Why Natural Birth?

As your baby passes through your birth canal, it ingests bacteria that contributes to its gut health and boosts its immune system. Although a baby’s microbiome – or collection of microbes – begins to form in the womb, vaginal delivery is an essential part of the process.

Some studies have found that babies born by C-section who miss out on these crucial bacteria are 14% more susceptible to health problems such as food allergies, asthma, hay fever and obesity later in life. Researchers from the Department of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine were successful in partially restoring the microbiome of C-section babies by exposing them to their mothers’ birth canal bacteria at birth, but it remains to be seen whether it will have a long-term impact on their health.

While your baby is in the womb, its lungs are filled with fluid. Hormonal changes that occur during labor start to clear the fluid, and much of the rest is squeezed out as your baby passes through your birth canal. Any remaining fluid is coughed out after the birth or absorbed by your baby’s body.

When fluid remains in the lungs or is cleared out too slowly – a condition known as transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) – breathing problems can occur and oxygen might be required. Babies born via Csection are at higher risk for TTN.

You should expect to stay in the hospital for 24 to 48 hours after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery and two to four days after a cesarean. While you should avoid any strenuous activity for six weeks after a vaginal birth to allow your body to heal, you should be able to perform your regular daily tasks within a couple of days.

Because a C-section is a major abdominal surgery, recovery is longer and more difficult. You should rest as much as possible and avoid any heavy lifting or driving a car for the first six weeks. It can take six to 10 weeks for your scar to fully heal.

All major surgeries carry risks, including a bad reaction to the anesthesia, infection, hemorrhaging and blood clots. There are also additional risks with a cesarean, such as inflammation of the uterus, surgical injury to the bowel or bladder, and amniotic fluid embolism (when amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream and can cause a serious reaction).

According to the WHO’s review of current research, early breastfeeding (within the first hour after birth) increases the likelihood that a baby will be breastfed exclusively from one to four months as well as the overall duration of breastfeeding. Because of the well-documented benefits of colostrum (“first milk”) and breastfeeding in general, the WHO recommends that breastfeeding be initiated as soon as possible after birth.

A review of 53 international studies conducted in 2012 found that rates of early breastfeeding are 9% lower after cesarean than after vaginal delivery.

A major review of 80 studies published in PLOS Medicine in 2018 found that women who gave birth via cesarean had an increased risk of serious complications in subsequent pregnancies, including miscarriage, stillbirth, problems with the placenta (placenta previa, placenta accreta and placental abruption) and uterine rupture (a tear in the wall of the uterus).

The same review found that C-section delivery increases the risk of childhood asthma by 21 percent and childhood obesity by 59 percent compared to vaginal delivery.

The PLOS Medicine review also concluded that women who delivered via cesarean were more likely to suffer from subfertility and have trouble conceiving in the future (43 percent) than women who delivered vaginally (32 percent).

As the cesarean section rate has steadily risen in the last 20 years, there are women who still would do nearly anything they can to avoid unnecessary surgery. While how much a medication increases your risk of cesarean can vary widely for a variety of reasons, some estimates are high, like a 50% increase. Even when you are not talking cesarean birth, there are more interventions used in medicated births because of the extra monitoring and risks associated with medicine. This might be external or internal fetal monitoring increase, IV fluids, amniotomy (breaking your water), induction or augmentation of labor, etc.

With un-medicated births, a birthing person’s own hormones can naturally help labor progress steadily and without intervention. Released endorphins during the birth process can provide pain relief and promote bonding and breastfeeding after baby is born. Medications can often interfere with this hormone release.

Pregnancy and birthing process already carries a lot of mental and physical stress for the mother, and this stress may be increased by the medication. The greatest benefit to un-medicated childbirth is the lack of side effects from medications. While many pregnant people can take pain medications safely during labor, there is the risk of side effects for both mom and baby. These can include:

Pain medications may be transmitted to the baby, though this varies by medication type. Transmission may cause side effects in the baby, such as difficulty breathing after birth or difficulty breastfeeding.

