In the run up to giving birth, it’s helpful to have a think about how you you’d ideally like your labour to be. For example, are you keen to have a drug-free labour, would you prefer a water birth or perhaps there’s a reason why a caesarean section would be better.

 

 

A natural or normal birth is, as the term suggests, a straightforward way of having your baby via the vaginal canal. In its truest form, it can also refer to giving birth this way with no interventions at all – that means no epidurals, no inducing, no assisted delivery and certainly no caesarean sections.

 

Whether or not you decide to try and avoid all forms of intervention is up to you and is something you can change nearer the time. Some women, for example, have good intentions to not have pain relief, but when the time comes, they have to give in and have all the help they need. It’s a good idea to discuss the options with your midwife in advance of going into labour and record the details in your birth plan. Don’t forget to then take the birth plan with you when you go into labour.

 

 

Giving birth in water used to be a very alternative option, but it’s become more widely accepted that as a safe, relaxing and beneficial way of giving birth. You can use hire a birthing pool and use it at home, or some birth centres and maternity units have birthing pools available.

 

Research has shown that giving birth in this way can cut the need for assistance during delivery and reduce the second stage of labour. One study found that women using a birthing pool were more likely to not need pain relief and that the overall length of their labour was reduced.

 

It’s also been found that women relax more, and as the water is buoyant, it lets you move around more freely and feel supported. In turn, being relaxed helps the baby.

 

If you’re interested in having a water birth, then speak to your midwife about the possibilities. When you make a birth plan, remember to list your water birth request on it.

 

 

A caesarean section is an operation where the baby is born through the abdominal wall, rather than through the birth canal. It’s usually done under a local anaesthetic, such as an epidural, so the woman is awake, but sometimes a general anaesthetic is used. Caesarean sections can either be elective – where it is planned and chosen by the woman and her obstetrician before labour commences – or due to an emergency, where it suddenly has to be carried out when labour has already begun due to a problem that’s occurred.

 

Ideally, a caesarean section shouldn’t be chosen for no good reason, like you just don’t fancy the pain of giving birth naturally! It becomes elective where there are medical reasons or problems with the baby which affect why the mother or baby should give birth this way in preference to a natural birth. For example if the baby is lying at the wrong angle, if the placenta is in the way of the birth canal of if mum or baby has a specific medical condition that may make vaginal birth dangerous. You may be advised to have a caesarean if:

 

 

Caesarean sections usually can’t be carried out at midwife-led units and birth centres, so if you’re having your baby there, you’d need to be transferred to a hospital. Although there are some risks associated with the procedure, as it is an operation, it’s generally very safe and thousands of babies are born successfully via caesarean each year.

 

Whatever your initial choice of birth method, don’t forget that things don’t always go to plan and in the event, you may need a different method. So be open to what happens during the course of labour and accept that your baby may ultimately need to be born in a different way to how you’d intended. Ultimately, the important issue is that the baby gets delivered safely.

 

Rachel Newcombe