Pain relief during childbirth: naturally

Labor pain relief

Should I use or avoid drugs during childbirth? Is there an alternative? What help is available to a woman during childbirth? What are the side effects of taking medicine to help with labor? Is it wrong for a woman to use drugs during labor? So many questions and so much to consider. I do not wish to convince you of my opinion, but rather share my opinion and experience with you and encourage you to make your own decisions. Every woman knows what is best for her and I encourage you to trust that knowledge.

Most of the women I know told me that they used some form of pain relief during their labor and most of them used a variety of medications to cope, many saying they couldn’t have done it without the medications. My cousin told me during her pregnancy “she takes everything they offer and then asks for more!” The main reason I chose not to use drugs was because my intuition warned me against it. Simple as that. I have learned to trust those gut feelings over the years, they are always right and I have only regretted it when I have ignored that inner knowing. A strong feeling aside, I wanted to be truly present and worried that any form of drug would numb me to the wonder I instinctively knew labor to be. I knew that taking drugs during labor would reduce my awareness and concentration. Being mindful and aware of everything during labor was more important to me than alleviating the discomfort and pain associated with labor. I chose not to use any drugs during my pregnancy and delivery. Instead, I trusted my body to do what came naturally. After the birth I felt a natural high unlike any other experience.

Any medication used during labor can harm the baby, and it is even possible that these medications may have an adverse effect on the child’s health later on. A woman’s hormones become unbalanced when she takes drugs during labor and this is a time in a woman’s life when her hormones are already out of balance. The flow of hormones helps orchestrate labor naturally. Drugs interfere with this natural flow and therefore interfere with a woman’s ability to give birth naturally. Some drugs even affect contractions and the urge to push, so a woman has to rely on her midwife to tell her when to push and deliver her baby. Drugs negatively affect a woman’s innate ability to give birth naturally. The bonding period immediately after birth is affected when the mother has taken drugs during childbirth because both mother and baby are often still under the influence of drugs. As a result, a number of difficulties could arise, such as difficulties with breastfeeding and possibly the mother experiencing postpartum depression. The moment immediately after birth is incredibly important for the bond between mother and baby. Drugs often interfere with this bond.

Any medicine a woman takes during labor is also automatically given to the baby. During pregnancy, women are told to be very careful about what they consume. They are told not to eat eggs, shellfish, or drink much coffee, but during labor, the woman is offered strong drugs that negatively affect both mother and baby. Any medication a mother takes during labor transfers into the baby’s bloodstream. Some of these drugs contain morphine and opiates. Do you really want your baby to receive these drugs? Hasn’t research been done to assess the long-term dangers of babies receiving such drugs during labor? I wonder if there is any link between modern conditions like ADD and autism and the drugs received during labor. I’m not making any claims here, it’s something worth considering and at least doing some research projects to give us peace of mind.

I support women in their personal choices regarding their body and their baby. If a woman really feels that she needs drugs to help her through labor, that’s up to her and I FULLY respect her decision. However, I wonder if women know about all the other natural options that both drugs and hospitals would use. Many women have given away their power and it takes a lot of courage to get it back. We have become convinced that the safest way to have a baby is in a hospital with the delivery led by a team of medical professionals. We are convinced that we cannot handle the sensations associated with childbirth and therefore we need medication and intervention to get through the childbirth experience. In some situations this is the case. However, most women who give birth are able to experience natural childbirth. The female body was designed with birth in mind! The aradora woman has all the wisdom within herself to give birth safely and naturally. She just has to trust this, then drugs aren’t even an option.