“You don’t get a trophy for having an unmedicated birth.”
Do you know what I say about this? Well, good because I wasn’t making room in my house to put one up.
A Woman Doesn’t Want A Trophy for a Safe Birth
Women who want an unmedicated birth do not want nor care about getting a “trophy” or “points.” Some people just don’t know that there are benefits of unmedicated birth!
Benefits of Unmedicated Birth?
There are various reasons a woman may want an unmedicated birth, such as…
1. The Unmedicated Birth Experience
Giving birth unmedicated provides you with a full and raw experience that can show you how capable you are to go through something so intense, then still feel love and ecstasy about that same very challenging experience.
2. The Protective and Euphoric Cocktail of Hormones
When you introduce any pharmacologic intervention into labor and birth, it averts the natural release of birth hormones that fuel pain relief, the foundation of a breastfeeding relationship, helps you to birth your placenta and prevent postpartum hemorrhage, and bond with your baby.
Furthermore, the people in the room, how you are treated, and how you feel impact your hormones.
The physiologic hormones responsible for these benefits include: oxytocin, endorphins, catecholamines, and prolactin.
Additionally, the hormones experienced from an unmedicated birth experience cause your uterus to effectively birth your placenta and prevent postpartum hemorrhage. To learn more about this, check out: Understand The Truth About Postpartum Pitocin and Postpartum Hemorrhage.
3. Unmedicated Birth is the Safest
For a low-risk woman, the safest way for her and her baby to go through labor, birth, and postpartum is unmedicated and without interventions [2].
When birth is physiologically supported with a calm birth space and people you know and trust, your body will react exactly how it was made to keep you healthy and safe. Basically, when physiologic birth is supported, the risks of emergencies in birth are far rarer.
However, if physiologic birth is not supported, this is when complications and emergencies are far more evident. Interventions such as epidurals, Pitocin, and more, can impede the natural release of the protective hormones which have the purpose of helping your body. When interventions are used, we see far more cases of things like postpartum hemorrhage, lack of progression in labor, retained placentas, etc.
4. To Give Birth Out of the Hospital
Did you know that the birth trauma rate in the U.S. is up to 45% [1]?
Giving birth outside of the hospital system has its pros and cons, just like giving birth inside the hospital system.
Nevertheless, it is rare for women with homebirth midwives to experience a traumatic birth. More and more women in the U.S. are choosing homebirth to avoid the medical model of care and the cascade of medical interventions by giving birth at home or in a freestanding accredited birth center. With giving birth outside of the hospital, this means having an unmedicated birth too.
Still, making this decision is an individualized choice that every woman should take the time to learn about in an evidence-based manner. Check out my blog post and video on Why Are More Women Having Homebirths in the U.S. and Is it Safe? (Coming soon!)
When an intervention is needed or desired by the pregnant woman, there is nothing wrong with it going that way, but there shouldn’t be anybody out there claiming a woman could only want an unmedicated experience for a “trophy” or “points.”
Take a Comprehensive Childbirth Course!
Coming soon is The Balanced Birthing Course which will empower and prepare you for anything. It will include the benefits and risks of interventions, how to keep your energy up during labor, the truth about continuous fetal monitoring, when to go to your place of birth, labor and pushing positions, and so much more for an attachment-focused birth experience, whether it’s unmedicated, medicated, a cesarean, in the hospital, or out of the hospital. You will be guaranteed education and empowerment for your birth.
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Sources:
[1] Beck CT, Watson S, Gable RK. Traumatic Childbirth and Its Aftermath: Is There Anything Positive? J Perinat Educ. 2018 Jun;27(3):175-184. doi: 10.1891/1058-1243.27.3.175. PMID: 30364308; PMCID: PMC6193358.
[2] Lothian JA. Safe, healthy birth: what every pregnant woman needs to know. J Perinat Educ. 2009 Summer;18(3):48-54. doi: 10.1624/105812409X461225. PMID: 19750214; PMCID: PMC2730905.
DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info
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