Dr. Northrup counsels avoid the Supine Birth Position
Avoiding the Supine Position by Dr. Northrup
"Women who deliver in a physiologically normal position, such as standing or squatting, are much
less apt to have perineal tears
and are more apt to have normal, non-surgical second stages of labor. During the second stage of labor,
women who squat
increase the size of the vaginal outlet naturally, because this position distributes pressure evenly
throughout the vaginal
circumference and helps to bring the baby's head down. Lying supine while trying to push is an unfavorable
birth position
because it places excess pressure on the posterior vagina and decreases the diameter of the pelvic outlet,
which can lead to
vaginal tears. Think of it this way: Have you ever tried to move your bowels while lying flat on your
back? (See Reference 7, link
below.)
The squatting position also keeps the uterus off the major blood vessels leading to the heart. This
improves the blood supply from
the mother to the baby. I have seen countless babies go into fetal distress because the mother was lying
on her back. In addition,
women who are encouraged to touch their perineum and the baby's head (more feasible in the squatting
position), get connected
up very quickly with their birthing babies and deliver much more easily."
Other Points shared by Dr. Northrup:
Episiotomy
Episiotomies are another overused procedure. It is estimated that, in 1987, 61 percent of all women who delivered vaginally underwent episiotomy. (See Reference 13, link below.) Nationally, 80 percent of first-time mothers undergo this procedure. (See Reference 14, link below.) An episiotomy is a surgical cut made to the tissue between the vagina and the rectum. When I was training, we were taught that episiotomies were necessary to avoid later prolapse of the uterus and/or excessive laxity of the vagina.
There is no data to support routine episiotomies In fact, women who undergo episiotomy are fifty times more likely to suffer from severe lacerations than those who do not have them. (See Reference 15, link below.) The reason for this is that the episiotomy cut often extends farther into the vaginal tissues during delivery. This surgical cut into the perineum can result in excessive blood loss, painful scarring and unnecessary post partum pain. (See Reference 16, link below.)
Studies have shown that whether a woman has an episiotomy or not is highly dependent upon whether she has a doctor or midwife attending her birth. Midwives are taught how to assist normal non-interventional deliveries. Doctors naturally do more—that's how they're trained. Letting a woman push her baby out slowly and gently and without interference is rare in many hospitals. The best way to ensure a non-interventional birth is to hire a doula or nurse mid-wife who works well with the hospital staff. It is also imperative that a woman discuss this with her doctor beforehand and that she goes to a hospital that has family-centered care. Some women also prefer to use a midwife in place of an MD.
Anesthesia
In our culture, it is often the case that if a little is good, then more must be better. Anesthesia is one instance where this notion is certainly applied. It is used far too often during labor. Most women today are sold on the medical virtues of epidural anesthetic long before they go into labor. They learn this from hospital-sponsored childbirth classes, friends, and even family. But they are generally not told of the risks, which include arrest during the first or second stages of labor, fever in mother and baby, increased forceps use, pelvic floor damage. Babies delivered to mothers who have had epidurals are also more apt to end up in fetal distress, leading to a subsequent increase in cesarean C section{HYPERLINK \l "cesarean"} rates.
In one study, women having their first babies who received epidurals were 14.5 percent more likely to experience fever than those who did not have epidurals. Because of these fevers, the infants born to these women were four times more likely to be evaluated for infection and be treated with antibiotics. (See Reference 16, link below.) The cascade of adverse consequences includes having your baby taken away from you and put in neonatal intensive care. After that, your baby will be stuck with needles so blood can be drawn and IVs started. The antibiotics will kill the friendly bacteria in your baby's body, increasing the risk of infection from antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria often found in hospitals. All of this increases anxiety for both mother and baby. In addition, the entire process interferes with the very crucial bonding period nature intended to occur between mother and baby after birth.
Cesarean Section
One striking example of the overuse of technology in childbirth is delivery by cesarean section. In 1993, 22.8 percent of live births in the United States were by cesarean section. In teaching hospitals the rate is now closer to 25 percent. In some cities, a white woman with insurance has a 50 percent chance of having a cesarean section. The cesarean rate is this high because there is a movement to offer C-sections as a viable option to normal birth. During my residency, when cesarean rates began to soar, I thought to myself, "How can it be that 25 percent of women are not able to go through a normal physiological event without the aid of anesthesia or major surgery? How could the human race possibly have survived?"
Because cesarean section is so common, many women do not realize that a C-section is major abdominal surgery and carries the same potential risks as all surgeries, including such complications as bleeding and infection. In addition, many women are not offered the option of vaginal birth if they have had a previous C-section. The medical profession has inadvertently helped create this fear of vaginal birth for thousands of women. This has frightened them into choosing C-section even when given the option of vaginal birth. The truth is that many women (between 50–85 percent) can go on to deliver babies normally after a C-section.
Not believing that vaginal delivery was inherently dangerous or that abdominal delivery was superior, in my second year of residency I attended a meeting of the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA).{HYPERLINK "http://www.icea.org/"} I learned that membranes do not normally rupture until a woman starts to push, and that babies whose membranes have been ruptured experience more stress in utero. I also learned that amniotic fluid is the best "packing material" because it protects and cushions the baby's head while the mother is having contractions.
How to Decrease Your Risk of Cesarean Section
Though C-Sections are sometimes necessary, there are ways you can decrease your risk.
1 )
Check out your beliefs and your doctor's.
Do you believe vaginal birth is safe and natural or dangerous and frightening?
2 )
Find out your doctor's C-section rate.
Hospitals keep statistics, so your doctor should be able to tell you this.
3 )
Plan on having a normal vaginal birth.
Even if you have had a previous C-section, tell your doctor you would like to explore the possibility
of a vaginal delivery. Thirty-six percent of all C-sections in the United States are scheduled repeat
C-sections with no indication other than prior C-section.
4 )
Choose your birth place carefully.
Plan to have your baby where you feel safe and supported. Family-centered maternity care centers offer
many of the comforts
of home with the safety net of a hospital.
5 )
Make sure you have labor support.
Hire a midwife to check on your progress and a doula to mother you. Work with a doctor who is comfortable
having these
people around.
6 )
Do not go to the hospital too early.
C-sections are often done for "failure to progress" quickly enough through labor. Recent studies
suggest that labor may take
longer than we think it should and still be completely safe and normal. Hire a midwife who can meet
you at home and check on
your progress before you get admitted to the hospital. This will allow you to tune in to your baby and
your body's wisdom.
7 )
Plan to labor without an epidural.
Entering labor with the idea that your body will know how to deal with the sensation will allow you
to be more receptive and will
create optimal uterine functioning. Epidurals can inhibit the release of the neurotransmitter beta endorphin,
which normally
increases during labor and is responsible for the euphoria some women feel. Nature designed that euphoria
as the best
possible state in which to meet and fall in love with your baby.
8 )
Trust that your body knows how to give birth.
During labor, women have the opportunity to experience their body's wisdom more than any other time
and in a dramatic way.
Try not to resist labor. Go with it. Move into the positions that feel best. Know that when you feel
comfortable, supported and
relaxed, your body will automatically know what to do.
For more information go to full report:
http://www.drnorthrup.com/womens-health-birthing.php
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shared from: www.lotusbirth.com
