For just about any woman, getting through birth is already difficult enough as it is. But there is no question that the notion of child birth is also much anticipated. It indicates the start of a hands-on, almost lifelong commitment to motherhood. If you decide to undergo the experience without the aid of drugs, it is bound to be even more challenging. However, over the recent years, more and more mothers are opting to give birth naturally and without medication. It’s a sound alternative to conventional procedures, and to be able to pull it off, you need to be well prepared. Here are a few things that will help you get through natural birth a bit more easily, and where you can find support:
Decide on a good practitioner
Whether you’re inclined to choose a particular doctor like an obstetrician, a family practitioner, or a perinatologist, or you’re more partial to use a midwife, it is of utmost importance that you decide on a trustworthy medical practitioner to care for you in your time of birth. Choose someone who has a lot of experience in the field. More often than not, though, midwives are usually more adept at natural birth.
Choose a suitable place
Several women can settle quite comfortably into child birth while they’re in a center or right at their own homes, but you can also decide to give a natural birth in a hospital. The thing to remember is to plan well ahead of time so you can be sure the place you eventually settle on offers friendly support and adequate facilities.
Consider hiring a doula
Doula is actually a Greek word which means woman servant, but over the years its meaning evolved. Now it refers to a professional woman who considerably helps a family work around the stressful and often chaotic childbearing year. While a doula does not render medical care, she helps out in a lot of other things. For instance, if you decide to hire a doula, she will start to assist you even during pregnancy. If you’ve already made up your mind early on that you want to have a natural birth, your doula can walk you through recommended techniques and classes, as well as help you write a plan. Research shows that having a doula effective reduces a woman’s request for epidural anesthesia; it can also lessen by half chances of cesarean.
Opting to have a natural birth is up to you. There are many readily available sources you can look into. And if you employ proper planning and take sensible advice, it’s going to be an experience you will never forget.