Learn Why Having a Baby Naturally is Best

[Guest guest]

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Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Learn Why Having a Baby Naturally is Best

 

As I said in the last newsletter, pregnancy is an exciting time for

a woman but all of the physical and emotional changes can become

overwhelming. To help women experience birth as a pleasurable, one-

of-a-kind event, Peggy O'Mara, the editor and publisher of Mothering

magazine, has created a book, " Having a Baby, Naturally, " that

addresses common concerns and questions of pregnancy from conception

through the first months of parenting. I highly recommend this

practical, information-packed book to any woman who is pregnant or

thinking of becoming pregnant.

 

 

" Having a Baby, Naturally " is an excellent resource for first-time

moms and those who have already had children but would like to gain

a more natural perspective to childbirth. The book offers an easy-to-

read, objective style that can ease the mind of any pregnant woman

and ensure her that she is making the best possible choices to

protect the health of her new baby.

 

 

The following is from an interview we recently had with Peggy O'Mara:

 

Why did you decide to write " Having a Baby, Naturally " ?

 

I decided to write " Having a Baby, Naturally " because I wanted to

tell women the good news about birth. Birth is a peak experience

that deeply transforms a woman's life. I wanted women to know that

they can trust their own inherent capacities to birth normally.

Birth is normal.

 

 

What does " Having a Baby, Naturally " offer to women that other

pregnancy books do not?

 

 

" Having a Baby, Naturally " offers several things that other

pregnancy books do not. First, the book trusts in the inherent

authority of the reader and views the reader as the expert in her

own life. Secondly, the book gives actual evidence-based information

based on international research on the common practices of pregnancy

and birth and encourages readers to exercise true informed consent

based on examining and changing their attitudes and beliefs.

 

Next, the book advocates that birth is safe in any setting and that

midwives are superior birth attendants. The book offers diet

suggestions for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters. It includes

lots of information on integrative medicine, regularly offering

herbal and homeopathic suggestions for common concerns of pregnancy.

The book has an informative section on the postpartum period and

much discussion of the importance of a doula (a female companion)

during birth as well as postpartum. Many yoga postures and dance

movements are included in Bodywise, a regular sidebar in the book.

 

Another regular, Natural Soothers include herbal teas, facial

recipes and blender pick-me-ups. And, Higher Ground addresses the

deeper aspects of pregnancy. I don't think there's another book

like " Having a Baby, Naturally " that treats the reader as a whole

person and gives her lots of independent information at the same

time that it encourages her confidence to make good choices.

 

 

What did you hope to accomplish by writing the book?

 

 

I hope to wake up women in the United States. We are in a health

care crisis in the United States. Our cesarean rate is the highest

in history, and the number of women dying in childbirth is on the

rise. In fact, the number of women dying during pregnancy or

childbirth has not improved significantly for the last 25 years.

Women complacently accept the limited view of their own inherent

capacities that technological, interventionist birth implies.

 

 

We flaunt our freedom to take drugs during childbirth without any

real consideration of non-drug pain relief or conversation about the

long-term effects of the drugs on the mother or the baby. And, women

choose drugs because, for the most part, they are not offered

anything better. The book is about that which is better. It's about

the continuous tradition of normal birth, how to access it in

oneself and how to find it in the community.

 

Are there certain beneficial principles of pregnancy or childbirth

that are less commonly practiced and therefore often overlooked by

women?

 

Good nutrition is extremely important in pregnancy.

 

Get prenatal care early and choose a practitioner who makes you feel

well taken care of.

 

Birth is safe in any setting. Home, hospital and birth center are

equally safe. Choose a practitioner who practices where you want to

give birth.

 

Talk to a midwife. Midwives average at least half as many

interventions as physicians. They spend more time at visits on

average and they have better outcomes. In all countries with better

birth outcomes than the United States, midwives are the principal

birth attendants.

 

Prepare for birth with education in natural childbirth. Choose

independent education such as The Bradley Method, Birthing from

Within or Lamaze.

 

Have a female companion or doula with you during birth. Research

shows that continuous support by another woman reduces the length of

labor by 25 percent, interventions by up to 40 percent and cesareans

by 50 percent.

 

Non-drug pain relief such as acupuncture, acupressure, warm water,

herbs, homeopathy, massage, aromatherapy and hypnosis are highly

effective as is the chemistry of normal birth, which provides

hormonal pain relief. Find birth attendants who are familiar with

these things.

 

Can fathers-to-be also benefit from reading the book?

 

I hope that the book will be read by fathers as well as by mothers,

and there is a special section in the book that addresses the unique

concerns of fathers. So many times, fathers are expected to play

active supportive roles during pregnancy while little attention is

given to their own needs. In " Having a Baby, Naturally " I address

the unique ways that fathers bond with their babies, common concerns

during the birth, as well as the inevitable jealousies and

adjustments with their partner postpartum. I hope that new fathers

find the section sensitive and true to their needs.

 

Why is a natural childbirth often more satisfying for women?

 

This question is a lot like asking why it is more satisfying to make

love sober than drunk or on drugs. Childbirth, like making love,

produces an exquisite hormonal chemistry. Birth hormones are

supposed to give us pain relief, make us ready to love the baby,

stimulate our breasts to produce milk, and unlock a dormant,

instinctual maternal intelligence.

 

When we take drugs during childbirth, we interrupt this exquisite

hormonal chemistry and override it with chemicals that signal our

body to go into fight or flight and therefore to stop or slow down

our labors. When, on the other hand, we have the social support we

need to face labor head on and learn to take one contraction at a

time, we can experience truly ecstatic birth and begin new

motherhood in the supreme confidence that is our birthright.

 

If you could only give one bit of advice from " Having a Baby,

Naturally, " what would it be?

 

Realize that health care during pregnancy and childbirth, like most

things in society, is influenced by politics, economics and

prejudice. While you expect to be taken care of in your

vulnerability during pregnancy, you will have to actively seek out

compassionate care. Look for the continuous community of normal

birth in your community and learn from them. Trust yourself above

all else. Only you will live with the effects of your decisions.

 

Do you have plans to write another book?

 

Yes. I am working on an updated compilation of my essays, the

editorials that have appeared in the magazine [Mothering] since the

1980s. It is called " The Way Back Home. "

 

 

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