Natural birth
Lots of women make it through labour without any pain relief, or maybe just gas and air. If you do need to use pain relief drugs you shouldn't feel guilty or that you failed in some way. Every woman reacts to pain in different ways, so whatever helps you to get through labour be it moaning at the top of your voice or as many drugs as possible; it is up to you and your midwife.
If you plan to have as natural a birth as possible, breathing will help you to achieve this, as long slow breaths in and out will relax you and help you to focus. Breathing properly helps to relax rather than tense your muscles, so can help to ease the pain of contractions. See our article and video on breathing techniques to help you learn how to breathe in labour.
There are lots of positions which can aid a natural birth, most of which use gravity to help the baby move down through the birth canal. Standing, squatting or kneeling whilst upright can all be beneficial, although you may need some physical support to achieve them. See our positions for delivery video for helpful ideas.
Staying at home for as long as you can will help your chances of having a natural birth. A hospital environment can make you feel tense, and stop you from being relaxed.
It will be helpful for you to write a birth plan before you go into labour, stating your wishes to have as natural a birth as possible. Don’t rule out pain relief or the prospect that you might have to have a caesarean. Babies, labour and birth are unpredictable, and even your best-laid out plans can take unexpected twists and turns. See stages of labour for a more detailed look at labour.
Using a TENS machine and gas and air can be a good alternative to pain relief drugs and many women find them useful. See our article on Natural Pain Relief for more information on achieving a natural birth.
If you would like to talk to other mums about natural birth, you can do this on our chat forum. Remember to upload a photo of your growing belly into our Baby Bump gallery.
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Last Modified: 07/05/2007
Related Chat 3
Hi I ended up needing an epidural as the cord was around my baby's neck requiring me to stay on the bed being monitored, but for the first 7 hours (was 15 in total) I coped so well labouring at home naturally with my TENS and bouncing on a yoga ball listening to calming music. If it hadnt have been that i needed to stay on the bed i think these natural methods would have got me through. TENS are great. They're cute little handheld devices that send electric soothing pulses into your skin through pads stuck on your lower back. Their soothing pulses encourage endorphin production and suppress pain signals going to the brain. Ensure you put them on at the beginning of labour and use the booster button during contractions. I got mine from Bodyclock where you can hire them really cheaply or buy one, just type in 'babycaretens'on google.Good luck!
Hi I had a natural birth and laboured at home with my tens machine and I used Gas and air too once I was ready to push... I used a Natal Hypnotherapy cd (effective home birth preparation) before going in to labour to just relax me and it really helped during the birth for breathing techniques etc.
I believe cesarean is only for emergancies and a natural birth should always try to be achieved, I found my birth such a great experience and call me mad but I can't wait to do it again!!! There is no reason why you can't have a natural birth unless there are complications.
Good luck!
are there any secrets to ensure a natural birth or sometimes is a cesarean the only option? I'm desperate for a natural one and want to do as much as I can to get it!
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