Nowadays, it seems essential to rescue the importance of normal childbirth, since in Brazil, more than 50% of the deliveries are performed by cesarean section, and there are still many doubts and even myths about the subject.
There are cases and cases, but what every woman should think in the first place is that normal birth is the best option for her and her baby; that is, at least consider this possibility and find out about it.
Alberto Guimarães, gynecologist and obstetrician, defender of the concepts of humanized childbirth and creator of the Childbirth Without Fear Program, emphasizes that this type of childbirth is very important with regard to the maturity of the baby. "It is the best option because" you don't take the baby out of time ", avoiding causing prematurity," he says.
In addition, as the gynecologist and obstetrician points out, the woman tends to have less bleeding in this type of delivery, has less infection, is easier to take care of this baby because she has not undergone any surgical procedure, among other advantages.
But then why is there so much? Fear? compared to normal birth? Why is Brazil the leader in cesarean sections? What are the main myths and truths surrounding the subject? In which cases is cesarean section really necessary?
Also read: 5 Fears First Time Parents Have
Below you better understand how normal childbirth occurs and clarify your doubts on the subject.
Normal birth: from prenatal to postpartum
To avoid fears and even to? Run away? Of the main myths that involve the subject, it is essential for the pregnant woman to understand how the normal birth happens, knowing each one of? its stages? and feeling safer about your choice.
The prenatal
Prenatal care, according to Guimarães, is fundamental, because this is where information, knowledge, sharing experiences with other people who have passed or intend to go this way are located. "It is the moment that health personnel can inform, this is where you can think about the physiology of childbirth, say how it happens," he says.
? Prenatal care also discusses childbirth plans, to give you an idea of what the woman is looking for, what she wants and what she considers a limit, so it is the right time to deepen a discussion and learn how to overcome it. some difficulties ?, adds the gynecologist and obstetrician.
One of the things shown in prenatal care, Guimarães points out, are the signs that show that "the time is coming": the loss of mucous plug (gelatinous secretion that occurs as the delivery approaches) and regular uterine contractions, which characterize the labor.
Read also: Doula offers physical, emotional and informative support to pregnant women
Élvio Floresti, gynecologist and obstetrician at the Floresti Medical Center, points out that prenatal care is essential regardless of the type of delivery the pregnant woman will have. "We evaluated whether there are pre-existing or current diseases such as rubella-like viruses, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, HIV and hepatitis," he says.
With increasingly sensitive ultrasound examinations, we can practically rule out or confirm the occurrence of chromosomopathies, such as Down Syndrome, and see if the baby is developing perfectly. Are there no surprises at birth if a prenatal was done well ?, adds Floresti.
Normal childbirth itself
Guimarães points out that there are some steps: the initial phase of labor takes much longer; Cervical dilation (which is where the baby will go) is slower. "So despite having cramps and being uncomfortable, that doesn't mean the child is already leaving," he says.
The active phase of labor, when contractions become more uncomfortable, means that the woman will soon enter another period, the expulsive, which is when the baby will leave. So childbirth is not only focused on when the baby is already leaving, it starts when the signs appear, when contractions start to get closer, and then people will realize that one has to go to motherhood (if the birth is thought in this environment) ?, explains Guimarães.
Time is very relative, as labor can take from 12h to 18h. “Let's not think that in the first contraction we can set the clock and feel that labor has begun. Because this can have a spacing of up to 3 days and thus the woman will not sleep thinking that the baby will be born, and when she needs strength, will be tired, sleepy ?, comments Guimarães.
Read also: Different types of childbirth: know the characteristics of each
Postpartum
Right after the birth of the baby, according to Guimarães, the woman can theoretically get up, take a bath alone? ? And recovery is incomparably better than in a surgical delivery. It is important to remember that this woman needs to take care of the baby, and in normal childbirth, no doubt she will be in better physical and mental conditions to do so ?, he says.
Floresti points out that the postpartum will also depend on whether or not an episiotomy was performed (cut in the area between the vagina and the anus called the perineum). "In cases where this procedure was not done, in a few hours the woman will be well, walking quietly and with little pain," he says.
“In case of episiotomy, it gets a little more painful. So we recommend waiting a little longer to walk; usually the next day. But it is also very quiet when compared to the postoperative cesarean section ?, adds Floresti.
