There are very few topics that I am passionate about, one of the few however, is birth. Birth is one of those many wonders of the human body. Its a miraculous event to witness and an even bigger miracle to experience.
BUT…
Birth is also a physiological event that a lot of women enter into without a vast knowledge base of what to expect. Birth has a reputation for being long, painful and in a hospital. While those expectations of birth are real for many women, they are not the case for everyone.
Birth itself is 80% mental. No, I’m not joking. Having the right support can make all the difference between having a birth you want and having a birth that leaves you struggling mentally.
There are exceptions to every rule and this is no different. Birth comes in many forms – vaginal, cesarean section, breech, all natural, fully medicated…you name it. Each birthing woman has her own definition of the perfect birth. That being said, there are some factors that can dictate the flow of birth, that are over and above labor itself.
First, do your research. Go into your birth with some knowledge behind you. Do you know if you want medication for pain or not? If you don’t, why not? Is it because of risk factors or you simply want to do labor on your own? Do you want oxytocin to be administered at the end of your labor? Do you know what that oxytocin is for? How about the Vitamin K for baby, is that an option you want to allow or deny? Do you know what it is for? If your care provider comes to you with a potential scenario – lets use “failure to progress” – do you know what that actually means? What are your options? What the risks & benefits for you and baby?
While it is impossible to cover every scenario or “what if”, you can follow this acronym to help you through the situation. BRAIN.
Benefits – What are the benefits to you and baby?
Risks – What are the risks to you and baby?
Alternative – Is there an alternative to accomplishing the same goal? vacuum vs. forceps?
Instint – Trust your instinct! You would be surprised that your body knows what its doing.
Nothing – You have the full right to do nothing. Maybe revisit the choice later.
Using BRAIN can get you through a lot of scenarios! Discuss this with your support system if you have one with you. Spouse, Doula, friend, parent. Its good to have someone to discuss things with and bounce your questions or worries off of.
Second, your care provider and you should be on the same page. Find one who will support your decisions and be open to your questions. One who will help you achieve your goals and most importantly…one that you can trust. Whether it be an obstetrician, midwife or even a GP that specializes in obstetrics.
Last, but not least, support! Having support in the delivery room is essential. Having a woman on the brink of insanity making in-the-moment decisions is somewhat precarious. Having someone level-headed and grounded who can balance out the laboring mom while she both labors and tries to weighs the pros-cons of a decision – can help the mom achieve the labor she wants. A spouse is a wonderful emotional support, a Doula can be that physical/educational support you might want, the Grandma or a close Friend can also be wonderful support. In any case, try to have the support you feel 100% comfortable with in your delivery room. I swear it helps!
Keep in mind, sometimes you can go into birth with all the support in the world, all the knowledge you can possibly have and things will still go sideways. Expectations & birth don’t always go hand in hand, sometimes, its better to go with the mentality “If this happens, awesome! If it doesn’t, I will be ok with it”.
I wish you the absolute best with your birth. If you have had a traumatic birth, please reach out for help to get healing from it! Birth can be magical and every woman deserves to know that.
The post Birth and All its Wonders! appeared first on ANU Fertility Consultants.
source http://www.surrogacyincanada.com/birth-and-all-its-wonders/
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