I hate "natural" birth with a passion. I have a "natural birth" box ticked on my latest smear test - I gave the nurse a glare when she asked if I had a natural birth until she changed it to "vaginal".
If what I had was natural I don't know how you others had anything worse!
BTW, I can say "vaginal birth" but when DS pointed in the bath last night and asked "what's that?" I was happy with "nipple" and "belly button" but vagina? That had a big um and er in front of it. I have no idea why I'm not comfortable with that word as with talking about birth I'm fine with it! But to a toddler... shouldn't be weird, should it?
I am a bit literal so I think of natural birth as birth free from any intervention, drugs etc. I had a vaginal birth and would correct anyone if they said I had a natural birth given I was induced and had an epi. I would say not natural but vaginal yes.
Natural does mean "produced by nature" so I wouldn't say that being induced meant my birth was produced by nature..unfortunately.
The thing is that, by implication, using the term "natural" implies that anything else is "unnatural" and I don't know anyone who would instantly choose "unnatural". Natural = good, pure. Unnatural = not good. That's just the way language works.
Having said that, I also think it's natural after a very long labour to want to try/do something else.
I would challenge anyone to have my labour (or yours) and NOT have an epidural or other interventions. I really would. I guess that's why I actually feel very proud of my labour. I feel like I did an absolutely tremendous job and I don't think that someone who had a 12 hour drug free labour can really compare. But that's the whole point - we shouldn't compare. We can't and we shouldn't.
As I've said before, my obstetrician told me that it's the length of the labour that determines whether a woman has interventions. Not her pain threshold, not her determination, not her willpower ... simply the length of the labour and we can't (really) influence that.
Ryn as few weeks ago DD told an elderly lady on the bus that "when i came out mummy's tummy it was ok and the doctor didn't have to cut because i came outta vagina". I resisted the urge to say i was a babysitter...lol. This was all off the back of a friend showing me her c-section scar and us talking about our births together when we thought the kids weren't payig any attention.
Is it maybe because he's a boy? I taught DD all te "correct" words as part of my mission to protect her from sexual abusebut i admit it did squick me out a bit hearing her say "penis" the first few times (not that we say "penis" a lot in my house!).
For once I am lost for words .... doesn't happen often
I don't even know where to start - I am so floored by the posts here and the overwhelming support -got me all teary....
I have a birth story posted .... but don't know how to post a link but it's in there somewhere.... if someone can tell me how to post it I will for anyone who wants to read it....
Thankyou to you all - your all freakin amazingly wonderful
xoxoxoxox
Dee I just read ur birth story..what an amazing story..yes certainly not boring!!!! How tough are you!!! And I think (if you wanted to) you could use the term natural when talking about your birth. You went into labour "naturally" and laboured "naturally" for a long time!!!! I would say your labour/birth would be more natural than mine which was medically intervened with from the start!!
I agree with GothMum - I think people are afraid to use the word vagina TBH, I didn't consider my c/s as "unnatural" until I read this thread, I guess technically it is, but I'm ok with it. Mainly because the reason I had a c/s was placenta praevia and there was no avoiding it.
I must admit, I enjoy people squirm or look uncomfortable when they ask me "So, are you having another c/s then?" and I say "Nope, vaginal birth". Then they look at me like I'm a crazy woman and I leave it at that.
So, Dee, I don't think it's weird at all and your birth story is lovely. Seems like you had plenty of natural elements in your labour
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