It's Baby Time Part 3 of 3: Don't Do Drugs (Stay in School)

Before reading this post, make sure to catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 of "It's Baby Time."   In those posts, I talked all about why we want a natural birth and decided against giving birth in a hospital.  This post is essentially the culmination of everything.


Why I Do Not Want an Epidural

God created women's bodies to give birth.  When you give birth naturally, your body produces various hormones to help you cope with the pain.  If you are pumping artificial hormones and drugs into your body, your body cannot physically respond the same way.  I'm trying to do everything "right" in pregnancy... eat healthy, make sure I get enough protein, avoid alcohol, ibuprofen, nitrates, the list goes on.  I've given up the occasional glass of wine, artificial sweeteners, and my old caffeine habits so that I can birth the healthiest baby girl possible.  So.... to me, it doesn't make sense that when the baby is still in my body, that I would pump in anesthetics... drugs powerful enough to numb the lower half of my body...  for my comfort... at the risk of my health and my baby's health?

Most women just think, "Worst pain of my life... where do I sign so I DON'T feel that."  Well, what about researching the risks or complications?  Or thinking about the fact that those drugs ARE going to your baby who is still inside of you?  Not to mention... epidurals don't even always work.  I've talked to a few friends that have told me they still felt everything anyway, or that they still felt the pain on one half of their body.  Don't just read the materials your doctor gives you or tells you.  Do your own research.

Studies seem to be somewhat ambiguous on the short and long term side effects of epidurals.  For example, on one side, I've read that drugs and labor positions can cause minimal brain damage to your child.  This means that your child may still be within normal ranges, but he or she may have lowered intelligence, speech and reading difficulties, shortened attention span, hyperactivity, or awkward physical coordination.  According to The American Pregnancy Association, most studies suggest that "some babies will have trouble latching on, which can lead to breastfeeding difficulties.  Other studies suggest that the baby may experience respiratory depression, fetal malpositioning; and an increase in fetal heart rate variability, which may increase the need for forceps, vacuum, cesarean deliveries, and episiotomies."  Other studies say the risk of side effects on you and your baby are incredibly low, and that the benefits outweigh the risks.  If it allows you to rest during labor and relieves the pain with minimal risk, then why not?  If it feels good, do it.  This post could be 10 pages long with all of the research on both sides of this issue.  But it seems pretty simple to me.

If the short and long term effects are not 100% known, and there is no conclusive evidence, then why would I risk my health or the health of my unborn child if I can do it naturally?  I realize how common they are, and how it may make the labor incredibly more pleasant, and how much people love them... so go ahead and comment as you will, those are just my thoughts. :)

Additionally, if you have an epidural, you lose your ability to move around on your own, and it makes your labor longer. Laying down with your back on a table and feet up in stirrups may be convenient for the doctors, but doesn't it make more sense to use gravity to maximize pushing efficiency?  Do a quick google search on best labor positions.  You will find that lying on your back or leaning on your back during labor can put stress on the oxygen supply to your baby.  If you are numbed from the waste down and confined to a hospital bed... your'e pretty stuck.  I'd like to be able to move around in labor, and do whatever my body feels like doing in the given moment.  From what I've heard, when it comes time, my body will know what to do, and I'd like to be able to feel that.

Conclusion

These are some of the reasons that Scott and I are so excited for Kaelyn to make her way into this universe.  We have done research on what we would like Kaelyn's birth to be like, and are very much looking forward to the experience.  We recently read "The Husband Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Robert Bradley, and are so excited to work together as a team to bring her into the world.  Ultimately, the decisions other parents make about childbirth are indeed their decisions, and I completely understand that what is best for us may not be best for everybody.  I would never judge anyone for making one decision or another, I just want others to understand why we have created our birth plan this way.

It would be my desire that others would take a more active role in birth education and be able to make more informed decisions when it comes to birth and labor.  Birth center... hospital... drugs... no drugs... We just need to do our homework, regardless of what we decide.  I feel like a lot of people just go to the hospital because that's what everyone else does, or get an epidural because they're afraid of pain, and there's not much else they take into consideration.  For such a major, life-changing event, I hope that more moms and dads take more active roles in what they want their birthing process to look like.  There are pros and cons to both sides... and everybody is different.  Labor, birth, and parenting have everything to do with what the parents feel is best for them and their baby.  And this is what is best for us.

References

AmericanPregnancyAssociation.org

Movies: Pregnancy in America and The Business of Being Born

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 58, Number 11, "Trends and Characteristics of Home and Other Out-of-Hospital Births in the US, 1990-2006"

U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://hcupnet.ahrg.gov/

World Health Organization Fact Sheet on Skilled Birth Attendants, 2008