Medicated VS Unmedicated Birth

This blog post will cover the differences between a medicated vs unmedicated birth.

Table of Contents

The “Us Vs Them” Mentality

Tell me if this sounds like you: you find out you’re pregnant with your first child and you share the good news with your family. Right after the round of congratulations, one of the first things they do is start asking about your birth plan.

You tell them you’re looking to have a natural birth without pain medication, and they proceed to tell you all the reasons that can’t or won’t happen. They give you their horror stories of inductions, 24 hour labors, and unplanned C-sections.

Their unsolicited advice is quite literally the exact opposite of what you want to hear.

But it doesn’t stop there. You tell your provider your goals, and they give you a look that says “yeah right, I’ll remember that when you’re screaming for the pain medication”.

You leave all your conversations feel dejected, scared and all alone.

Do I Have To Choose?

Before I dive into the differences between medicated vs unmedicated birth and the pros and cons of each, I want you to know that it is a false dichotomy. The reality is you don’t have to pick a side.

Pregnancy and birth is such a unique experience for a woman and she should feel supported by a loving team no matter what she decides.

Just like politics, you can be in the middle of a lot of things.

The most important thing is that you want to reflect on your experience and feel really good about it. No matter what you choose, if you look back on your birth and it gives you joy, that is great.

But, if you look back on your birth and you feel confusion, disappointment, or anger, then you may need to come up with a different birth plan. Or even a different health care provider and team.

What Is An Unmedicated Birth?

An unmedicated birth is sometimes referred to as a “natural birth”. This can get a little bit confusing because all birth is technically natural if the baby comes out of the vaginal canal.

In this post, what I am referring to when I say “unmedicated birth” is a birth without medical interventions, such as induction and epidurals.

Why Do Some Moms Want An Unmedicated Birth?

Here are some of the big reasons why moms would opt for an unmedicated birth.

They Want To Fully Embrace The Birthing Process

Some women don’t want to experience anything while others want to experience EVERYTHING.

Moms who want a natural childbirth have a desire to be fully present for the entire event from start to finish. They want to be an active part of the birthing process, as opposed to having birth just happen to them.

This isn’t to say you aren’t present when you’re medicated, but you aren’t as tuned into what is happening to your body when you can’t feel all the sensations.

Moms Want To Mend Past Experiences

A lot of moms who had unexpected things happen during their labors report feeling like they had no control of their body once they were medicated.

This is particularly true for unplanned things like last minute inductions and opting for pain relief when they originally didn’t want to. Mom may feel a strong desire to right a wrong and fix a previous birth that didn’t go the way she wanted it to.

With COVID, more and more women are turning to alternatives places outside of a hospital to give birth. — Post COVID, more and more women have been turning to alternatives places outside of a hospital to give birth.

Many moms may feel that they were robbed of an experience, and need to have an unmedicated birth to heal from their trauma.

For example, if mom had an emergency C-section, she may want to try for a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) for her next birth.

They Want To Feel Empowered

People often compare birth to running a marathon because both are incredibly difficult but there is a great sense of achievement you feel after accomplishing the task.

There is a strong physical and spiritual connection that occurs during an unmedicated birth.

This typically occurs during the transition phase, which is often the most intense part of labor. But, luckily, it is also usually the shortest.

During those moments when you feel like you can’t go on for much longer, you let go and surrender yourself.

You let your body take over, and the minute baby is out, there is an enormous sense of relief. In the mommy world, this is called “riding the birth high” but it generally describes a sense of euphoria that comes when baby is delivered.

Pros of an Unmedicated Birth

There are many pros to having an unmedicated birth compared to a medicated birth.

Decreased Chance For The Cascade Of Interventions

Because unmedicated births have little to no interventions, there are inherent safety advantages.

There is a unique “cascade of events” that happens in a medicated birth, and with the right knowledge and team behind you it is completely avoidable. — There is a unique “cascade of events” that happen in a medicated birth. With the right knowledge and team behind you, you’ll have a better chance at avoiding it.

Your chances of running into the “cascade of interventions” will decrease significantly. The “cascade of interventions” occurs when you go in for an induction, get put on pitocin (synthetic oxytocin), get an epidural, and then require an emergency C-section as a result of baby’s heart rate decelerating.

If you’re looking to have an unmedicated birth, you will inherently decrease your chances of having an unplanned C-section.

Faster Healing Time

Unmedicated births have a tendency to have a quicker recovery time because tearing is not usually as much.

