Painless natural childbirth
Childbirth is a beautiful experience and represents the exit of the fetus from its mother’s uterus after its full development, but the idea of childbirth may cause concern to some women because of the expected pain and discomfort; therefore, many women go for C-section, which makes them lose the advantages of natural childbirth, to avoid its pain. However, the progress of science made it possible to perform natural childbirth without pain, and many women preferred to have a natural childbirth without pain to obtain a more comfortable birth. Therefore, many of Dr. Ahmed Marzouk's patients enjoyed painless natural births, which we will explain in the following lines. Let us first explain the candidates for natural childbirth in general.
Who are the candidates for natural childbirth?
Candidates for natural childbirth include every pregnant woman who meets the following criteria:
- She does not suffer from health problems. Many chronic diseases associated with pregnancy do not make natural childbirth a good option, such as heart disease, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, or a dropped placenta.
- The absence of uterine birth defects such as a narrow cervix, small uterus size, or the presence of fibroids.
- The appropriate weight of the fetus ranges between 2.5 and 3.5 kilograms, but if the weight of the fetus exceeds that weight, it is preferable to perform a cesarean delivery so that this excessive size does not cause birth problems or vaginal rupture.
- The placenta is completely normal, and the uterus is free of umbilical cord problems.
- Normal amniotic fluid amounts help the fetus move and slide outside the uterus.
- The size of the baby's head should be proportional to the size of the mother's pelvis.
- The fetus's position in the womb allows for natural birth. The optimal position for the fetus to pass easily through the birth canal is its head in the pelvic region facing downward, whether it is facing forward or backward. The opposite situation makes it difficult for the natural birth, which is the direction of the fetus seat or one of its limbs down.
- The cervix widens to a suitable degree at the beginning of labour until the dilation reaches 10 cm at birth, without causing exhaustion or pain to the mother or the fetus.
- Pregnancy occurs naturally and does not occur through IVF or ICSI. If getting pregnant again in the future is difficult, a caesarean delivery is preferable to reduce potential risks to both the mother and the fetus.
- The mother's lack of a medical history that includes previous uterine surgeries, such as fibroids removal surgeries.
- The decision to have a natural birth after a previous caesarean section depends on several factors, the most important of which is that the mother’s previous birth history does not include more than one caesarean section, at least 18 months have passed after the cesarean section, and the mother should not be pregnant with twins.
If all these conditions are met, natural childbirth becomes the ideal choice for the mother to enjoy its multiple benefits.
What are the advantages of natural childbirth?
Natural childbirth offers many benefits to both the mother and the baby.
The benefits of normal labour in childbirth are as follows:
• Shorter recovery time.
• Breastfeeding started sooner.
• Less chance of future pregnancy complications.
The benefits of natural childbirth of the fetus in particular are:
• Less chance of developing respiratory diseases due to the role of contractions in preparing the fetus's lungs for breathing, as they cause a state of tension in the mother's body, which secretes an amount of cortisone in return; which contributes to the maturity of the lungs.
• Improving and activating the child's immune system function due to his exposure to vaginal bacteria during birth.
• Getting better nutrition from the mother's breast, as several natural hormones are stimulated during childbirth, the most important of which is the prolactin hormone responsible for milk secretion.
Painless natural childbirth:
Dr. Ahmed Marzouk explains that painless natural childbirth is the absence of pain during labour.
If a pregnant woman is among the candidates for a natural birth, Dr. Ahmed Marzouk takes several preparatory steps for a painless natural birth, as follows:
1- Examination in approximately the middle of the ninth month to assess the mother’s pelvis and determine its suitability for natural childbirth in terms of the dimensions of the pelvis and the dimensions and weight of the fetus’s head. The health state of the fetus and the condition of the cervix are also evaluated to determine whether waiting is an option and how long it should last without endangering the pregnancy.
2- If these conditions are met, the most appropriate date for natural childbirth is determined at which the mother goes to the hospital, without waiting for the onset of labour or pain.
3- Implementing the instructions of Dr. Ahmed Marzouk which prepare the cervix for childbirth.
4- At the scheduled date of birth and the arrival of the pregnant woman to the hospital, she shall be given an epidural injection before the labour occurs.
The epidural injection contains small amounts of anesthesia, injected into the spine, specifically in the outer part of the spinal canal, via a very thin catheter, to numb the lower part of the body starting from the waist, while keeping the patient awake. It prevents the pain of contractions from their beginning to their end, thus, combining the advantages of natural childbirth and keeping away from its main disadvantage, which is exposure to labour pains.
5- The CTG device is also installed on the abdomen to follow the fetal pulse and measure the severity of the contractions that the mother experiences without feeling pain.
6- Natural childbirth takes place easily and without the need for suction, which has been proven to be dangerous and causes problems for children; this guarantees the complete safety of the mother and fetus, and the mother is awake to see her newborn as soon as he is born.
A painless natural birth protects the mother from postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain.
How long does it take to recover from natural childbirth?
The recovery time for a natural birth is different from a caesarean delivery. In general, natural birth recovery is faster than C-section recovery.
Childbirth is an exciting and life-changing event, and every birth is unique. Natural childbirth is the most common method. Of course, it is hard to know what to expect until you experience it, but consulting Dr. Ahmed Marzouk, consultant obstetrician and gynecologist, and asking questions can help you prepare. Natural births are generally low-risk and very successful. Dr. Ahmed Marzouk's medical team is also trained to help you welcome your baby into the world in the best way possible.
In the end, we are glad that we have explained the advantages of painless natural childbirth, as it is easy to perform and requires only a good evaluation of the condition from the best doctor, Dr. Ahmed Marzouk, consultant of obstetrics and gynecology, and his medical team. Dr. Ahmed Marzouk evaluates many factors and recommends the appropriate birth procedure for you. Follow his advice to guarantee a pain-free delivery.
