Pro natural birth (with drugs)...or am I?

I definitely agree with both Hasie as well as Abby. It is about the BABY first, what is best for him/her, and the birth is just a beginning to start from.

But furthermore I believe it is critical that you as mother need to be comfortable with your choice, so that you will be calm and mentally prepared, and not feel that you have been pressured into a choice by society, medical staff or anyone else. I very strongly believe a mother's mental wellbeing has a massive impact on the wellbeing of the baby, and therefore one should not feel selfish for taking your own feelings (fears as well as preferences) into account. A happy, relaxed mum is imperative to having a happy baby.

For me, there is no choice. Birth is about my BABY, not about me. The safest way to give birth to a baby is naturally. Stats proves it over and over.

It is the safest, calmest entrance for your baby into this world.

The chances of complications after the birth is smaller than with a c-sec.

The chance of a assisted (vacuum / forceps) delivery is smaller.

Chances of baby being injured during birth is less.

Chances of complications with future pregnancies is smaller.

Chances of having a emergency hysterectomy is smaller.

Amount of blood lost is usually much less.

The list is endless.

Personally (and here comes the heated debate part...) I feel that anyone who chooses a c-sec without medical reasons for it, is selfish and not thinking of what is best for their baby. Sorry, I know, its harsh words and its ugly to say things like that. That is my personal opinion.

I am passionate about birth and babies. I teach antenatal classes and am a doula. I support the moms I doula for in WHATEVER they choose. I don't judge them. I would judge myself if I had chosen differently.

I had two normal births. One normal, with pethadine. It was insane. One Natural, with HypnoBirthing. It was awesome. Every second was amazing. I never felt out of it or out of control. I birthed my baby. I picked her up and put her onto my breast. It was out of this world. She breastfed while daddy cut her chord. Special moments.

But yes, birth is one day of your baby's life. Its the beginning, not the be-all and end-all. It is the only birthing day that your baby will have. And as a mom of 2, I can promise you that if you are anything like me, you will remember every second of that day for ever and ever. Birth changes you (be is c/s or natural). It makes you a mom. It has an enormous impact on you. Put in some more research and more thought and make sure you choose what is right for you and for your baby.

Hi CarienM

Congrats on your pregnancy!

My first was delivered via a planned c section. It was scheduled because I took the gynea up on her suggestion. My daughter was a big baby. The c section itself was pretty painless. My recovery was very quick. When I got all feeling back my tummy was a little sore (felt more like I had a workout) but then went away quick. Hospital stay of 3 days and 2 nights. I even cleaned the house when I got home! Breastfeeding was a bit bumpy but I still breastfeed her together with her brother

I decided to deliver naturally second time around. During my c section I felt pain in my shoulders, I received pain relief which made me drowsy. As a result I was a little "out" of the birth. Too tired to care about what's happening. Too tired to stop the nurses bottlefeeding my baby which "was too big to breastfeed exclusively."

I delivered my little boy vaginally almost 2 weeks ago. It was really an amazing experience. I was more into my birth, even my husband who had no idea what we are in for was part of the birth. That feeling when he came out, I can't explain. I bonded immediately with my little boy. Everything I wanted to change about my first birth I achieved and overal a better experience to me. It was very hard work though. Next time I'd go the midwife route though!

But, you know now that it's all done with it really does not matter how you birth. You have to decide what you want from your birth and do what you are comfortable with. From my experience they both are not as painful or bad as people make them to be

Carien, I am in Fourways and I went to Sunninghill Hospital. I have heard really good things about Morningside as well, but dont know what their protocols are. I can definitely recommend contacting the midwife who run Antenatal classes at the hospital where you will be having baby (if you choose to do so in a hospital) since the midwives who work in the hospital usually give the antenatal classes there. They should be able to answer all the questions. And also to attend the classes themselves, it did help me a great deal.

At Sunninghill, there are always a midwife present in the room (or theatre) when baby is born, whether it is by c-sect or natural, and it is largely the midwifes who run the pro-natural and pro-breastfeeding programs.

Thanks so much for your reply, it really is great to get opinions from both sides of the fence. It was good to hear from the ladies who were happy with their choice to have a natural birth, but then its also nice to hear that there are positive stories for c-sections too.

Where are you located? My gynea is at Morningside Clinic in Sandton so that is where I will be going, I will need to find out if they will also assist with a "natural" experience should I choose to have the baby naturally.

Thanks for your opinion, much appreciated!

Hi Carien,

I'm on the complete opposite side than Marijke. I had a c-sect (also unscheduled) and I loved every moment of it.

Let me begin by stating that I am a planner, and I freak out if I need to wait around for things to happen outside of my control, I did also see video's of natural and c-sect childbirth, and to me the wonder of medical science is just that, a wonder. Not to say that natural birth is any less of a miracle!

I knew early on that I was at risk of having a c-sect, since I have a heart shaped (bicornuate) uterus, which could also lead to increased chance of miscarriage. So early on I faced the possibility at least of a c-sect. In the end the baby was nicely head down and positioned correct for natural, but my placenta was calcifying and her oxygen was running low. So the dr did an unscheduled c-sec on the afternoon of my 38 week checkup.

It was a great experience for someone as scientifically minded as me. Everything was controlled, there was classical music playing, my husband was holding my hand and the gynae was chatting to me and him through the whole process, explaining what was happening as he went along. The spinal was a bit scary (that was the only scary part for me) since my blood pressure dropped, but the way it was handled by the anaesthetist, who was standing right next to my head and helping me all the time, I found very comforting. He explained immediately what was going on and what he was doing, and that gave me immence comfort. My daughter was out and crying in a few seconds it seemed, the check for APGAR was done next to me and she was handed to me immediately after and put on my breast, where I held her and looked into her eyes while they finished the procedure. Afterward I was wheeled off to my room with her in my arms, and the nurses cleared everyone out and helped me breastfeed her. They reiterated the importance of her being breastfed within half and hour of being born.

My recovery was better than I anticipated. My daughter was kept in my room next to my bed, and nurses would come and hand her to me (or my husband would) during the first evening (while I was still unable to walk) whenever I wanted to hold her or feed her. She never got a bottle or formula in the hospital and was breastfed exclusively until a couple of months ago (she is seven months now) and took to breastfeeding wonderfully. The next day I was up and walking, and though it was tender, I did not have a problem picking up or holding my daughter. I did receive pain meds in hospital, and kept drinking the meds as prescribed for 3 days after I left hospital, after which it was no longer necessary. I stayed in hospital for 3 nights, with baby in my room next to me, except for the 3rd night when she had to go under UV lights for jaundice. That was the worst for me, although I could go sit next to her, and the nurses brought her to me every three hours to breastfeed.

Like I said, for me it was a wonderful experience and I would 100% go for c-sect again if I were to have another baby. I must add that the hospital policies regarding keeping c-sect as "natural" as possible, and being very pro-breastfeeding, made a world of difference in the experience.

Last thing I wanted to add. Whether natural (coping with the pain during) or c-sec (coping with the recovery after) the day your baby is born will, in retrospect, have been the easiest thing about being a mother!