Natural Living

There are many things on our to-do-list as we adjust to life here in Orange County. And one of them was to get Megumi into some prenatal care and plan for the upcoming delivery of baby #4. We have chosen to return back to Southcoast Midwifery & Women's Health Care here in Irvine. We had the most incredible experience in July 2007 delivering Tomoki in a birthing pool in our home with the help of their midwife and support staff, and we hope to do the same this summer.

Below is some information about natural birthing which I found on the Natural Family site. Not to put our family in a proverbial box, but we do identify and embrace many of the ideas related here, including attachment parenting, family bed arrangement, breastfeeding (even for extended periods). Natural living also include some pretty strong opinions about child development, education, holistic health and wellness, the environment (Al who?), consumerism, media exposure (ie. no TV), and even selection of toys. Megumi and I have some strong convictions about a lot of things, including how we want to birth and raise our family.

A natural birth (also known as an unmedicated birth) is just that - it is the delivery of a baby without using drugs or surgery during birth. A common phrase heard when talking with people about natural birthing practices is, "birth is a natural process, not a medical procedure." In today's society this is definitely a radical concept for most doctors, but it is true nonetheless. You really can have a beautiful, drug-free experience in childbirth even if you have your baby in a hospital. You simply need to know it is possible, you need to find a doctor (or midwife) who will support you in your point of view, and you need some training to help you prepare yourself so you can let nature take its course.

The advantages of a natural childbirth are huge. You learn about all of the advantages when you take a natural childbirth class such as those offered under the Bradley method. Here are the three big advantages:

Natural childbirth is much better for the mother. The mother has a completely different experience during birth if she is not drugged - a significantly more fulfilling and beautiful experience. She also feels much more in control of her body and the health of her baby.

Natural childbirth is much better for the baby. The baby arrives in an undrugged and therefore much more active and alert state. It is amazing to see videotapes showing the differences between drugged and undrugged babies immediately after birth. Undrugged babies are active and responsive. Drugged babies can barely move.

Natural childbirth is much better for the family. When an alert and active (undrugged) baby is placed on the abdomen of an alert and undrugged mother, an amazing thing happens: the baby and mother bond in a significant and real way. The baby will naturally find the breast and begin feeding. The baby will make significant eye contact with the mother and father and respond to them. This simply does not happen when mother and child are drugged, and as a result breastfeeding starts off on a much rockier road.

Make no mistake about it - you cannot have a natural childbirth in today's society unless you take active steps to make it happen. You and your spouse must decide in your own minds that you want a natural birth. You must find a doctor or midwife who supports that decision. You and your spouse must train for the birth so you know what to expect, how to manage pain and what to do at different stages of the birth. You also need to prepare a birth plan so that you can state your desires about a host of variables including: drugs, fetal monitoring, episiotomies, IVs, birth positions, etc. The first time you look into birth plans, the number of options is bewildering. It is amazing how all of these options actually make sense once you have done the research into the type of birth you want.

There are a number of different ways for you to have a natural birth. Here are the five most common:

-With an "enlightened" doctor at a hospital
-With a midwife at a hospital
-With a midwife at a birthing center
-With a midwife at home
-Unassisted at home

You can look at these options, weigh the risks and benefits, and choose the style that works best for you.
If you are considering a natural childbirth, you should definitely start reading up on the subject, and you should consider taking a Bradley class or similar natural childbirth class. See the books page for good book options.

Below are links to a couple videos or clips about the natural birthing.

The Business of Being Born - Movie Trailer (produced by Ricki Lake - I know what some of you are thinking). We have many friends and family members who are health professionals, who may have differing opinions here.

Natural Born Babies - A Modern Birth Story. This short film portrays stories told by 10 mothers and clients of South Coast Midwifery, this short film chronicles their journeys to challenge the conventional hospital birth model to give birth in their own way.

By the way, if you explore the SCM website, you might find a couple photos of our home delivery of Tomoki. In fact, SCM uses our photo (see above) as the profile photo on SCM's Facebook page. A copy of this photo (poster size) hangs on the walls at their office. Hahahaha!

The concept of giving birth according to how you live is an interesting idea. I guess everything we do in life should reflect our convictions.

We realize that home birthing is not for everyone. We've had many family members and friends tell us that we are completely nuts. But that wouldn't be the first time that has been said about us - more on that later.
Here I am offering a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the birth of our son, Tomoki Courage - in our own living room.