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Birthing classes are typically offered through hospitals, but may just include the policies and routine procedures of the hospital where they are taught, so look at the curriculum first. (Thinkstock)
Birthing classes are typically offered through hospitals, but may just include the policies and routine procedures of the hospital where they are taught, so look at the curriculum first. (Thinkstock)
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Our ancestors probably didn’t spend hours with other pregnant women discussing ways to have a natural birth, because that was the only option. They witnessed their mothers, aunts and others in their community give birth naturally and knew innately how to do the same.

When I first started working as a midwife, a natural birth typically referred to an un-medicated vaginal birth. Today, some people use “natural birth” to describe all vaginal births, as opposed to cesarean births. To avoid confusion, these tips offer advice for how to have a healthy and unmedicated vaginal birth.

1. Knowledge is power. Birthing classes are typically offered through hospitals, but may just include the policies and routine procedures of the hospital where they are taught, so look at the curriculum first. Three of the most popular education resources outside of a hospital setting are Bradley Method of Husband Coached Natural Childbirth, Hypnobabies and Hypnobirthing. These provide a great education, which includes suggestions for pain relief, positions that help facilitate birth, and how to utilize hydrotherapy, massage and the use of positive affirmations. 

2. Find a care provider who supports your wishes. It is not uncommon for me to receive a call from a frantic first-time mom who has just completed her childbirth education program and is realizing her care provider isn’t on board with her birth preferences. If you have the opportunity before you conceive, talk to your friends, ask around and get recommendations. Look into the doctor’s cesarean rates. If you are trying to avoid a cesarean and the doctor has a 50 percent cesarean rate, the odds are unfortunately stacked against you.

Use social media to your advantage by finding natural birthing communities online. Decisions made about your body should be done so with information and autonomy. For example, if you find yourself with a nurse who is not supportive of your wishes, simply ask the charge nurse to reassign you.

3. Hire a doula and have a chiropractor. Doulas have specific training to assist women in childbirth. Some studies have shown that having a doula present reduces the cesarean rate by 50 percent, labor period by 25 percent, epidural requests by 60 percent, Pitocin use by 40 percent and forceps/vacuum delivery by 40 percent. Next, find a Webster certified prenatal chiropractor who will help in the alignment of your pelvis, which will improve your baby’s position. There are a variety of exercises that you can follow to insure this positioning as well.

4. Let labor start on its own. If you are trying to avoid medication, why start labor with it? Trying to force your body and baby to do something they’re not ready to do raises cesarean rates for “failure to progress.” But the average induction rates in the United States still hover around 50 percent. When you spontaneously start labor, your body releases a cocktail of hormones that help with natural pain relief and bonding with your baby after birth.

5. Make a birth plan, but have a plan B. Learn how to write a good birth plan in your childbirth classes, but there are other invaluable resources online. Remember, if your provider is in a big group practice, the chance of actually seeing your provider for the birth might be slim. Be sure to have your care provider sign off on your plan so the hospital orders represent your choices. First things first, stay active during your birth and avoid being on your back.

Birth is not a spectator sport; the fewer people you have observing you, the shorter your labor will be. Think about when a family pet gives birth … It is usually in the middle of the night, in the back of a corner of a room where no one is watching. We are no different. We are mammals and birth the same way. Remember to not only look at your options in labor and birth, but also routine newborn procedures. Always have your plan B if plan A doesn’t work.

Lindsey Meehleis is a licensed midwife and the owner of Orange County Midwifery, ocmidwifery.com. She is a storyteller and chronicles the #lifeofamidwife on her Instagram page @lindseymeehleis.