Benefits of Natural Childbirth
There are many amazing benefits when childbirth happens naturally. Giving birth is the ultimate expression of femininity. Yes, it’s challenging, which is why it’s called labor. But the effort is worth it, as bringing a new child into the world is a joyous experience. Handing over the process to a doctor and strangers, who might see your delivery as just another job, can lack the warmth and personal touch that natural childbirth offers.
5 Benefits of Natural Childbirth
Childbirth can be a liberating, empowering, challenging, and joyful experience. Giving birth while fully aware and in a warm, comforting environment, like your own home, can create lasting memories. Here are five incredible benefits of natural childbirth:
Empowerment
Yes, there is pain involved, but many women who choose natural childbirth view the pain as a rite of passage. Studies show that it helps prepare a woman for her new role as a mother and facilitates the birth process. What could be more empowering than being in charge? The process of birth produces endorphins, nature’s pain reliever. If pain isn’t felt due to medical interventions, then this natural and joyous pain relief can’t happen.
Women are often denied the right to refuse episiotomies during childbirth, an unnecessary intervention associated with excessive bleeding. Though it’s claimed to prevent tearing, tearing is actually safer and heals more rapidly. Epidurals can also increase the use of other medical interventions, raising risks for both mother and baby. Choosing natural childbirth ensures these unnecessary interventions don’t occur.
Safety
Why risk hospital-acquired infections for you or your baby? The fact is, you’re more likely to encounter life-threatening illnesses by giving birth in a hospital. Bleeding is often cited as a reason for hospital deliveries, but a woman is more likely to bleed to death in a hospital than during a natural birth. The safest way to give birth is the way nature intended.
Healthier Baby
Natural delivery ensures babies are born on nature’s schedule, not one set for the convenience of doctors and hospitals. Scheduled deliveries often happen earlier than natural ones, depriving babies of crucial development time. Studies show that home deliveries produce slightly better outcomes than hospital births. One critical aspect of home delivery is delaying the cutting of the umbilical cord, which is standard in hospitals. This delay allows the baby’s blood to flow from the placenta into their body, preventing oxygen deprivation, jaundice, and loss of blood cells, antibodies, iron, and stem cells.
Some argue that babies born naturally are more alert and vital. Whether true or not, many women prefer their babies to be born without immediate exposure to medications. Natural childbirth helps prepare the newborn for life outside the womb.
Healthier You
Many women believe that avoiding medical interventions during and after delivery results in healthier mothers. Women who opt for natural birth avoid the adverse effects of drugs and interventions, including the risk of arachnoiditis, a painful and debilitating condition caused by epidurals. Undrugged and non-hospitalized, new mothers can recover from labor more quickly and embrace their new role with vigor and strength.
Money in Your Pocket, Not the Medical System
In these times of tight budgets, one of the best things about natural childbirth is its low cost. Instead of spending your hard-earned money on a medical system that might do more harm than good, you can use it to provide a more comfortable life for your baby, yourself, and your family. While modern medicine can do wonders and save lives, natural childbirth enriches the lives of both mother and child, offering a more rewarding experience. Natural birth is truly an incredible experience, empowering each mother in her new role as caretaker of a precious new being.
