breastfeeding.  I wanted to soak up all the knowledge I could!

One of the things that profoundly impacted my line of thinking was watching The Business of Being Born, a documentary a friend recommended I watch while I was pregnant with Vera.  This documentary helped me realize that I didn’t want an epidural (or an induction, if possible), primarily due to the increased risk of C-section and other complications.  I’m planning on watching this follow-up documentary soon!

I also read most of Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience by Ricki Lake one afternoon at Barnes & Noble.  I was able to share lots of facts from the book with Tad as we sipped on our iced lattes.

I found great encouragement from reading birth stories online (every single one is unique and beautiful)!  This site has tons, including this awesome vaginal hospital birth of triplets!  Personal blogs are my favorite source for birth stories, since I feel like I already “know” the women sharing their stories!  (Shameless plug… if you haven’t read my stories, here they are: Vera, Cordelia, & Jude.)

I don’t want this post to be a discouragement to the women I know who wanted a natural birth but were not able to have one.  I know that this is a real possibility for any of us as we go into labor.  Things don’t always go our way (and I’ll discuss this more in a future post).  I’m writing this more with women in mind who are “on the fence” about a natural birth.  Maybe you’ve heard good things, but you also kind of want an epidural.  In my experience, it definitely helped to make a concrete plan in my mind that I was going to go natural no matter how hard it was.

Everyone knew I wanted a natural birth – my midwife, the nurses, Tad, my mom… so their support in the moment was invaluable.  With Vera’s birth, when I was offered some kind of pain relief (I can’t remember if my midwife was suggesting an epidural or something else), in my quite delirious/sleep-deprived state I kept repeating over and over, “I don’t want Pitocin!” (I, of course, know that Pitocin is not a pain reliever! I eventually did accept a dose or two of Nubane to take the edge off a bit.)  My point is that I was firmly resolved not to give into an epidural, which I knew may lengthen and/or stall the labor, which could lead to Pitocin, which could result in complications, etc. etc.

Now I also need to add a word to the women reading this (including many of my dear friends!) who have gotten epidurals or plan to in the future.  This is absolutely a personal decision for each person, so please don’t think I’m looking down on you at all.  At the end of the day, we all have precious babies from the fruits of our labor, regardless of what pain medication we did or did not receive.

But if you do want to have a natural birth experience, make a mental commitment before labor starts.  I don’t know many women who said, “Well, I guess I’ll just see how things go and decide when I’m in labor whether I want the epidural” who did not end up getting an epidural.  The mental/emotional/physical preparation needed to go through an unmedicated labor has to begin before you walk through the hospital doors.

I highly recommend attending a birthing class, where the instructor will teach you breathing techniques and natural pain management.  I also think reading good blog posts and books about natural births will help a lot as you go into your delivery.  This book is a classic.

As you read, research, and prepare, begin forming a birth plan in your mind.  In a future post I’ll discuss actually writing it down, but for now, start thinking about what your ideal birth might look like.

Other resources:

–7 Benefits of Natural Childbirth

–Birthing Naturally

–Natural Birth Options & Tips

ALIESHA CALDWELL IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE AMAZON SERVICES LLC ASSOCIATES PROGRAM, AN AFFILIATE ADVERTISING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A MEANS FOR SITES TO EARN ADVERTISING FEES BY ADVERTISING AND LINKING TO AMAZON.COM.