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March 19, 2024

Where Every Family Matters

Birth Options: Choices for How You Deliver Baby

Delivering a baby is all about that amazing moment when you first see your child. But how you deliver is an experience unto itself.

It makes no difference if it’s your first baby or your fifth.  That precious moment when you see your infant for the very first time is miraculous.  Perhaps it’s true that with your first child you want everything to be “just so,” but many times, first-time mothers find themselves on the obstetrician’s track and before long, nine months have gone by and you’re about to deliver a baby on the hospital’s schedule and with a pitocin drip to help you progress.  For many women this is fine, but for others who want to make the experience their own, it’s not.  No matter what your choice is, knowledge is always power.  Explore your options in our brief guide, then arm yourself with further reading.  You’ll be holding your little darling in no time.

 

Birth Options: The Bradley Method 

In 1947, Robert Bradley, M.D., developed this method of childbirth after observing the way animals go into an extremely relaxed state — a state similar to sleeping — when they give birth.  The method emphasizes few or no drugs and little medical help during labor and delivery.  The method also stresses good diet and exercise during pregnancy, teaches deep relaxation techniques to manage pain and educates the mother’s husband or partner in order for him to be an effective coach.   Classes generally last eight to 12 weeks and are held for the mother and father (or other birthing partner).  Both participants learn the deep breathing abdominal methods specific to the Bradley Method, and mothers learn relaxation skills to use during labor as well as various positions for labor and birth.  For more information about the Bradley method, contact the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth at 800-4-a-Birth or visit the website at bradleybirth.com.

 

Certified Nurse Midwives

Recent data recorded by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shows that the number of midwives attending births nationwide has increased dramatically in the past few decades.  A study of trends in the attendance, place and timing of births in the United States from 1989 – 97 shows that seven percent of births were attended by midwives rather than doctors — up from nearly four percent in 1989.

According to the NCHS, 95 percent of midwife-attended births involve a certified nurse midwife (CNM) rather than a lay midwife.  CNMs provide the same prenatal care as physicians, developing prenatal profiles and providing urinalysis as well as any necessary cultures.  They most often attend births in a hospital or birthing center.  To locate the birthing facilities in Middle Tennessee that work with CNMs, see the Middle Tennessee Birthing Directory located on pages 31 and 32 in this issue.

Lay midwives typically have no formal medical training, but often apprentice with an experienced midwife for a number of years.  Lay midwives attend births at home or in a birthing center, working to develop a relationship with the mother-to-be to ensure that she has the birth experience she desires.

 

Doulas

To further your support base during your birth experience, you may choose to employ the assistance of a doula.

“Doula” is a greek term that means “mothering the mother.”  The three terms “doula,” “childbirth assistant” and “labor assistant” are used interchangeably to describe the types of services doulas provide.

In the belief that the way you give birth affects the rest of your life, the doula’s goal is to support both parents at each of their own comfort levels.  A recent study published in The American Medical Journal suggests there are substantial benefits to including the assistance of a knowledgeable labor support person during birth.  According to the study, labor is often less complicated, less painful and of a shorter duration when a labor assistant is present.

Doulas are typically certified by Doulas of North America (DONA) or the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA).  For more information, call DONA at 888-788-DONA or the ICEA at 952-854-8660; or visit dona.org or icea.org.

 

Epidural

The most common option for expectant women, an epidural numbs the pain of childbirth via anesthesia and is usually administered once the mother has achieved “active labor” (about three to four centimeters dilation).  The anesthesiologist asks the mother to lie on her side or sit up in a hunched position, and a local anesthetic is used to numb the area before a medium-gauge needle is placed between the spinal cord and outer membrane of the back.  Once the needle is in, a thin catheter tube is threaded through and the needle is removed.  The anesthesia takes about 10 minutes to work; pain relief is substantial.

How each woman “takes” to her epidural varies.  In the best scenario, leg control remains allowing for effective pushing ability.  The medication can sometimes be quite strong, resulting in a loss of sensation in the lower part of your body.  Be sure to discuss your epidural with your obstetrician beforehand.

 

Hypnobirthing

Based on research by Grantly Dick-Read, M.D., in the first half of the 20th century, hypnobirthing involves self-hypnosis during labor to eliminate what Dick-Read called the “Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome.”  The laboring woman learns to enter a state of deep calm, reducing anxiety and pain while staying alert and awake for her child’s birth.

“People think hypnosis is some kind of mind control,” says local hypnobirthing and Bradley method instructor Jeannie Casey, “but it’s really a lot like the Bradley method.  There’s a similar deep level of self-relaxation.”

Hypnobirthing is typically taught as a four-week course; both the mother and the birth partner attend.  The main benefits, Casey says, are a faster labor and less pain.  “It makes the contractions manageable.  The beauty of it is, the more you practice, the deeper you can go faster — and the longer you can stay there.”

 

Lamaze

Introduced in the early 1950s by French obstetrician Fernand Lamaze, this method of natural childbirth employs the use of controlled rhythmic breathing, progressive relaxation techniques and concentration on specific focal points to block sensations of pain.

The main objective of Lamaze is to teach new moms that birth is a normal, human process that need not be feared.  Women and their birth partner(s) are taught that they can have a direct impact on how they deal with the pain and discomfort of childbirth.  By learning what to expect, they are able to build confidence in their abilities and bodies.

Usually started in the seventh month of pregnancy, Lamaze classes are scheduled in six-week sessions, concluding a few weeks before the due date.  For more information and a list of local instructors, visit lamaze.org.

 

Janet Pinkerton is a mother and writer residing with her family in Nashville.

 

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About the Author

Susan Swindell Day

Susan Day is the editor in chief for this award-winning publication and all-things Nashville Parent digital creative. She's also an Equity actress, screenwriter and a mom of four amazing kids.