Well, my best friend is prego and expecting baby girl Katie Rose in January. I could not be more excited to meet this precious gift from God and watch her grow up in His arms! But before she comes, I am trying to prepare myself for the day that she will arrive. I have been reading books, taking with friends and surfing the web to learn more about birth, and it is just so interesting! (go ahead, judge me) You can call me a softy, but bringing a baby into the world is such a miracle from God! It is such a neat thing and I am so excited for the day that Katie comes!
Today, I came across this site with myths about birth. So… Just in case you were wondering, here are a few myths and about child birth that are NOT true.
1. The Lamaze birthing method promises the mother a ‘pain-free delivery’.
The truth is that there will always be that fear of child-bearing that a woman will get to experience as her due date to give birth approaches. This is but normal given the circumstances. Nobody can ever predict how your labor will go, or how long you will be in pain before the baby actually emerges out of your womb.
This pain, like any other -as long as it is in a healthy dose- is good. It protects the mother in a way, as fear will have you prepare everything before the day comes.
2. Lying on your back is the best position to give birth.
Any other position, like squatting or standing up, is the best way to go rather than lying on one’s back. This gives the mother a better allowance for movement and it results to a less painful, easier delivery.
3. Your uterus should do the main work when you are already in labor.
This is not true, because the way and the strength of the muscles that you use to push the baby out of your womb are important as well.
Once you feel the contractions becoming more frequent, you should respond to the pain. There are certain ways to help alleviate the pain by changing positions, massaging and moaning. This would help the child settle into the pelvis then move forward, through the birth canal, allowing for a less painful and easier delivery.
4. The mother should be under intense scrutiny at the hospital as soon as the first contractions begin.
Some women labor for several or a few hours, and she should not just stay still during this event. It would help if she moves constantly, even take a walk and relax during labor as this could be as taxing as the delivery itself.
5. Enduring a caesarian section would result to a healthier baby.
As much as possible, it is better to avoid having a woman undergo caesarian operation if she can give birth normally. In most cases, it is more physically difficult to give birth this way, not to mention the after-effects that this may cause if you actually undergo the procedure when you don’t really need it.
