Anyone else dislike it when people use the term ‘natural labor/ birth’

[Anonymous]

I’ve pushed with an epidural, had an emergent C-section, had a scheduled C-section and finally a precipitous birth (unmedicated) at 8 months for the last baby. They all have pros and cons.

[Anonymous]

Somebody congratulated me on my "natural" no epidural induced birth/oxytocin drip with continuous fetal monitoring. Felt very strange

[Anonymous]

No o don’t care. Not all births are natural. C sections are not natural.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh. I try not to get caught up on stuff like that. It’s just how it’s always been described. I had two medicated births and couldn’t care less.

Agree with this. I have a feeling the people who dislike it are those who had a C-section and are upset about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No o don’t care. Not all births are natural. C sections are not natural.

So you do care.

[Anonymous]

Non “natural” birth means more mothers survive childbirth. It’s not negative. Why are you try to make it negative, OP?

[Anonymous]

It is confusing. My youngest knows the story about how she was my first vaginal birth because I had what I deem to be an unnecessary c-section with her older sister. So she says, "And then you had a natural birth with me!" and I'm like, yeah, well, when I was 9 cm I said a lot of curse words and then they gave me an epidural, so I guess we can't use that term.

[Anonymous]

No, when there is so much to get upset about, why add this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't care about the terminology that much but as someone who had a traumatic birth with an epidural that I felt forced into, I dislike when people compare birth stories or talk about childbirth as though most women have a lot of control over it. I felt very vulnerable when I gave birth, I did not have sufficient advocacy, and the epidural I only sort of agreed to made me too groggy to effectively advocate for myself.

So when people get all hung up on natural or unmedicated or whatever, and sit around talking about what women *should* do, I get annoyed because it's often loaded with judgment.

If you actually care about the medicalized nature of most childbirth in the US (which I do, in general and due to my specific experience) then advocate for pregnant women and take issue with a healthcare system that does not listen to them or trust them to know what their own bodies need. Don't go around criticizing women for the "choices" they made, often without anyone in the room who cared to let them make a choice and a lot of structures in place to force them in one direction or another.

If I had it to do again I'd get a doula but it makes me quite angry that women have to pay someone to basically advocate for and listen to them during birth. It's messed up it's even come to this.

The only woman I know who felt like she had real power and authority during her childbirth experiences had home births, but she's also quite wealthy which is part of why she felt entitled to that experience and also part of how she was able to make it happen. Most of us are pretty beholden to our insurance company and a more limited access to healthcare professionals.

I had a doula and found her less helpful than I thought she’d be going into it

[Anonymous]

The issue I have is that “natural” very clearly implies superior. That’s why so many food products nowadays slap the label “natural” on the packaging, even though it has zero meaning whatsoever.

And that’s exactly how people are using “natural” in childbirth. Make no mistake, it’s a marketing ploy used by people with an agenda, just like food.

That comes with a steep price. I was pressured into “natural” because I believed all the hype that natural was better. Thank god I developed hypertension at the end of my pregnancy and had to deliver in a hospital, because a home birth could have killed us (baby was stuck).

Maybe we could start using other meat labels? Like a free range birth or a cage free birth. Grass fed birth? That could be fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue I have is that “natural” very clearly implies superior. That’s why so many food products nowadays slap the label “natural” on the packaging, even though it has zero meaning whatsoever.

And that’s exactly how people are using “natural” in childbirth. Make no mistake, it’s a marketing ploy used by people with an agenda, just like food.

That comes with a steep price. I was pressured into “natural” because I believed all the hype that natural was better. Thank god I developed hypertension at the end of my pregnancy and had to deliver in a hospital, because a home birth could have killed us (baby was stuck).

Maybe we could start using other meat labels? Like a free range birth or a cage free birth. Grass fed birth? That could be fun.

It wouldn't have killed you if the midwives were competent. It would have been a gnarly transfer to the hospital in labor.

I support home births but I will say I have been gaslit by a midwife once. I said I wanted to birth in a hospital for my first and she got super pissy. I later read a study stating half of home births of first time moms end up in the hospital.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The issue I have is that “natural” very clearly implies superior. That’s why so many food products nowadays slap the label “natural” on the packaging, even though it has zero meaning whatsoever.

And that’s exactly how people are using “natural” in childbirth. Make no mistake, it’s a marketing ploy used by people with an agenda, just like food.

That comes with a steep price. I was pressured into “natural” because I believed all the hype that natural was better. Thank god I developed hypertension at the end of my pregnancy and had to deliver in a hospital, because a home birth could have killed us (baby was stuck).

Maybe we could start using other meat labels? Like a free range birth or a cage free birth. Grass fed birth? That could be fun.

It wouldn't have killed you if the midwives were competent. It would have been a gnarly transfer to the hospital in labor.

I support home births but I will say I have been gaslit by a midwife once. I said I wanted to birth in a hospital for my first and she got super pissy. I later read a study stating half of home births of first time moms end up in the hospital.

PP. They weren’t competent. I actually found out after DC was born, the week prior, a family friend’s daughter gave birth with them, they didn’t get her to the hospital in time, and baby ended up with cerebral palsy.

I know another woman who had a midwife that refused to transfer her or do anything about her stuck baby. Mom had to give herself an episiotomy with a kitchen knife and baby ended up with cerebral palsy.

I do agree hospitals need to do better for moms, but I hate that “natural birth” is the only proposed solution. Like, why can’t we just have hospitals and doctors that care about women?

[Anonymous]

I say surgical or non surgical birth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care about the terminology that much but as someone who had a traumatic birth with an epidural that I felt forced into, I dislike when people compare birth stories or talk about childbirth as though most women have a lot of control over it. I felt very vulnerable when I gave birth, I did not have sufficient advocacy, and the epidural I only sort of agreed to made me too groggy to effectively advocate for myself.

So when people get all hung up on natural or unmedicated or whatever, and sit around talking about what women *should* do, I get annoyed because it's often loaded with judgment.

If you actually care about the medicalized nature of most childbirth in the US (which I do, in general and due to my specific experience) then advocate for pregnant women and take issue with a healthcare system that does not listen to them or trust them to know what their own bodies need. Don't go around criticizing women for the "choices" they made, often without anyone in the room who cared to let them make a choice and a lot of structures in place to force them in one direction or another.

If I had it to do again I'd get a doula but it makes me quite angry that women have to pay someone to basically advocate for and listen to them during birth. It's messed up it's even come to this.

The only woman I know who felt like she had real power and authority during her childbirth experiences had home births, but she's also quite wealthy which is part of why she felt entitled to that experience and also part of how she was able to make it happen. Most of us are pretty beholden to our insurance company and a more limited access to healthcare professionals.

I had a doula and found her less helpful than I thought she’d be going into it

Doula's can be hit or miss, but they are generally better than a spouse who has no childbirth experience and can be powerful advocates because they have experience. Lots of literature around how doulas can particularly benefit minorities.