Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

General Natural Birth Question

by Scytha
(Paducah, KY)

I live in a some what rural town that doesn't offer a lot of options in regards to natural child birth.

I would love to participate in a birthing pool in order to have a more comfortable position, but no hospital in my area offers this. There are also very few midwives.

This is my first child, and I want to make sure that I have a voice in the delivery room without medication or C-section or other speedy procedures that don't allow me to take my time.

I don't want any invasive medical remedies unless there are definite signs of fetal distress or if the baby is breech and cannot be shifted. I want it to be safe. I don't know that proper way to go about it. Should I see if there is even a doula in the area?- and how much does that really help?

Answer:

Hi Scytha,

Your frustrations are similar to those of a lot of women birthing in more rural areas.

My top recommendations to you are to take a good childbirth class - and yes, you should look into a doula.

Doulas have, in fact, been scientifically proven to be a giant help during labor. Yep - they've been studied in the "gold-standard" double-blind experiments of having a doula vs. no doula and the studies have shown that doulas are a massive help.

Here's the Abstract from a Meta-Analysis of several studies on the effectiveness of doulas.

You should get very familiar with various hospital procedures so you'll understand what procedures they may want to do to you (or your baby). This can help you when you're at the hospital. Having a doula to help advocate for you can help with that, too.

You can read through my natural childbirth basics articles and the articles on preparing for natural birth.

A great natural childbirth class that explains all hospital procedures and how to have a good natural birth, even at the hospital is Birth Outside the Box.

Good luck to you as you prepare for birth, and good luck finding a supportive doula in your area. Also take the time to discuss your wishes with your doctor - that can be helpful.