Birth Options: Induction, Epidurals and Natural Delivery

Before we get too far into the weeds on these touchy subjects, I'm going to state for the record I personally have not experienced childbirth.  However, as someone who fully intends to experience it and is considering all options at the moment, I merely hope to share what I learn with others and open a dialogue on the topic. 

The very thought of a totally natural delivery with no pain meds freaks me out more than I can say.  However, billions of women have done it and there is something to be said for that.  One of the ideas presented in the Business of Being Born film, also mentioned in my previous post, is the cycle of women being induced, which strengthens contractions causing the desire for pain medication to assist with the pain which then causes labor to slow or stall out or the heart rate of the baby to jump.  In turn, the increases the need to have a cesarean delivery.  The argument makes sense to me. 

Induction, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a procedure used to stimulate uterine contractions during pregnancy before labor begins on its own.  Primarily used when there are concerns for the mother or the baby's health.  When I think of a woman being induced, however, I feel like induction generally takes place when the mother is past her due date.  When I think of all the pregnant ladies I have known over the past few years, the first thing I felt like I asked if they were past due is "when are they going to induce you".  Ladies, slap me now if I ask you this question.  The whole concept of a due date is silly to me anyway.  It is a guesstimation at best.  In my mind I compare it to the expiration date on milk.  Who is to say that the date printed on the carton is the drop dead date that milk is no longer going to be consumable?  By all accounts, a due date could be up to two weeks off. 

The way I see it, a baby will come out when they are ready.  If you haven't gone into labor, it is the baby and the body's way of saying it isn't ready yet.  Have you ever heard of a baby staying in the womb forever?  No, it doesn't happen.  That being said, I do understand there are certain circumstances when induction of labor is necessary.   

According to an article jointly published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine in November 2014, from 1990 to 2008 the rate of inductions in the United States went from 9.5% to 23.1%; nearly 1 in 4 women were being induced.  At the same time, the rate of cesarean deliveries rose at approximately the same rate.  While the article argues that you cannot make the direct correlation between inductions and an increased risk of cesarean delivery, it does indicate the being induced leads to other risk factors.  Induction of labor does lead to increased risk of fetal distress, which leads to an increased chance of delivering via cesarean.

 

Now, lets talk about epidurals to manage the pain.  Typically, when I hear people talk about having a natural delivery, an epidural is what I consider the meat and potatoes of what they are talking about.  I have always understood there were risks associated with an epidural.  To be honest, I'm not sure which worried me more, the thought of squeezing a baby out or a giant needle in my back.....  Perhaps I thought I would be able to tolerate the short term pain of an epidural versus the extended pain of labor and delivery.  In the name of researching all options when it came to labor and delivery, I started researching alternatives to an epidural.  

   

If you are looking for some information on the potential side effects of an epidural, check out this website.  It is fairly well documented that an epidural slows down the process of labor possibly by inhibiting contractions.  It seems the most common side effect of an epidural on the mother is a lowering of her blood pressure.  Many times, this is mitigated with an IV.  The most noted side effects for the baby when a mother receives an epidural are problems with temperature regulation and low blood pressure.  

Have a few minutes to spare, or maybe an evening to blow?  Go check Pinterest for a list of natural ways to handle childbirth.  I realize in the realm of natural childbirth, this barely scratches the surface. There is a lot more information out there.  Hopefully, none of you are currently reading this thinking to yourselves, "this is all well and good, come talk to me when you actually deliver a baby".  To that, I will leave you with this

-N 

Birth Options- It's OK To Question

Some people call it skepticism, but I like to call it being inquisitive. However, when it comes to birthing options I call in to question "the norm".  When you think of delivering a baby, the first thing that comes to mind is a woman in a hospital room in bed during most of the delivery.  I don't know about the rest of you, but the thought of that just makes me want to run away screaming.  To be honest, when the topic of kids comes up, labor and delivery is the thing that first comes to mind and that pretty much dismissed the thought of kids from my mind.

I am a total sissy when it comes to pain; I know I'm not the only one out there.  When it comes to the very thought of labor and delivery, my lady parts started to freak out.  Most years I can't walk into the OB/GYN for my annual appointment without feeling like I want to run away, and I really like my OB.  I say all this to paint a bit of a picture for you of just how much the whole idea scares me.  I have always maintained when it came time for me to have a baby, I was going to be rolling up to the hospital asking for an epidural.

Over the past five years, I have watched many friends have babies, some of them more than one baby.  While talking to them about their experiences during childbirth, it got me thinking, "there has to be another way".  Some of them have had very easy labors and some of them not so much.  But, I thought to myself, "why am I so afraid of delivery".  Recently, I had lunch with another friend who also does not yet have kids.  We discovered we both have much the same fear when it comes to delivery; pain.

So, I have started on a journey to uncover some alternatives and challenge my mindset about delivery.  I would like to take you on this journey with me as I go through the various options.  Feel free to comment on posts if you have suggestions, recommendations, or general comments.  I love talking to people about this topic as I find everyone has their own unique thoughts on the matter.  I think it is important to open up a dialogue and challenge the status quo on the topic of childbirth, labor and delivery.

While surfing Netflix one Saturday morning and seriously wondering if I had watched every decent thing there was to watch, I came across a documentary called More Business of Being Born.  It actually has several parts to it on various topics.  I picked the first one and started it up.  A little ways into the film, Andrew came downstairs to see what I was up to.  He ended up sitting down and watching the rest of the film with me.  I remember texting a friend of mine who lives out of state after the film was done talking about how much my mind was blown by the film.  Andrew and I have actually had a number of conversations about the film since watching it.   

The things they talked about were absolutely eye opening, but made total sense.  Now, I try not to be a bandwagon person, so I didn't want to buy into what they were presenting in the film without researching further to back up their claims.  Some light research confirmed the information presented in the film.  I found the original film to the serious The Business of Being Born online and quickly watched it as well.  I sent a text to the friend I had been talking about labor and delivery with and told her she HAD to watch the film; we had lunch a couple weeks later to discuss.

After watching both films, I found I had more questions than answers.  The films did a great job of explaining things like what a Doula is and his/her role during delivery.  They also explained what a Midwife is.  However, I had more questions.  I wanted to know if there were options for Doulas in the Des Moines area?  Do we have Midwives in Des Moines, and can they deliver in the hospitals, or will I have to deliver with a doctor?  Are there options outside of delivering in a hospital?  Why are so many women induced?  What did women do before the days of an epidural? These were all questions I had as I have started my journey of questioning the norm when it comes to delivery.  I have tried to focus my research on local options to calm my intense fear of the delivery process.

Each post in this series will focus on a different option I have looked into.  My goal in these post is to educate others and encourage them to look into other options rather than accepting the norm.    

-N