Don't Say No To Drugs?

When San Diego newlywed, Maria D’Janeiro-Smith found out she was pregnant her mind began to race as she started thinking about the logistics, like where she would give birth to her precious little one. Though the pregnancy was a surprise, she had known for a while that she wanted to give birth naturally. A “drug-free and calming environment” was the only logical option for her child’s entrance into this world. This came as no surprise to Maria’s closest friends and family because natural child birth was just a natural thing to do for a woman whose friends would describe as a little off the beaten path. 

However, Maria found that most other women outside of her inner circle didn’t share her views and were even a little taken aback by her choice in birthing plan. Most didn’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to take advantage of drugs that can take away the pain of delivering. One woman who had recently given birth urged Maria to push her doctor to schedule a caesarean as soon as possible so that she could “get that monster out a.s.a.p.” insisting that it was the best and only way to go. But Maria stuck to her guns and didn’t allow other people’s horror stories deter her from what she chose as her birthing plan.

Many, who have a strong opinion against natural childbirth, typically do not know much about it. Wikipedia defines natural childbirth as “a philosophy of childbirth that is based on the belief that women who are adequately prepared are innately able to give birth without routine medical interventions.” Historically, women had always given birth naturally because there was no other way to give birth. Women had their babies at home without the assistance of hospital personnel. The percentage of maternal death was 1.5% before medical interventions were discovered. Post medical intervention in deliveries, that percentage decreased by nearly half at .7%.  Presently, medical intervention is the norm in labor and delivery. But one of the misconceptions about natural childbirth is that medical intervention is an unavailable option. On the contrary, most birthing centers typically have a doctor on duty and it is common practice to instruct mothers-to-be to pick a backup plan hospital in the area just in case medical intervention is needed and mid-wives monitor the mother’s status to ensure medical intervention is not needed.

Probably the biggest misconception of natural childbirth is that it is a miserable experience and that an epidural is more suitable because it relieves the pain. According to a study done to measure
Maternal Satisfaction and Pain Control in Women Electing Natural Childbirth the doctor conducting the study, Dr. Suresh Kannan MD of Orlando, found that, “Women who requested epidural analgesia for pain during labor reported significantly lower pain scores than those women who had natural childbirth (P < .001). However, 88% of women who requested an epidural for pain reported being less satisfied with their childbirth experience than those who did not, despite lower pain intensity. Antenatal survey results suggest that concerns about epidurals and their effect on the baby, greater than anticipated labor pain, perceived failure of requesting an epidural, and longer duration of labor may have accounted for these findings.”

Whereas many mothers who elect natural childbirth are pleased to have been able to be face to face with their infant seconds after birth, up and out just hours following delivery as well as the opportunity to have self-directed and set the pace of their own labor without feeling rushed or pushed into induction drugs that often lead to caesarians.  C-sections are continually on the rise in the US because of their efficiency and profitability.  To the contrary, San Diego’s Best Start Birth Center boasts a 3% caesarian section rate compared to rates over 20% at some hospitals in the city.

Despite what seems to be a fairly recent surge in young women like Maria D’Janeiro-Smith choosing a more natural approach to childbirth, D’Janeiro-Smith is unsure of the future natural birth.