Product Search

Babies Online FREE Birth Announcements - Create a web site for your new baby, complete with pictures, instantly and for free! Tons of other great (and free!) stuff for new and expectant parents too, so check it out.

There are Various Childbirth Options to Consider

Natural child birth and water birth are seen by many parents as the child birth delivery of choice. With natural child birth or a water birth, parents' hope for child birth that is without drugs (pain medications) and surgery, allowing for the most natural process and what is usually the quickest recovery afterwards. Of course each child birth labor and child birth delivery will be unique not always going according to the birth plan. Often there will be unexpected complications that occur and a cesarean birth may be necessary.

A natural child birth or water birth can be done in either the hospital or home with a doctor or midwife. Water births can also be done in a small pool at home or at birthing centers. It really is a matter of preference for the parents where their child birth delivery will be. Natural child birth delivery is an unmediated birth without the use of drugs or surgery, with the thought that birth is a natural process and not a medical procedure. The Bradley method of natural child birth says there are three advantages to natural child birth:

1. better for mom,
2. better for baby
3. better for family.

One of the most popular natural child birth methods is that of the water birth. A water birth is an un-medicated birth without the use of drugs or surgery. By giving birth in a pool it can be one of the most gentle ways to give birth. Some of the benefits of a water birth can include:

• greater comfort and mobility,
• easier to change position,
• reduced pressure on abdomen,
• promotes better blood circulation,
• better oxygenation of uterine muscles (more oxygen for baby) and,
• more efficient uterine contractions meaning less pain for mother.

During a water birth the water supports the mother’s weight so she has more energy to deal with labor contractions.

Whatever a couple’s birth plan might be from natural child birth, water birth or vaginal delivery it is sure to be unique and different for all women and not always according to plan.

Some of the most common signs of labor in most women can include: regular contractions, water breaking and cervix dilating (this however can happen weeks in advance). Some of the birthing options a couple has can include hospital birth, home birth or child birth at a birthing center with either a doctor or midwife. Pain management options for child birth labor can include; intravenous analgesic (pain relieving drug), epidural (injection to block pain) and pudenal block (blocks pain from the pudenal nerve between the vagina and the anus and is useful to reduce pain with forcep deliveries and episiotomies).

The most exciting time during natural child birth or water birth is the actual child birth delivery. All the first trimester pregnancy, second trimester pregnancy and third trimester pregnancy anticipation, nausea, prenatal care and planning will be worth the wait at this special and emotional time. Child birth is the moment when  the fetus exits from the mother’s body followed by placenta. It is highly recommended that fathers and partners be in the room to experience the birth. Some of the child birth delivery positions can include; sitting, squatting and semi-sitting (gravity helps mother in pushing baby through). Of course if the baby cannot be delivered vaginally a cesarean section will be done to deliver baby.

Whether a couple has a natural child birth, water birth or cesarean section can depend on personal preferences, labor complications and health of baby. As no two child birth deliveries are the same it always helps to take a child birth education class to prepare a couple for what might occur during child birth labor and child birth delivery. A popular child birth education class is the Lamaze child birth classes which teach couples the three signs of labor, prepares couples for labor and delivery, breathing techniques and pushing. Other things learned in child birth education class are medications used in labor, induction, forceps, vacuum, monitoring, cesarean  delivery and vaginal delivery. The child birth education classes are helpful in preparing a couple in what to expect and what can occur during child birth labor and child birth delivery.

Child birth labor and child birth delivery are moments a couple will always remember whether the child birth is birth child natural, natural child birth, water birth, vaginal birth or cesarean section. All the months of planning, taking tests, prenatal care, nausea, morning sickness, fatigue, taking child birth education classes, screening, preparing and caring for baby and mother during the first trimester pregnancy, second trimester pregnancy and third trimester pregnancy are sure to help in a successful and healthy child birth labor and child birth delivery however that baby is born whether it is birth child natural, natural child birth, caesarean section birth, vaginal birth or water birth. (Word Count 807)

Resource Box:
___________________________________
Valerie Giles owns and operates Are-You-Pregnant? http://www.are-you-pregnant.com. Find resources and FAQ for pregnant couples on our pregnancy web site, including first month symptom of pregnancy, conception calculator, trimester development, child birth, breast feeding as well as maternity merchandise. The accompanying article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.

Back to Articles