What is a c-section?
There are two ways a baby can be delivered, through vaginal birth or via cesarean section. C-section or cesarean section is the delivery of a fetus through a surgical incision made through the abdominal wall and uterine wall.
In some cases, C-section is a necessity for saving the lives of the mother and the baby both for example in case of fetal distress, or when the baby is large as compared to the maternal pelvic outlet, etc. Other than that, vaginal birth should always be the preferred mode of delivery.
Why avoid cesarean section?
There are a lot of benefits of vaginal birth as compared to cesarean section such as shorter hospital stay, early recovery, and being able to breastfeed sooner. C-section comes with a risk of a lot of complications including surgical site infection, more blood loss, blood clots in veins, and reaction to anesthesia drugs. Even without these complications, there is always a longer recovery period, longer hospital stay, difficulty in early initiation of breastfeeding, and scarring.
Unfortunately, almost 86.2% of women end up having a repeat cesarean section. Having multiple C-sections can lead to complications like intestinal adhesions, uterine rupture and problems related to the placenta like placenta accrete (placenta that grows too deeply in the uterine wall).
Rates of deliveries via Cesarean section
Rates of C-sections continue to increase worldwide from 7% in 1990 to 21% today. In 2020, the rate of cesarean deliveries in the United States was 21.9 per 100 live births.
How to avoid a cesarean section
In the light of guidelines issued by ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) and SMFM (Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine), you can take these steps to reduce the risks of having a C-section.
In most instances, avoiding a c-section will help you recuperate faster and will put less stress on your baby. Giving birth naturally can be a pleasant and fulfilling experience if you are well prepared and possess the proper techniques and knowledge like those that you will get in the Hypno-Baby program.
Stay active and avoid excessive weight gain
Having a healthy diet and staying active throughout the pregnancy will help you during labor. Some studies show that the fitness level of active women reduces exhaustion and the risk of medical intervention thus resulting in a shorter duration of labor.
Excessive weight gain can lead to an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and labor complications,etc.
You will probably have less energy during your rpegnancy. It is normal! After all, you are growing a human being inside of you. Listen to your body’s signals and respect that there might be days where you just need to rest and others when you are up to doing pregnancy exercises. Going in water is a great way to exercise and feel light at the same time. Never go in a pool or your tub for that matter alone.
Educate yourself
Get yourself educated about the process of giving birth and stages of labor by taking a childbirth class or reading books or articles online.The Hypno-Baby course is full of information on natural birth. At the same time, you have to realize that this information si in no way meant to replace your healthcare provider’s servies. The valuable information in the course is for entertainment only. You do nto need to know everything about birth, especially the stressing complications that rarely arrive.
Ont he other hand, being well-informed will allow you to go through labor in a serene way.
Make a birth plan
Make a plan and discuss it with your healthcare provider.Int he Hypno-Baby course, we provide you with a fill in the blanks birthing plan and show you how to customize it so it is beautiful.
A birthing plan is a guide for your and your birth partner on how you would like your birth to go. At the same time, you have to be adaptable to the situation and not feel like a failiure if your birthing plan does not go exactly as you wrote it. they rarely do!
Select the place of giving birth wisely
Rates of Cesarean births vary from state to state and hospital to hospital. Do your research and choose the most compatible place for yourself that has higher rates of natural births. If you feel like your doctor or hospital is nto supportive of your plan to gie birth naturally, youc an always change health care provider. The last thign you need in labor is to have to fight to defend your right to give birth naturallya nd comfortably.
Choose your birth team
Having continuous loving and professional support throughout the labor dramatically changes the outcome. Some studies show that having a doula decreases the likelihood of having a cesarean section by 26%. Your partner shoudl be supportive but realize that sometimes, it is hard for your partner too. In the Hypno-Baby course, you will learn to be self-reliant and at the same time, your partner will be well-prepared to support you and live the birth experience peacefully.
Avoid induction of labor
Unless medically indicated such as in pre-eclampsia (very high blood pressure, that can cause complications), try to avoid induction of labor. Studies show that inducing labor increases the risk of having a C-section. Other studies concluded that it does not increase your chances of havign a c-section but those studies are done with women already having a 33% c-section rate.
If you are aiming for a natural birth, staying away from an induction unless it is medically indicated is a sure bet.
We understand that in the end, you are tired and very uncomfortable but inducing on an unfavorable cervix requires a long period of time and will tire you and your baby for nothing. Furthermore, yoru chances of getting a lot of interventions and ending-up in a c-section are increased if you decide to push on nature.
Staying at home
Don’t go to the hospital until you are in the active phase of labor as a longer hospital stay increases the risk of interventions. Discuss this with your doctor and wait at home until your contractions are 4 to 5 minutes apart and are near 1 minute long for at least an hour. You will know when you are in active labor.
Most women rush to the hospital too soon especially for their first babies. Once in the hospital, you might feel like you “are on the clock” and agree to many useless and significant interventions that will push you away from natural birth and that might not be the best for you or your baby.
Make a pain management plan
Managing pain during labor reduces the risk of having a cesarean section at the patient’s request. The bets is to choose a natural method to manage what is happening in your body. The Hypno-Baby program will teach you so many natural and safe ways to control what you feel that you may feel the contraction as just reassuring pressures.
Many available options include having an epidural, Entonox (gas), massage, breathing techniques, meditation,etc.
Don’t request an early epidural
Early epidural prolongs the labor leading to increased risk of interventions. More often than not, women who take the epidural end-up needing pitocyn to restart the contractions or augment their force. The epidrual can also cause fever and put additional stress on your body and your baby. Often with the epidural, you will be instructed to stay in bed so you cannot change position, move around and use the help of gravity to have your baby come down more easily.
Most often, you will also be instructed after your epidural to not eat or drink which will cause lower energy and dehydration which will both rub you of the energy necessary to give birth.
Correction of breech presentation
In case your baby is in breech position, you can request your doctor to try the “external cephalic version” a procedure to externally rotate a fetus from breech to cephalic presentation. You can also sleep with your pelvis tilted up to help your baby find its way. Resist the temptation to agree to an early “preventive” c-section as your baby might have turned on its own before your due date. Always have your doctor, check the baby’s position one last time before agreeing to a c-section as some babies have been known to turn the night before the c-section.
If your baby is still breach at term, discuss with your health care provider the option of giving birth naturally witht he proper safe settings.
Move, move, move!
Your baby needs to descend in your pelvis in order to be born. Using gravity by standing up will help your baby come down. Firthermore, changing positions during labor will help relieve the pressure and soreness points for you.
Go in water
Going in the tub or even a birthing pool will help relieve the pressure of the contractions and relax you. You can go in water even if your water is broken as long as the baby is well descended and that there is no risk of infection and you are in active labor. Do nto forget to add warm water as needed to stay very comfortable and warm without exagerating.
Respect your body’s natural rythm
It is normal for labor to plateau at some point. Your body needs a pause from the intense labor it is doing. Enjoy that break and do not think that this means you necessarily needs a c-section. Just like when people run a marathon, some go fast and straight to the finish line, others need breaks but eventually they end their race winners!
The Hypno-Baby course will show you how to have a ssafe, natural and comfotable birth.
Even after all that, if you end up having a cesarean birth due to a complication, embrace your experience. At the end of the day, delivering a healthy baby is the happiest memory.