Also, avoiding C-sections will dramatically reduce your healing time so that you can be back on your feet quicker.

Beneficial Bacteria

There is a lot of beneficial bacteria in the vagina that passes over the baby through the birth canal during the labor and delivery process.

During a vaginal delivery, the infant makes contact with the mother’s vaginal and intestinal flora, which is an important starting point for an infant’s colonization.

But, if a baby is born via C-section, that direct contact is absent, and the infant’s intestinal colonization will be developed by its environment.

Increased Likelihood Of Bonding

Birth is an incredible bonding process for everyone involved.

Of course there are many different ways you can bond having a medicated birth. But, having an unmedicated birth can increase the likelihood of immediate bonding between mother and baby, mother and partner, and partner and baby.

Women who have an unmedicated birth are shown to have less of a risk for postpartum depression and higher success rates for breastfeeding.

By working through the labor pain together and overcoming something so challenging, the reward at the end is that much sweeter.

Better Statistical Health Outcomes For Mom and Baby

According to the World Health Organization on maternal and fetal statistics, countries who follow a midwife model of care have better health outcomes for mother and baby.

A midwife model of care typically has more unmedicated births and less interventions. Obstetricians take a backseat and are only called in to intervene when absolutely necessary.

Rates of C-sections are also much lower, as the more Westernized view of birth tends to over utilize these intervention methods when they aren’t necessary.

Cons of An Unmedicated Birth

While there are many pros to having an unmedicated birth, there are cons that should be considered.

Discomfort During The Birthing Process

You will feel everything in its entirety, which can be seen as both a pro and a con.

And because you’re experiencing all the sensations, you may not be able to rest or relax as well until the baby comes out and the contractions seize.

The best way to combat this is to prepare ahead of time. One of the best ways you can do that is by taking a birth course. More information about birth courses can be found here!

Family and Friends Will Have Unsolicited Opinions

Just like the scenario at the beginning of this post, you will have to deal with a lot of people giving you their opinions on what you choose.

And there will not be any shortage of opinions, so be prepared to endure a lot.

There will be people saying downright awful things such as “what you’re doing is not safe for you and your baby” and “don’t you want your baby to live?”

These people may have the best intentions in mind, but don’t have the best execution in their methods and might not know any other way to birth.

if you are having a healthy pregnancy with no preexisting conditions, you are a good candidate to have a home birth or deliver at a birth center. These places can be just as safe with a trained midwife as a hospital birth.

You May Have To Battle Your Care Provider

Your family members may not be the only negative opinion you need to ward off, as your health care provider may have a say in the matter as well.

Its not entirely their fault, as the majority of them aren’t seeing unmedicated births. Being present for an unmedicated birth or assisting in an unmedicated birth isn’t always required in their curriculum.

Therefore, when you’re requesting specific birth preferences, you should have the evidence and research to back up what you’re talking about.

The best way to do this is to have a birth plan in place, take an educational birth course, and show them how you came to your informed decision. And if your provider still isn’t on board, know that you can switch at ANY point.

Why Do Some Moms Want A Medicated Birth?

Fear Of The Labor Process

One of the biggest reasons I see that a mom wants to have a medicated birth is due to fear.

This fear may stem from preconceived beliefs about labor and birth. Maybe you’ve heard terror stories from family members, or you remember scenes in Hollywood of women screaming at the hospital. This is sometimes the only exposure to birth a first time mama has.

Unfortunately, fear of labor can actually lead to more painful contractions. This is called the “Fear, Tension, Pain” cycle, where you are scared of labor, tense up during contractions, which produces more pain, and validates your justified fear.

New moms may be scared of not being able to do it because they’ve never done it. Or, moms going through it it a second time may be scared because they do remember how it felt.

Desire To Block Out The Pain

An epidural birth might be a sweet spot for moms who want the experience without the pain. This is especially common for a new mom’s first birth. And besides, if God led someone to create that epidural, why would you choose to suffer?

There have been many moms that have labored for hours, gotten the epidural, and were able to relax and get some quality sleep. All the while, birth is still going on, and they don’t have to deal with the discomfort!

Seeking Disconnect From The Labor Process

This reason is not as common, but there are scenarios where a mom wants to completely disassociate herself from the birth process entirely. Usually this occurs when a mom has had previous sexual trauma.

There are a LOT of sensations down there during birth, and that might bring up unwanted memories that a mom might not want to think about.

Surrogates or moms placing their children up for adoption also choose medicated births to disconnect from the experience.

Birth can be incredibly bonding, which you may not want if you don’t have plans to keep your baby.

