Preventing an Unnecessary Cesarean Section
Believe completely in your body. You must find a way to completely trust that your well-nourished body would not grow a baby that is too big for you to birth. This is difficult because much of the information we receive from the media, doctors and even other women is contrary to that. Many unnecessary Cesarean sections come from mismanagement of labor by the woman’s attendants rather than the woman’s body not functioning as it should.
Believe in your baby. Know that babies are healthiest and strongest when they are able to choose their own birthday and design their own labor. Resist the pressure of labor inductions or Pitocin management of labor. These will only make labor more painful and more stressful on the baby.
Acknowledge and release your fears about birth or becoming a parent. If the fears of both parents are expressed and released, they are less likely to come up during labor and slow down progress.
Stay at home as long as you can. Do not go to the hospital until you are in active labor. You or your partner should be able to tell when you’re in active labor. You will be quiet during contractions, having to really focus on each one and the contractions will last longer, usually about 45-60 seconds in duration.
Stay upright. The more you walk and do what your body tells you to, the better the baby can move down. It is much more difficult, and often more painful, to labor lying down.
Eat and drink as needed. Labor is a marathon. It is a physically demanding endurance test, and you will need fuel. Eat light carbohydrates and vegetables while you are still at home, as some hospitals will request that you not eat in labor. In labor, 100% fruit juice will help you keep up your energy even better than an IV. Don’t forget to empty your bladder frequently, also. If your bladder is full, it may block the baby from moving down into the pelvis or birth canal.
Hire a doula to attend your birth. A doula is a woman who is trained and experienced in attending women in birth. She can help encourage you during labor and suggest different things to help the course of labor and to help you cope. A doula can also release the father from the responsibility of being his partner’s only emotional support, and allow him to experience his true role: the father of the baby. Most importantly, a doula helps to purify the birthing environment and brings the energy of love with her to your birth.
Believe in the reason for the sensations of birth. Resist the pressure to “take the edge off” the pain or get an epidural. The contractions serve a purpose, and taking away that experience can seriously compromise the course of normal labor. Giving birth is hard work – it’s meant to be.
Change positions frequently. In the journey from the womb, the baby has many different twists and turns to navigate. The baby’s head moulds to allow passage through the birth canal and the baby turns about seven or eight times to find its way out. It has to pass under the pubic bone, through the cervix, and all sorts of other obstacles. Varying your movement, from walking, to rocking in a rocking chair, to squatting, to climbing stairs, to hands and knees, to sitting on a birthing ball, to taking a shower or a bath can really help the baby move down in your body.
Avoid internal examinations and unnecessary fetal monitoring. Studies have shown that using constant electronic fetal monitoring only increases one part of the birth outcome – the baby will be more likely to be born by Cesarean section. In these studies, constant fetal monitoring did NOT increase the safety of the mother or baby, in fact, it decreased the safety by having a surgical birth rather than a normal, gentle birth. You can request that the baby’s heart rate be checked every twenty minutes, rather than constantly.
Written by Kathleen Hickey with special thanks to Birthworks®.
