Natural unmedicated birth is beautiful and tough all at once. It takes time, hard work and sometimes lots of different traditional techniques to help the labor progress. Labor is intense and yes, childbirth is painful but it's manageable. Going into a natural birth, it's recommended to take childbirth education classes to understand the process, how to cope and how to prepare. It's also to understand the hard work and determination needed to help labor progress. Labor is not only physiological but it's very emotional and mentally driven too. One example of the mental aspects would be a situation of labor stalling because of being uncomfortable with a person present at her labor or a mom worried about something while in labor. We always say, labor begins in the mind. This saying is to understand that conditioning your mind to the reality of labor intensity and the enormous strength needed for endurance so that when you're in the thick of it you can keep going. Having a supportive birth team that understands the labor process and encourages the natural process. Having providers that are also understanding of the natural process but that can step in and recommend helpful approaches and traditional techniques or herbs when labor isn't progressing or needs some assistance. Sometimes labor can have an irregular pattern or even stall when we least expect it. Some tricks to help including walking, squatting and spinning babies movements (a program we love and highly recommend) have been shown to encourage better labor patterns and encourage better fetal position. Midwives and Doulas are well versed in these techniques and work so well together as a team. So yes, birth is beautiful and every birth story is unique. Labor can certainly be too but understanding that every labor is different and although a powerful moment in life, it's not always easy and glorious.
It's raw, intense and can take a long time. Each mother finds a strength within them they sometimes didn't know they had. I will often tell moms of a quote I read a while ago, birth takes you to a breaking point in which it breaks the cycle of being a woman to now being a mother. I wish I knew who said it because it has resonated with me ever since.So the next time you read a book, watch a movie or TV show that depicts this fast easy magical birth remember, your baby has their own journey that may change your birth vision or plans. Being prepared physically, mentally, understanding things can change, and having support will help you have a beautiful positive experience.
