The Pursuit of Natural

I'll be honest. When my sister was pregnant with her first child 2.5 years ago and said she wanted to go natural, I thought she was nuts. They make epidurals for a reason, after all. Why would you want to put yourself through unncessary pain? A few years later, after having seen several friends attend a natural birth class (and successfully have babies without medication), I was intrigued in at least learning about it. Why not? I researched everything else when it came to baby - strollers, car seats, bouncers - why not the manner in which my baby is introduced to this world?

So we took the plunge, into an 8 week natural birthing class. After night 1, we were pretty much sold. Learning about the risks of epidurals and induction and what they lead to in mom and baby convinced us we wanted to go the way of natural. The more we learned, the more we realized our bodies are designed for this, and we should trust our bodies with the miracle of birth.

Every woman has the capacity for this. Are there situations where epidurals and cesareans are medically necessary? Yes. But is there cause for 1 in 3 deliveries in this country to be by cesearean? Absolutely not. And I was excited to experience childbirth the way it was intended - naturally. The more I learned, the more I viewed childbirth as a woman's right of passage, and I didn't want to miss out on that. I wanted to be fully in tune with my body and my baby in such a sacred event.