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Childbirth / Motherhood

Is Natural Childbirth All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

Is Natural Childbirth All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

The short answer is, Yes! The long answer…

I was just 12 weeks pregnant, when our mid-wife asked about our birth plan. I responded, “What is a birth plan”?

Before becoming pregnant, I always had planned on getting an epidural a.s.a.p. Why on earth would I want to experience such pain, if there is miracle drug to take it all away? My husband encouraged me to make my own choice, but challenged me to do a bit of research on natural childbirth before I made my decision.

After researching and talking to other moms about their birthing experience, I decided natural childbirth was my “birth plan.”

For your sanity, your partner’s sanity and your midwife, doula or doctor, I encourage you to create a birth plan. Use your birth plan as an outline or a goal, but be okay with failing. There are birth stories of horror, quick labor, long labor, emergency C-sections and everything in between. Each mother has her own unique story about how her beautiful child came into this world.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older and more moms surround me, but it seems to me that how a woman gives birth has become a bit of a competitive conversation. A woman who gives birth naturally gets a “Wow, that’s amazing” response. A woman who get an emergency C-section often hears “Bummer, sorry to hear that.” Bummer? She birthed a beautiful baby! What part of that is a bummer?

Each woman gets to make her own choice about how they want to give birth. Sometimes the plan works and sometimes it doesn’t. Own your choice, believe in your choice, fight for your choice, but know when the midwives and doctors tell you otherwise (or you accept that epidural you originally claimed you didn’t want). Be okay with these changes to your birth plan, it’s ultimately what’s best for you and your baby.

There is no failure in childbirth. You created life and delivered a beautiful baby into this world. How you medically did that, doesn’t matter. Be a proud momma no matter if your birth plan was followed perfectly, or thrown away the moment you entered the hospital.

So while I think natural childbirth is “all it’s cracked up to be”…it doesn’t matter. What matters is the huge accomplishment of giving birth to your beautiful baby, no matter how that little peanut made their entry into the world.

Elissa Sungar is the Co-Creator of If Not You, Who?  a free website that offers easy and fun in-home educational activities that help prepare children for kindergarten and life. Her passion for early childhood education grew out of her experience as a pre-school teacher at Stanford University’s Bing Nursery School. Elissa loves spending time with her family, hiking, running, tennis, yoga, cute workout clothes, good cheese, great baked goods, exploring Denver and taking care of her new baby boy!   Twitter: @ElissaINYW

 

 

Elissa Sungar
Author: Elissa Sungar

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3 Comments

  1. I guess you should say I was “unnatural” and had an epidural after being induced. Certainly worked for me!

  2. So true! “There is no failure in childbirth. You created life and delivered a beautiful baby into this world. How you medically did that, doesn’t matter. Be a proud momma no matter if your birth plan was followed perfectly, or thrown away the moment you entered the hospital.”

  3. I had an epidural after being induced. It certainly worked for me too! I delivered in no time! I love this post, it is so true and inspiring!

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