Mom Is A High Risk Patient

There are some instances where having an unmedicated birth may not be possible.

Pregnancies categorized as high risk, such as gestational diabetes moms, moms with high blood pressure, or moms expecting twins may choose to have medicated pregnancies after talking to their health care provider and deciding that as the safest avenue.

Pros Of A Medicated Birth Vs Unmedicated Birth

Here are some pros to having a medicated birth vs an unmedicated birth.

Pain Relief

The biggest pro of a medicated birth is pain relief.

If you get a great anesthesiologist, you probably won’t be in pain during contractions or the pushing phase of your labor.

If you tear, which there is a higher likelihood you will during an medicated birth, you also can’t feel the stitches being placed.

There have been instances where the epidural wears off and you feel everything, but that is very rare.

Cons Of A Medicated Birth

Slower Labor Times

Sometimes, medication can actually slow down labor, which is why there are often more interventions associated with it.

A good birth course will teach you when is the best time to get an epidural. If you get an epidural at the wrong time, it can slow your progression.

This is because an epidural causes a lot of things to relax, and one of those things is your uterus. During a contraction, your uterus is working with the baby to go down and eventually out of the birthing canal. But, if the uterus is too relaxed, it can stop contracting or stop producing effective contractions.

This will lead to hospital staff giving you more pitocin. And even though you may not be feeling anything, your baby is still having to work through the contractions and that can lead to unwanted side effects.

Pitocin makes your contractions stronger and closer together, which could potentially stress your baby out. When your baby is stressed, their heart rate can fluctuate.

According to the WHO, C-section rates continue to rise globally, accounting for more than 1 in 5 of all births. These rising rates suggest that the procedure is being done when it is not medically necessary, putting more women at risk.

Potential Problems With Epidural Administration

Another negative is that the actual administration of the epidural can hurt.

You will more than likely have to wait for an anesthesiologist to become available, which may be a long time. And you will have to hold yourself in a bent position through contractions while they place the needle in.

The medicine also doesn’t kick in immediately so you will have to wait for some time. Depending on your anesthesiologist, they may not place the needle in the correct place, and so you may end up only being numb on one side.

Surrender Of Control

If you decide to take medication, you will lose the ability to decide on a lot of different options that can happen during birth.

You may not be able to move around freely in your room, eat or drink. You’ll also have to have a continuous IV drip and fetal monitoring, and you will have to have a blood pressure cuff placed on you.

And since you will have to wait for the general anesthesia to wear off, you aren’t able to just get up and walk around right after having a baby. This could lead to you possibly being catheterized.

Essentially, you will be giving the hospital full control to make decisions for you from the minute you decide to take the medication.

And contrary to popular belief, just because someone is in a white lab coat and has an alphabet soup behind their name does NOT make them more qualified than you to determine what is best for your body.

Mothers who choose to have a medicated birth will lose their ability to move around freely and will need to be constantly monitored. — Mothers who choose to have a medicated birth may lose their ability to move around freely and will need to be constantly monitored.

The Common Denominator

No matter what route you choose, you NEED to prepare yourself.

If your goal is an unmedicated birth but you haven’t prepared yourself mentally, you’ll be far more likely to ask for medication. You need to talk with your partner about how you’ll work through all the phases of labor together.

You need to remember why you chose that route, and to honor that personal choice by seeing it through. Keep your reason with you to motivate you during the marathon.

If your goal is to get an epidural, you should know the best time to get it, and how to keep birth progressing once you receive it.

Conclusion

Whether it be your first or second child, you deserve the birth you want.

In 2020, women had on average about 2 children. The birth experience is not something you will get to do too many times, so you should absolutely be involved in whatever happens on your big day.

You are more likely going to enjoy something if you are able to have a say. And know that someone else’s opinion on what YOUR ideal birth should look like does not matter.

Misery loves company, and one of the reasons others like to share their trauma is to feel validated and seen. But it isn’t your job to fix their birth trauma, and it doesn’t mean you have to have trauma to join the mom club.

Always remember that you are a POWERHOUSE and if you have a uterus you were made to birth!

The best thing is that it gets easier and you will get more confident.

With each pregnancy, your desires and preferences will be clearer to you. Women are so incredibly powerful, and there is nothing stronger than a mother’s intuition.

So trust yourself, because you know what is best for you, your body, and your baby.

If you liked this post, be sure to check out How To Pick a High Quality Prenatal and The Glucose Tolerance Test: What You NEED To Know!