For women who birth without medical interventions, there are many psychological benefits, including:
• More bonding with the baby
• A calmer, more settled baby
• Less likelihood of depression after the birth

An epidural is sometimes used to deliver different types of local anesthetic, which also differ in the side effects that they cause. Some medications may cause itching or discomfort. The common side effects include:

• Low blood pressure: In about 14 out of 100 women, the epidural causes blood pressure to drop, which can lead to dizziness or nausea.
• Fever: Epidurals cause fever in about 23 out of 100 women. By comparison, this is only the case in about 7 out of 100 women who use another type of pain management.
• Problems urinating: Epidurals can make it hard to urinate too. You might need a urinary catheter to help you urinate during the epidural. Roughly 15 out of 100 women have problems urinating because of the epidural.

Epidurals can also cause numbness or tingling in the legs. If the injection goes too deep, it might make a hole in the protective layers (dura) around the spinal cord, and spinal fluid might leak out. If too much fluid is lost, it can cause severe headaches that may last up to a few days. This happens in about 1 out of 100 women who have an epidural. Women who had an epidural were not generally more likely to have headaches than women who used other forms of pain relief during labor.

Natural birth helps in increasing the production of proteins in the baby’s brain that helps in brain development and brain function. Any type of medication or intervention may impede the production or flow of these protein. Furthermore, a caesarean section delivery does not even prompt the body to release these proteins and thus the baby loses out on this precious benefit.

Going the natural way and pushing through the discomfort during labor actually does pay off. Studies have shown that women who have a caesarean section take more time to recover than women who have had a normal delivery. Having a caesarean section is a major surgery which takes time to heal. It takes nearly 50% more recovery time than a normal recovery period.

A study estimated that 20.5% of all neonatal admissions, whose mothers had received regular medication during pregnancy and birthing, showed signs of respiratory distress. Babies born through a caesarean section miss the hormonal changes which happen during labor. These hormonal changes help in the proper development of lungs, allowing the lungs to function optimally.

Research indicates that the lack of nutritional support during labor can cause maternal dehydration, ketosis, hyponatremia and increased maternal stress. Women who give birth naturally are able to eat and drink freely, which sustains their energy levels during labor.

In the long run, babies born through a caesarean section are more prone to asthma, allergies and infections. Without natural birth the babies miss out on the good bacteria present in the mother’s body.

This plays a major role in the immune system of the child. Having a child through natural birth gives the baby a higher chance to combat many health complications and will give them the bacteria they need to fight other diseases.

When no drugs are used during labor, mothers are more alert and aware of the experience, providing them with an increased connection with their baby. Additionally, these women are connected to their bodies in a profound way. When medications are used, a women’s senses are dulled which can result in a physical detachment from the experience.

Women who go through childbirth without the assistance of medication, experience feelings of empowerment and confidence. The ability to give birth naturally and conquer the harsh demands of labor often causes women to feel stronger and less fearful about facing other challenges in life.

Natural childbirth reduces the risk of cesarean delivery. Simply planning a natural childbirth with trained professional midwives reduces your risk of having a cesarean section from 30% to about 5%. Hiring a doula decreases your risk of a cesarean by 60-80%.

There have been a number of studies addressing whether epidurals cause higher risk of cesarean section and none have found a direct link. Unfortunately, these studies are flawed because they compare epidural anesthesia to narcotic pain relief rather than un-medicated labor. However, we do know that epidurals increase the risk for forceps or vacuum assisted births, which are related to higher risk for C-section.

In a Cochrane review, continuous electronic fetal monitoring EFM was associated with an increase in pain medication use, cesarean sections and instrumental vaginal births including forceps and vacuum extraction.

After an epidural, babies are less alert, less able to orient themselves, and have less organized movements for as long as a month after birth. Your body and the placenta help the baby to eliminate toxins while he is in your uterus. However, once he is born, his newborn liver will need to do it alone, which means it sometimes takes longer for babies to get rid of drugs and toxins in their system. Narcotic pain relief medication can cause additional side effects in baby as well. These include:

• Central nervous system depression
• Respiratory depression
• Impaired early breastfeeding
• Altered neurological behavior
• Decreased ability to regulate body temperature