5 Ways Of Understanding Your Birth Choices And Complications
Everything you should know about your giving birth choices as told by a Dubai-based doula
25 November 2018
In modern societies, there is a trend of moving onto health-conscious choices...
And the benefits of giving birth naturally has had significant attention and found to have a profound psychological impact.
Today, we simply have access to more information to make informed decisions but our emotional intelligence is at the heart of every decision we make.
Why do we eat comfort food knowing it is processed? Clearly, we know that it is not in our health benefit...
However, our belief systems typically run our day-to-day that we are still comfortable eating processed food and keep jumping from diet to diet as if it was a ‘look’ issue and not our ‘health’ to be concern about…
Today, many pregnant ladies follow the same line of thought, they think their birth choices are based on style, pain relief comfort measures, status, or a financial decision based on whether the insurance covers their bill.
But it's important for you to understand your birth choices, so you can make your own decision and be confident about it:
1. Birth options should be examined from a health perspective for mother and baby
And not of anything else...your health and the health of your baby is all that matters.
2. Vaginal Birth vs Natural Birth
Vaginal birth is a standard term for giving birth vaginally in a hospital setting you are asked to stay in the bed in an upright position, being monitored, with IV catheters attached - this scenario is far from natural.
Mother & Baby-friendly hospitals were initiated by UNICEF to promote breastfeeding and that is even still questioned.
Breastfeeding success is correlated to the birthing experience, which is why hospitals that want to standout have integrated hypnobirthing rooms that allow water birth to imitate a natural environment in the comfort of a medical modern facility setting.
My journey as a Doula started when I had a ‘normal’ ‘vaginal’ ‘unmedicated’ birth at a hospital and compared it to my second birth ‘unmedicated’ ‘natural’ birth, birthing by myself, on a moving vehicle. (Not in the UAE of course!)
3. Natural birth is possible, it is not a myth
And it is more common that we allow ourselves to think...
4. Your birth choice is based on your belief system
From ages 0 to 8 we are capturing and processing data to build our critical filter so much so that on each birthday we snap a smiling picture near our cake and link it to the emotion of happiness…
Years later, we watch a movie and see our Hollywood star reaching for the ice cream after being heartbroken and start to validate a belief system where sweets equal comfort, happiness, being loved and showing affection.
What are your belief systems about birth? What did you hear from the birth stories of others and or those you had seen on movies? It's important that you think about this.
5. Create the beliefs that serve you
You should measure your emotional intelligence on a topic to understand what happens to you, what actions you take vs the outcome that you want.
Learn the reality of natural birth, make healthy choices and align with your wish to ensure success.
Ask yourself what do you really know about birth? What does a doctor know? What does a midwife know? What does a Doula know? What are their roles, belief and what information they have that you don’t?
Here are some perspectives to consider when making a birth choice
1. The idea of birth
Understand what your belief systems about birth are and manage them to your success.
2. The expectations
Minimize exposure to negative ideas about birth- via the stories of others that can influence your own expectations.
3. Pain Vs. No pain
Learn the relativity of the definition of pain - pain can be attached to the idea of natural birth but could also be attached to the experience of having unwanted or unneeded medical intervention.
Pain is not the real choice but consequences of your choices are important.
4. Medical intervention when required is a blessing
As Doulas, we also hear stories which we can’t believe! But even with the wildest of stories, we still respect the experience of every mother out there...
The mom and baby’s well-being are always a priority and when the need for intervention is required, it is a true blessing to have it available.
However, never self-predict that your hips are not small or that your baby too big unless there is a true clinical proven deformity.
Otherwise, all birthing choices are available to you.
5. Your body, your choice
It's inevitable to hear a mom talk about her birthing choice and hear her say “my doctor says I should do X,Y,Z”.
Your doctor, your Doula, your husband, your parents, everyone aside from you is there only as a small part of your support structure, the only one birthing the baby and carrying it around for 9 months is the mom.
Not only is it your own body but you should take ownership of your parenting from an early stage since you are the primary caregiver for the baby.
I invite moms to select their support system based on the outcome they wish to have and to know they are their support.
To learn more about your birthing options and other maternity-related inquiries, simply click on the 'contact' options below.
- Tags:
- Giving Birth
- newborn
- doula