Video reports of normal birth
Nothing better than listening to the story of those who have had this experience. Check out the following videos for some interesting reports of actual normal births:
1. James and Gabi
The couple Tiago and Gabi tell all about the birth of their first daughter, Manuh.
Read also: Why is oxytocin known as the love hormone?
2. Flavia Calina
In this video, it is possible to follow Flavia Calina's entire birth, while she also reports her feelings and expectations.
3. Raka Minelli
Raka Minelli tells how was her birth, the moments of pain, the expectations, the moment of birth itself and all the emotion involved.
4. Iris Gabrielle
In the video, you can see how was the birth of Pedro Arthur, and his first moments with mom.
5. Golden Retriever
Rê Dourado tells how his birth was, which was premature at 35 weeks and natural.
6. Birth of Luiza
The video shows the arrival of Luiza, who was born from a humanized home birth.
The main benefits of normal childbirth
It is important for women to be aware of the advantages that normal childbirth offers, not only with regard to postpartum recovery, but also with regard to the baby's health and the bond between mother and child.
Regarding the benefits to the baby, Guimarães points out: the baby has a much higher chance of being born mature, that the lung is working well and being breastfed.
"In normal childbirth, if we let the cord cut too late, the amount of placental blood goes to the baby, which makes them less likely to have anemia in the early stages," explains Guimarães.
For the baby, normal birth is also the possibility of having skin-to-skin contact more quickly with the mother. "Because his place is exactly on her lap, not in a crib," says the obstetrician.
For the mother, aside from the? Sense of victory? Because she can complete this cycle, which is giving birth, she is generally less likely to bleed and become infected. • In normal childbirth the uterus is not compromised, so the chance of another normal childbirth is greatly increased; It also avoids the complications of having a needless cesarean section. That is, the woman has much to gain also in normal childbirth ?, says.
Remember that recovery is much faster and quieter after normal birth, and the woman usually regains her weight more easily.
11 doubts about normal delivery clarified
Below, doctors answer the main questions surrounding this type of birth, helping to deconstruct myths, and giving women a realistic view of what normal birth really means.
1. How long can delivery last?
It can last a few hours, from 12 to 18h, according to Alberto Guimarães. ? When this delay happens, we have to stimulate the person, remember that in labor we have contraction, the contraction is like a wave, it comes, bothers and passes, is not something that extends during 12h. In labor, if the woman embarks on the sensations, she enters "partoland", which is when she is in a special stage of consciousness, is "half out of breath", and takes away this pain frame that many people imagine that will it be unbearable pain, and enter into a more focused experience for birth ?, he says.
2. Is it correct to say that normal birth hurts a lot?
For Guimarães, the pain of labor cannot be understood and translated as suffering or a situation in which the person "will not be able to cope".
? Pain can be challenging, yes, but I have seen in our experience of? Childbirth without Fear? Many women do not ask for analgesia even though the anesthetist is available. This shows that pain and discomfort exist, but that if they reach a point where they are intolerable, they have analgesia and, thus, one does not need to escape normal birth ?, says Guimarães.
"This issue that hurts a lot is extremely relative, even we have experiences that do not report all this pain, and there are people who in the beginning asked for help, and we have to respect it," adds the gynecologist and obstetrician.
3. To avoid pain, can normal birth be performed under anesthesia?
Yes. According to Élvio Floresti, during labor, the doctor, after assessing the dilation and insinuation of the head pole, may already indicate the use of anesthesia. "Thus, anesthesia can be performed with a continuous epidural, still in the cervical dilation phase, causing the pain to practically cease, but the uterine contractions continue in activity, leading to normal delivery," he says.
Anesthesia of a birth can be done with complete dilation, in which case it is chosen between epidural or spinal anesthesia, depending on the position of the baby, dilation, innuendo, etc. Often, especially when done by on-call, anesthesia is done only locally, at the time of the baby's removal ?, adds Floresti.
4. Are there any measures that help women feel less pain at normal birth?
For Floresti, in a well done prenatal, will be explained what will be the moment of childbirth, and the woman will arrive quieter and knowing how the progress of everything will be.
? Can still be done the use of massages, hot tubs, balls, hiring doulas, anyway? several things in order to bring more peace to the mother in this much desired moment. And not to mention that the definitive pain can be eliminated with anesthesia if necessary ?, highlights Floresti.
