The Coimbatore Parenting Network (CPN), a peer support group on Facebook, has over 7,000 members. Swati Jagdish, a group administrator, talks about how discussions around parenting are changing, right from birth. “Parents are exploring alternative schooling methods for their children, people are moving to traditional and organic diets, and the same is happening with birthing,” she says. “We want to go back to Nature.” This is against the background of women gaining authority over their own bodies.
The growing awareness on alternative birthing practices is just one of the many reasons why women are opting for natural birthing. There is a lot of information available on social media related to this, that helps women make an informed birth choice.
Drawing from experience
Swati draws on her own experience: “I was shocked when I was asked to take progesterone suppositories (which are recommended only for someone with a history of miscarriages). That decided it for me, and at 16 weeks, I decided to go to the Birth Village, a natural birthing centre in Kochi. They spoke to me for two hours and that reassured me. They take you in as long as you are fit, with a clean medical history (you don’t have diabetes and your BP is under control). They clarified my doubts and assured me that there’s a super speciality hospital within five kilometres reach in the case of an emergency. Most importantly, they treat an expectant mother with dignity and respect.”
Haritha P, who holds ante-natal classes and is a lactation counsellor at her centre Thalir in Madurai, says natural birthing is a normal physiological process that can be achieved without any medical intervention in the case of a healthy woman. “Millions of women, starting with our own great grandmothers have given birth with the help of a bai . Now, there are midwives. For my first child, I had to undergo an emergency C-section. For my second child, I came up with a birthing plan from day one, as I was clear about a vaginal birth. At 36 weeks, the hospital ruled out a normal delivery, as my scan report showed that the baby weight wouldn’t allow it. With just two more weeks to go, I convinced my family, and over Skype, consulted with the Birth Village.” Harita did end up having a natural birth.
Questioning the system
Pregnant women have started asking the right questions and that is driving the change, says Swati. “They are aware of the birth plan that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. They also know that they can say no to an epidural or episiotomy. Most hospitals will listen if you start asking questions.”
A woman must know her rights, says Haritha. “An expectant mother has the right to give or withhold her consent for anything from an IV drip to an epidural. She has to be aware of the risks, benefits and the alternatives that are available. Support and awareness among extended family also matter.”
There are a number of informative videos on YouTube that throw light on the subject: the ‘breast crawl’ videos of the WHO and UNICEF highlight the skin-to-skin contact between the newborn and mother that is recommended immediately after birthing.
There are helpful books as well. “In Dr Marsden Wagner’s book, Creating Your Birth Plan, the author cites the unnecessary reasons recommending C-section births. But there are those doctors like Dr Fatima Poonawala in Bengaluru, who stick to a birth plan and carry out only natural birthing without any interventions,” says Swati, who runs Bond & Beyond, a centre for pregnancy health, lactation and post-partum counselling.
- A midwife-delivery is fine in a hospital environment, but one has to be aware of risks at home, warns gynaecologist Dr Asha Rao, Director, Rao Hospital, Coimbatore. “If there is an emergency, there should be a doctor at hand,” she says.
- “Home deliveries worked in the olden days as lifestyles were different. Women did a lot of work, bending, sweeping, and squatting. Now, we are not doing as much physical work and the movement of the baby down the birth passage is not that easy,” she says. She adds that complications have increased, with more women having babies in their later years, and the rise in the incidence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and PCOD. Dr Rao feels that obstetrics works better under centralised care, where there is a complete support system. “It is a better option that is geared up in case of complications in the mother or the child.”
A professional doula supports and assists in labour. Anupama Vijay Anand is one and she also conducts ante-natal classes at her centre, Vriksham, Coimbatore. “ Doulas act as a bridge between the doctor and to-be parents. I insist the husband be trained too and be a birthing partner.” She recalls a student in Australia who took classes over Skpye. “Her husband supported her in labour and that brought a new dimension to their relationship. With the father also establishing a close connect to the child during birthing, it helps him to stay connected post-partum too.”
Durghesh Nandini, who blogs about her natural-birthing experience, says the main difference between hospital birthing and a birth-centre birthing is education. “I was educated on every aspect of pregnancy and birthing, which empowered me and helped me understand my body. I opted for lotus birth and delayed the cord cutting for my second child. The umbilical cord is allowed to fall off naturally.”
