The benefits of natural childbirth The precautions of natural childbirth

Natural childbirth is the most common way of delivery. Although natural childbirth is more painful, it has many benefits for both pregnant women and children, so many pregnant women still choose natural childbirth.

Natural childbirth is a normal physiological process of human reproduction. Any healthy woman of childbearing age who is full-term pregnant and has normal prenatal checkups can give birth to a fetus naturally under normal circumstances.

Benefits of natural childbirth for your baby:

1. Reduce the incidence of neonatal pneumonia: During natural childbirth, the contractions of the uterus will squeeze the fetus, but this squeezing is necessary for learning tactile and proprioceptive senses. Some studies believe that this sense of touch directly affects the child's agility, coordination, concentration, and emotional stability when he grows up. When passing through the birth canal, the fetal chest is rhythmically compressed and expanded during contractions, which squeezes out the amniotic fluid and mucus in the respiratory tract and lungs. Studies have found that the chance of wet lung and aspiration pneumonia in newborns born naturally is reduced by 1/3 compared with that of babies born by cesarean section. The squeezing of the chest also increases the alveolar surfactant produced in the fetal lungs, making the alveoli elastic and easy to expand after the fetus is born, so that autonomous breathing can be established in time.

2. Stimulate the neurological development of newborns: The birth canal squeezes the fetal brain, which strengthens the blood circulation and stimulates brain cells, making them more resistant to hypoxia after birth, which is beneficial to the development of the brain. Through this exercise, the fetal respiratory center is stimulated, which is beneficial for the newborn to quickly establish normal respiratory reflexes after delivery.

3. Help newborns build their immune systems: The stimulation of the labor process causes the mother and fetus to produce a large number of immune antibodies. Therefore, newborns born naturally have stronger resistance and resistance to infection, while babies born by cesarean section lack this process of acquiring antibodies.

Benefits of natural childbirth to mothers:

1. Promote the secretion of oxytocin: During natural childbirth, the pain of uterine contractions will bring mental and physical tension and pain to pregnant women, but these are temporary and most pregnant women can bear it. The oxytocin hormone produced by the pituitary gland of pregnant women causes the muscle fibers of the uterus to gradually shrink. After the fetus is expelled, the uterine contraction caused by this self-produced oxytocin is still very strong, which is conducive to the discharge of postpartum lochia and uterine recovery, helps to reduce postpartum hemorrhage, and promotes postpartum recovery. However, selective cesarean section is prone to poor uterine contraction during and after the operation due to the relative lack of oxytocin secretion in the body, so that the mother has to rely on exogenous drugs to promote uterine contraction.

2. It helps breastfeeding: Natural childbirth and the synchronous and coordinated changes in the body's prolactin levels are necessary conditions for rapid lactation after childbirth. However, due to the asynchronous hormone levels and the stimulation and pain after the operation, the lactation time of mothers after cesarean section will be relatively late by nearly 10 hours, and the prolactin level is low. During this period, the newborn may have become accustomed to artificial feeding and is unwilling to suck breast milk. After natural childbirth, the mother's body recovers faster, which is also conducive to breastfeeding.

3. Helps postpartum recovery: After a period of time after natural childbirth, the elasticity of the vagina can be restored, which will not affect sexual life. The endocrine system is relatively balanced, and vaginal atrophy will be relatively mild after menopause. However, vaginal atrophy will be more serious for women who have not given birth or have undergone cesarean section after menopause; the quality of sexual life is lower than that of natural childbirth.

4. Promote the relationship between mother and baby: The pain of natural childbirth can make the pregnant woman's brain produce endorphins. This chemical substance will bring pleasure and satisfaction to the pregnant woman, which is conducive to deepening the relationship between mother and baby.

Natural childbirth refers to a method of childbirth in which the fetus is delivered vaginally without artificial intervention under the premise of safety. During this period, you should pay more attention to some matters to ensure a smoother delivery.

1. Before natural childbirth, the mother should pay attention to proper exercise, take advantage of the intervals between contractions to rest and save energy, and avoid being restless and wasting energy. If the fetal membrane has not ruptured, you can get out of bed and move around. Proper movement can promote uterine contractions and help the fetal head descend.

2. Tension will directly affect uterine contraction, and will cause the mother to lose appetite, cause fatigue and weakness, and affect the progress of labor. The mother should learn to do deep, slow and even abdominal breathing. Take a deep breath when each uterine contraction comes, and gradually inflate the abdomen, and slowly lower it when exhaling, which can reduce pain.

3. Natural childbirth consumes a lot of physical energy. The mother needs to replenish nutrition and water in time, try to eat high-calorie foods, such as porridge, milk, eggs, etc., and drink more soup to ensure that there is enough energy to bear the heavy task of childbirth.