5. Is it possible to prepare and stimulate normal childbirth during pregnancy?
Yes and it must be done, according to Floresti. • A woman should always be stimulated to have a normal birth. At the beginning of prenatal, we are already guiding which exercises stimulate the region of the basin, vagina, what the movement of the breath, etc., he says.
There are antenatal courses offered by major hospitals in São Paulo, for example. Thus, the desire of women to have a normal birth and good follow-up are very simple formulas, which usually culminate in the occurrence of normal birth ?, highlights Floresti.
6. Is it true that normal birth widens the vaginal canal?
"For the passage of the baby, the muscles are distended, and I would say that it can widen, yes, and the canal has to widen otherwise the baby will not pass," answers Guimarães.
? However, it is important to know that there are a number of precautions, exercises and steps to take so that this musculature distends and widens for the passage of the baby? But after the baby has passed, and with the hormones diminishing, with this new body awareness, and with the exercises that exist, this woman will continue to have a vagina and a muscular vulva that can act and be used sexually without loss. There is no need to operate to avoid widening the vaginal canal, because the weight of the uterus on the pelvic floor can already give a distended muscle, and so urinary incontinence can also occur in those who have cesarean section ?, highlights Guimarães.
7. Can pregnant twins have a normal birth?
Yes, but there are some situations: "twin pregnant women tend to give birth before 40 weeks, so this issue of prematurity is something to consider, besides, the position of babies is also important to think about the way of delivery," explains Guimarães.
Generally, to think about normal birth, the first one needs to be upside down, the cephalic. The difference in weight between them is also important, it is interesting to note if the first has the weight equal to or greater than the second, this difference can not be very large. Even if the baby is sitting and thinking about a caesarean section, you can expect the mother to go into labor. It is not just because it is twinning that one should try to "simplify things", highlights Guimarães.
8. Is it true that? Very small women? or with narrow hips can not deliver normally?
No. Again we get into the issue of proof of labor. We often wonder? Ah, what little woman? or "what a skinny woman", and in fact when she goes into labor, contracts well, dilates well the basin, and this woman who was apparently skinny and weak, has a normal birth ?, comments Guimarães.
9. In which cases is normal delivery indicated and in which cases is not indicated?
Every woman who is pregnant should think she is a normal childbirth candidate, according to Guimarães. • Experiencing pregnancy in a healthy way, thinking of an extraordinarily good experience, thinking of all the good things that happened in this pregnancy to increase our experience, helps this mother to be more prepared with this baby and the question of her own. family that is being born there ?, comments.
"It is very rare that this type of delivery is not indicated, unless the baby is in a transverse position, because when she goes to work in this position, the baby can not be born and he will need a cesarean section," explains Guimarães.
Another case is when the placenta previa, center or total, is often the result of a woman who has had a cesarean section. This placenta is below, there at the entrance of the cervix and covers the neck, if we want to dilate this neck, the placenta will take off and we will only have blood and will need to operate, is this a situation that is necessary to think of a cesarean section? , highlights Guimarães.
"I always find labor important because it is like a test, which points out who is fit for normal delivery and who needs a cesarean section," adds the gynecologist and obstetrician.
10. How is recovery usually after normal delivery?
After childbirth, recovery is generally good. • The mother has an earlier lift, can more easily cope with her personal care and hygiene. It is important to remember that this postpartum issue brings up another situation that is the issue of breastfeeding, and for this she has to be well, safe, confident, because she will meet another huge demand, and what will she require? be whole? Is this recovery, then, an additional possibility for breastfeeding to be successful ?, highlights Guimarães.
11. Does a woman who has a normal birth regain her weight faster after pregnancy?
For Floresti, weight recovery after delivery does not depend so much on the type of delivery, but on the woman. If she breastfeeds, it is faster. And, as cesarean section is more painful, especially in the early days when the woman is more resting and losing less calories, weight recovery is a little faster in normal delivery, but not so significant, he says.
Finally, it is worth remembering: the most important of all is the woman to consider all possibilities, to be informed about the different types of childbirth, so as to make her own decision. And, confident about your choices, you will naturally feel calmer throughout the pregnancy and at the time of the actual delivery.
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