Doula comes from the Greek word for “woman servant”. A doula is someone, usually a female, who attends to the pregnant mom during labor. She is useful for a variety of reasons, from being your biggest advocate, to help keep things under control, and being a wonderful supporter. A doula can run hundreds of dollars if you go through a private business. However, some hospitals and natural student schools offer doulas for around $100-$150. If you are able to find one for that price and are pregnant, I highly recommend splurging for one as you could really use the support in one of your most challenging endeavors in life!

First, you’ll meet with your doula a few times before the actual birth to create a birth plan together and get to know one another. A birth plan serves as your “voice” during labor. You can sit down with your partner, or with a loved one if you are single, and discuss how you’d like the labor to go. Do you want to avoid drugs if possible? Do you want a home birth? Do you want to breastfeed your baby directly after giving birth? All of this will go in your birth plan and your doula will help you create that, using your best wishes and intentions.

As soon as you know you are going into labor, you can give your doula a call and she’ll rush to your side. If you’re giving birth at the hospital, she is a great asset is finding out info from your midwife or doctor on your behalf and advocating your wishes from your birth plan. If you are having a home birth, she can play the part of the “nurturer” while your midwife attends to more of your medical needs.

It’s not uncommon to have a doula massage your belly during contractions or even massage the perenial area to soften the tissues for baby’s head. She’ll work with you in the tub if you want or put on some soft music and recite a meditation to help you relax. Think of a doula as your personal servant, as this is what you are paying her to do. She also is very useful in helping couples focus on the birth and one another, rather than worrying about other factors that she’ll take care of.

After giving birth, your doula will assist you in breastfeeding for the first couple of times. Odds are you’ll be very exhausted after giving birth, and even if you have read all the literature on breastfeeding, you might be too sleepy to do it on your own. Luckily, she is there, assisting you, but not taking over so you can still be the one bonding with your new child! Speaking from personal experience, she was more than worth the $100 I spent! (Some doulas will do after-visits as well.)

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A woman’s body is the only one that can bring another human being into the world. Women are made specifically this way just so that they can birth another person. They can trust in their bodies to be able to come through the experience of childbirth as they were designed. With that in mind we need to focus on how to have more natural childbirths and thus have healthier moms and babies. Unfortunately society in general has forgotten to trust in a woman’s body to be able to birth a child. Instead we view pregnancy and childbirth as a medical condition and not a natural process.

The U.S. is 41st of the list for mortality of mothers giving birth in the world. This statistic has started to encourage many moms to consider natural childbirth options and shy away from medical intervention. Natural childbirth is when you use little to no medical intervention to birth your baby. This usually means no inducing, no medications, and can go as far as having a doula or a midwife present for the birth.

Here are some other reasons why natural childbirth is better for moms and babies:

There won’t be any bad reactions to drugs. Even though a large percentage of people do not experience serious side effects to drugs, there are still many people who do. When given so many drugs to birth your baby you are at risk to have bad reactions that will cause further complications to delivery.

Natural childbirth without medication helps to keep mom aware and functioning at high levels during her birth. Using numbing drugs that paralyze her from the waste down can mean the birth process lasts for much longer and mom and baby can get tired, leading to the possibility of a c-section.

Statistics show that reduced medical intervention means lower chances for difficulties during birth. This includes pitocin to induce contractions, breaking the water to start labor and even a planned cesarean.

Medical intervention seems to cause your labor to slow. Sometimes it can help to relax you so you can dilate better, other times it slows down the whole process putting you and the baby through a lot more work than is needed.

Because medical intervention seems to slow down the birthing process it also raises the statistic for cesareans. You see doctors only want you to birth so long, they say you get too tired and you can’t handle it, or they are worried about you. Many times they could be more worried about getting it over with so they can get back to their families. This is another reason so many people have planned cesareans.

Although for many people they are safe, cesareans are performed on 30% of pregnancies in the U.S. when they are only needed for 10%, and unfortunately even the smallest mistake in a cesarean can cause the mother or baby to have complications as tragic as death. With natural childbirth available, why take the chance?

Sometimes cesareans are completely necessary and the mom or baby would be at more risk not having one. But as you can see only about one third of cesareans are considered emergency, and the other two thirds are putting themselves needlessly at risk. Natural childbirth is the way nature intended and much more safe for mom and baby.

So you want to raise a natural child. Let’s say you are in the preconception or early pregnancy stage of parenting. What are some of the best ways to get started on the natural path from the beginning?