4. Take the best position for natural childbirth: Unless the doctor thinks it is necessary, do not take a specific position. As long as it can make you feel less pain, it is the best position.

5. During natural childbirth, you need to urinate frequently. A swollen bladder will hinder the descent of the fetal presenting part and the contraction of the uterus. On the premise of ensuring adequate water intake, the mother should actively urinate once every 2-4 hours.

The baby's fetal position, the mother's physical constitution and weight will affect the choice of delivery method. So what can pregnant mothers do to increase the chance of natural delivery? Generally, it includes age-appropriate delivery, proper nutrition and other aspects.

1. Childbirth at the right age: Most medical experts believe that the best age for women to give birth is between 25 and 29 years old. Women in this age group are more likely to have a normal birth. As age increases, the risk of pregnancy and childbirth increases.

2. Reasonable nutrition: The ideal pregnancy weight is to increase by 2 kg within 3 months of early pregnancy, 5 kg each in the 3rd to 6th month of mid-pregnancy and the 7th to 9th month of late pregnancy, and a total of about 12 kg. If you gain more than 20 kg during the entire pregnancy, the baby may grow too big, which is not conducive to natural delivery.

3. Gymnastics during pregnancy: Gymnastics during pregnancy is not only helpful for controlling weight during pregnancy, but also conducive to smooth delivery. This is because gymnastics exercises can increase the tension and elasticity of the abdominal muscles, waist and back muscles, and pelvic floor muscles, making the joints and ligaments loose and soft, which helps to relax the muscles during delivery, reduce the resistance of the birth canal, and enable the fetus to pass through the birth canal faster. Gymnastics during pregnancy can relieve the fatigue and stress of expectant mothers and enhance their confidence in natural delivery.

4. Prenatal check-up: Pregnant women should have regular prenatal check-ups to check the development of the fetus and the health of the pregnant woman, so as to find problems early, correct them and treat them as soon as possible, so that the pregnant woman and the fetus can go through the pregnancy and delivery smoothly.

5. Correct the fetal position: Usually, if the fetal position is abnormal before the 7th month of pregnancy, it only needs to be observed. Because before the 30th week of pregnancy, the fetus is still small relative to the uterus, and the mother has more amniotic fluid in the uterus, the fetus has room to move and will correct the fetal position by itself. If the fetal position is still abnormal during the 30th to 34th week of pregnancy, it is necessary to cooperate with the doctor's guidance for correction.

6. Prenatal preparation: 2 weeks before the expected date of delivery, pregnant women need to maintain a normal life and sleep, eat nutritious and easily digestible foods, such as milk, eggs, etc., to prepare sufficient physical strength for delivery. Before delivery, pregnant women should keep their mood stable. Once the uterine contractions begin, they should have confidence and believe that they can give birth safely and smoothly with the help of doctors and midwives.

There are three stages of natural childbirth. As long as the pregnant mother understands them, natural childbirth is actually not that scary.

The first stage of labor (6 to 12 hours): from the onset of labor pains to the full dilation of the cervix. The mother needs to conserve her energy, rest, and eat.

1. During the intervals between contractions, the mother should take a rest, sleep, eat, chat or listen to music. During this period, the uterus contracts intermittently, and the non-contraction period is long and the contraction period is short, so the mother can rest most of the time. Although she is often disturbed by sudden pain, she should try to relax herself, take the time to rest or eat to replenish her energy. If she can't sleep, she can listen to music and chat with others.

2. When uterine contractions come, pay attention to abdominal breathing to relax the abdomen. The mother can stand or lie down to rest in any posture she likes.

The second stage of labor (1-2 hours): The cervix is ​​fully dilated until the fetus is delivered. The mother needs to sprint to the limit and adjust her breathing and exert force.

1. Push when there are contractions, and relax when there are no contractions. The mother needs to push according to the rhythm of the contractions, push when there are contractions, and relax her body after the contractions stop. If she keeps pushing, she will feel abnormally tired. When the contractions come again, fatigue will prevent the mother from pushing correctly, and she will not be able to cooperate well with the contractions to complete the process of delivering the fetus.

2. The correct way to use force is: when the contraction begins and the pain comes, it is best to take a deep breath, then close your lips, hold your breath, and start to push, like having a bowel movement.

3. Stop when you need to. Follow the instructions of the medical staff. If the midwife instructs you to stop pushing, you should stop pushing and take the time to catch your breath to avoid perineal laceration caused by incorrect pushing methods.

The third stage of labor (3 to 30 minutes): from the birth of the fetus to the birth of the placenta. The time is shorter and the mother is more relaxed. The third stage is the period from the birth of the fetus to the birth of the placenta. The time is shorter and the labor pain has disappeared at this time. The mother is more relaxed. After delivery, the mother needs to stay in the delivery room for a period of observation to prevent complications such as postpartum hemorrhage.