7 reasons why I chose a natural delivery

Honestly, this article was the hardest one to write so far. You know how sometimes you just can’t think of the right words and you hate every sentence and begin to think that maybe it’s not such a good idea? This was the case for me, so I decided to film a video. I highly recommend you to go watch it.

A little disclaimer: I am not in any way against C-sections or epidural anesthesia. Every woman should be able to choose what she is most comfortable with and not be judged for it. This article is purely for those who are considering natural childbirth or simply curious about it and want to know why someone might choose to have an unmedicated delivery and is it actually possible to go through with it.

First of all, let me just tell you that the reason I had the luxury of fully deciding what I want to do was because I was healthy, my daughter was healthy, neither one of us had any complications, she was 3 kg exactly and according to my age, size and medical history I was at about the lowest risk of any complications. If any of these things were to go different I would probably make a different choice.

Having said that, these are the 7 reasons why I chose to have natural birth:

Cost. As you will probably already know, my family lives pretty far away from us (a whole ocean away) and airplane tickets are not getting any cheaper. Therefore, my husband and I are constantly saving money to be able to visit them as often as we possibly can. Having a natural delivery is considerably cheaper than having a C-section, so this was a huge plus for us.

Nature knows what to do. I am a huge believer that nature has got it all figured out. Human body is incredibly complex and every process that happens within our body has been mastered over millions of years. So, from this perspective, you don’t need to make something better if it’s already perfect. You know what I mean? Now, I do realize that the mortality rate would be much higher if it wasn’t for medicine, but at the same time there is a part of me that trusts my own body a lot more than another human being.

Milk comes in faster. Breast milk is the best food for your newborn. For that very reason I wanted to avoid giving her any formula. I’m not sure how it works with the C-section, but I’m pretty confident that your milk doesn’t come in until a few days later and all that time your baby will be drinking formula from the bottle. Then, there was the fear of her not wanting to breastfeed or missing out on the bonding experience. Having a natural delivery was a pretty easy way to avoid some future stress and regret.

Recovery is almost non-existent. I don’t know who said that C-section is easier or painless. Let me just say, there is no way of giving birth without pain. It doesn’t work this way. And when you are in labor the pain is very strong, I’m not going to lie, but as soon as your baby is out you can walk almost straight away and function like your old-self without anyone’s help. After a C-section however lies a long painful recovery, where you will not be able to care for your baby without help and won’t even be able to care for yourself right away. So, as far as I’m concerned being in pain for 12 or even 30 hours is still way better than being in pain for a month.

I am afraid of doctors. The fear of doctors for me is so strong that I don’t trust them even for a second and get pretty bad anxiety and panic attacks in hospitals. So the less interaction with them the better for me. When you are having a natural delivery in the hospital you only get an IV for the time of delivery and spend the total of probably 4 hours next to doctors and nurses. And, you go home the next day. C-section doesn’t only require you to put your life in someone else’s hands, but also spend more time in the hospital and on medication. For someone it might not be a big deal, but for me this would be a nightmare.

I am very anxious. I mentioned it already, but I get uncomfortable and panicky very easy. And I believe that what’s better for my mental health is also better for my baby’s health and quality of life, so I wanted to pick the least stressful way to have my baby (for me it was a natural delivery, if for you it means a C-section, then go ahead, just take care of yourself).

Most importantly, my husband and I wanted to have an experience together. Having a baby is a very special day, the day that your whole life changes. Like many other couples, we wanted to make it special. My husband was next to me the whole time, supporting me, reassuring me. We took pictures, we took videos, we watched movies afterwards while our brand new baby was snoozing next to us for the first time. It was a very memorable day for our family and it made us trust each other even more than we already did. For me, giving birth was as enjoyable and pleasant as it could possibly get and I wouldn’t choose to have it any other way.

In the end, no matter what you choose, just remember: all of it is going to be a bit scary, because it’s new, but you absolutely can do it! And when it is over, you are going to look back and say: “I could totally do this again!”