It all starts with food It might sound obvious to say that the main reason people rely on medicine is poor health, yet to many people good health is a mystery and ill health seems to strike randomly. Almost eighty years ago a dentist name Dr. Weston Price traveled to various primitive people groups around the world searching for their secret to radiant health and near perfect teeth. The most striking and consistent thing he discovered was that as long as they were eating their native diets, they were healthy overall and had very little dental caries. But once they switched to the modern diet, which was high in refined flour and sugar, it didn’t take long for their teeth and health to suffer, and it got worse with each generation. Also interesting were the difficulties women on the newfangled diet had in childbirth. Today degenerative diseases run rampant, and a good argument can be made that our modern diet leaves much to be desired. Begin by educating yourself on what real healthy eating means, and start putting what you learn into practice no matter what age you and your children are.

Consider giving birth at home The way a child enters the world has profound implications on how the child develops. If you want your child to grow up natural, what better way than to welcome him into the world in the most natural way possible, in the comfort and privacy of your own home? In addition to the birth, a home birth midwife can give excellent prenatal care, and often, she will use natural remedies to treat the various complaints of pregnancy. She can also help you keep on track with eating well.

If you’re having a boy, don’t circumcise him Circumcision (other than for religious conviction) is unnecessary and can be harmful. At the least, it’s elective cosmetic surgery. Most experts now agree that routine circumcision is inappropriate. There is nothing dirty or shameful about your baby boy’s anatomy.

Once your baby is born, use cloth diapers in combination with some elimination communication. From birth, your baby can control his toileting functions. Even if you’re only doing EC part time, each time baby pees or poops in the potty, that’s one less diaper you have to wash. When you do use diapers, buy or make cloth diapers. If you want to go further, use an all-natural soap to launder them. Even more important than diaper choice is how you feed your baby.

To raise a baby naturally, you will likely choose to breastfeed the baby. You are probably well aware of the many benefits babies (and moms) gain from breastfeeding. One of the interesting and not totally understood benefits is that the suckling action helps the child’s jaw grow properly, which can save you a mint in future orthodontic bills.

These are just a few natural parenting ideas…

Giving birth to a child is one of the most memorable and meaningful experiences in a woman’s life. One of the important decisions a woman will make about the experience is whether to deliver her child the natural way or with medication.  Sometimes a choice isn’t possible as nature and circumstances have a way making the decision for us.  But for women trying to plan ahead for a natural childbirth, understanding the benefits of this choice can be helpful.

A natural childbirth is one that attempts to lessen medical intervention, in particular the use of anesthetic medications.  Expectant mothers hear often about the great pain of childbirth and why it is “unnecessary” to go through such pain.

Natural birth advocates argue that in a healthy situation, pain is often nature’s way of guiding the mother through the labor process.  In other aspects of our health care we become concerned when there is pain—we don’t just simply cover it up.  For instance persistent headaches, or back aches or leg pain, etc., is usually followed up with a visit to the doctor who may at that point uncover the source of the pain which in some instances is a serious health issue.

Pain during the labor may be nature’s way of telling the mother to shift her position to ease the baby into the right position for delivery.  For example, having back pain during labor is believed to be a sign that the baby might be in a posterior position which requires rotating. Women experiencing this pain will tend to move themselves off of their backs and in this “natural” way they may in fact be helping to move the baby to a better position for delivery.

One of the difficult aspects of a medicated birth is that the nerve blocking or pain reduction medication can limit the mother’s ability to move around.  On the other hand mothers experiencing natural labor can walk around freely and change the positions of their body as needed.

Knowing when to push and when to stop pushing is an important part of the labor process. Mothers who labor naturally can respond to the vital indicators that their body is sending them and this allows them to push better and faster.  Studies have shown that mothers who are given an epidural (an anesthetic that numbs the body from the belly button down) often have prolonged labors.

Many women who have a natural birth say that their recovery was faster and easier because they were able get themselves up out of bed sooner. Some women are even able to eat right away.  This isn’t often the case when a woman receives medication to numb labor pain.

Babies also benefit from a healthy natural delivery.  Research has shown that in cases where the mother has natural childbirth, the babies are more alert take to breast feeding earlier and more readily.

There are many important benefits associated with natural childbirth.  Ultimately the choice should be a pressure-free one that is based on an understanding of what is involved and the health condition of the mother.   A point to keep in mind is that many mothers who choose natural childbirth attribute their positive experience to the support of their health practitioner, partner and/or family.

More Reading: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way