How many of us have had a natural birth?

[Arimeh]

Howdy

In all my reading in preparation for my second VBAC in a few weeks time, I've realised that a LOT of births all have some medical intervention in some way. However, most of my books/reference material are American based, so I was wondering if the same type of thing is happening here in Australia? How many births are completely natural - I know home births would be, but what about hospital births?

So I guess I'm curious as to the percentage of births from BB women which can be classed as a natural birth - so no pain relief (at all), no intervention from any medical practitioner, no needle to bring on the placenta etc etc?

Is it as bad in Australia as it seems to be in America?

Obviously I've only had one natural birth - cos I lack the skills and guts to perform my own c-sections but in my 3rd pregnancy, my labour was spontaneous, no pain relief, the only time my midwife intervened was when I requested an internal to check dilation, then my waters broke on their own, and my placenta came out at its own accord.

Anyone else want to share? I'm just curious thats all and want to get to know some of our own statistics, instead of all these damn american ones! (not that there is anything wrong with america, I just don't live there thats all)

[Freya]

I have had one natural (spontaneous, intervention free, physiological third stage) birth. I have no reason to think the others wouldnt have been the same had I not developed medical complications that required induction.

[PumpkinZulu]

Yes, it's bad. Can't remember the stats, I heard Rhea Dempsey talk back in September I think, and a normal and natural (NO intervention whatsoever, drugs etc, includes things like stretch and sweeps...and even internals I think (?) although that could be wrong, I'll find my notes from that night and come back) is very rare. Will be interested in this thread

[Traveller]

I had a completely natural birth with my twins. For my other two births I had ARM (DS1) and managed 3rd stage (DS1 and DS2). With DS1 the interventions were medically indicated, with DS2 it was not.

[*LovemyKids*]

Out of four births, only my last was NATURAL!!!! I did three with out pain relief but had a drip!!!! I have to say i felt AWESOME after the "natural birth"!!!
Something you can not explain. I walked out of the ward looking at my arms saying woo hoo no drips no needles NOTHING!!!!!!!

[Roryrory]

I've had three births and would class only one as being "natural" - my third. The first involved augmentation and an episiotomy and during the second (in a birth centre) I was told "if you don't start pushing you'll never have this baby". So I class "directed pushing" as an intervention even though during the second birth there were no internal exams, no pain relief, natural third stage, etc. It was only Rose's birth, at home, that I consider to be a truly "natural birth". There is such a huge difference from birth in a BC and birth at home that to call them both natural doesn't sit well with me (though I know they can be classed as equal). But I know have a very high expectation/standard of "natural"

[~Hestia~]

My Moo was a natural birth - no drugs or intervention. I almost had a vacuum delivery as he wasn't showing any signs of coming on his own after many many hours. But when my middy checked again he was still too high up. I had to push him down further myself with no urge to push whatsoever! In the end I didn't require the vacuum as I did it on my own.

The only thing I did have was the injection for the placenta as it wasn't coming out. Although I was happy to wait I had lost too much blood & the middy wasn't keen to leave it any longer. So I guess if you take that into consideration, maybe my birth wasn't natural after all

[Lisa]

Only my last 2 have been natural - one in a hospital & one at home.

[Traveller]

Yes, it's bad. Can't remember the stats, I heard Rhea Dempsey talk back in September I think, and a normal and natural (NO intervention whatsoever, drugs etc, includes things like stretch and sweeps...and even internals I think (?) although that could be wrong, I'll find my notes from that night and come back) is very rare. Will be interested in this thread

Having an internal does not interfere with the mechanism of birth, so having one does not mean you did not have a natural birth. However it may lead to a suggestion of an intervention, which would mean birth being no longer fully natural.

[Olive]

my second was completely natural (i did have one internal)

[Aligater]

My 1st was I only had 1 internal when I 1st went in that showed I was 4 cm 1.5 hours later with no drugs I had my DD1. My 2nd was induced due to a slow leak and as I am epileptic any change can be detrimental to my health so a long labour needed to be monitered well it was 1/2 hour lol again no drugs. I got what I wanted both times with the no drugs but had to fight the 2nd time

[PumpkinZulu]

Having an internal does not interfere with the mechanism of birth, so having one does not mean you did not have a natural birth. However it may lead to a suggestion of an intervention, which would mean birth being no longer fully natural.

Cool, wasn't sure about that one. Checked my notes (stats from WHO) and yep, no internals mentioned

[Santosha]

I think Rhea Dempsey quotes research that says that (forgive me if I'm wrong, it was 2 years ago I heard her talk) only 3% of hosital births in Australia are completely without intervention. Apparently the WHO estimates that intervention is medically necessary in about 10% of births. Scarey stuff.

ETA: my only birth was not natural. Had gas, epidural and then forceps. I don't believe any were necessary, though the epi may have ultimately necessitated the forceps. Of course, I very much believed that I HAD to have the epi at the time... hoping to get past that this time!

[Roryrory]

Having an internal does not interfere with the mechanism of birth, so having one does not mean you did not have a natural birth. However it may lead to a suggestion of an intervention, which would mean birth being no longer fully natural.

You're spot on there. Check out this link about internal exams.

[Pretty Butterfly]

Mine could take awhile....

1st... completly natural, no drugs.. I *think* they gave me a needle in the leg for placenta, not too sure.. was just 20, and they didnt reallt talk "to" me, rather than "at" me...

2nd.... all natural, up to the episiotomy and forcepts.. damn it....

3rd.. completly natural till bubs head came out posterior, then he turned, putting his shoulders sideways.. PAINFULL...so Doc "pulled" on him to get him out

4th.... completly natural, no internals, nothing......

5th... completly natural, no internals... lots of panicing because a "cleft baby was coming".. idiots.. but I got there too late, and out he came.....

6th.. completly natural, but needle for placenta.. was talked into it because of being Grand Multi and possible PPH... .. although they let me wait awhile for the cord to stop pulsing first.. so a win-win I guess.....

I guess I've always considered mt births natural..because I dont get internals, and haven't used drugs.... but now I think about it, I have had "intervention"...

[PumpkinZulu]

Mkay, mah notes from Rhea at the screening of Throwing Out The Lies With The Bathwater in possibly Sept.

WHO appropriate levels of intervention for true medical need, no more than 8%-20% of births. Our intervention rate is 32%-35%. The number of normal physiological births in Aus hospitals stands at 1%-3% of births.

[*suz1*]

I've attempted one natural birth, a VBAC. Although I had no pharmaceutical pain relief (only heat packs, rocking, yelling and the shower, no gas, no drugs) I consented to the VBAC rules of the hospital, which were to have a cannula inserted (although no IV used) and intermittent wireless monitoring. I consented to 2 internals, a stretch and sweep and AROM. My 3rd stage was physiological. In hindsight, I should have laboured at home longer and had clary sage in my birth kit to give me more options than ARM when my labour started to stall. But even clary sage could be considered an intervention, couldn't it?

We're TTC #3 and I'm hoping for a completely natural birth.

Just remembered that I had a stitch for my 1st degree tear (TMI it was more of a graze and apparently they wanted to stitch it to make urinating less painful for me). Is stitches for a tear an intervention?

[CinderToriella]

Most people would not class mine as natural ..
I during labour and birth I had no drugs no pain relief no interventions at all
But the placenta would not budge and the cord broke which made me bleed a lot so I had to go have a spinal and a manual removal
But I still say I had a natural birth.except for the end that's wat it was to meme

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