In today's post, we want to talk about an important subject and the most unique experience a mother can have - childbirth.
We realise that this can be a very sensitive subject, because it is a unique event, with its own characteristics, its own way of developing and because it will be the moment when you finally meet your baby. It's from this moment on that everything changes, and as they say - this is where the real change in the parents' lives begins.
As we've already mentioned, labour isn't the same for everyone, so it's a moment that will depend on various factors. What we may idealise our baby's birth to be, may be similar or it may be something we didn't expect. What we often hear is that we shouldn't create expectations and that we won't know how the birth will go until the moment.
Giving birth is a natural act, for which we have the utmost respect and which has taken place in an increasingly detailed way, in the sense that nowadays, childbirth will be a moment highly supported by various mechanisms and increasingly refined knowledge. Factors such as the baby's position, or the hip being narrower, are situations that cannot be controlled. With the course of time, it has been possible to bring new techniques and methods that allow labour to take place in the best possible way, taking into account various indicators.
It's a topic that we've already touched on in a very brief way and with the opportunity to bring in mum Andreia's experience. However, today's post is a way for us to better introduce the subject of childbirth, its experience and its different components. We felt it was important to cover it, simply because it is the moment when a cycle of life begins, a baby comes into the world and, consequently, it will be a defining moment for parents, or rather new parents.
We went to do our typical research and try to understand a little better. So, in general, we want to touch a little on what types of childbirth are. We know that they can happen and that they depend on various factors in order to be realised.
First of all, we should be aware that there are different types of birth - normal birth and caesarean section. At this point, we're already informed.
Starting with normal childbirth. Let's say the most natural one. In this case, they say that normal labour occurs in around two thirds of cases where the baby is in the correct position - upside down. Having our little one in this position gives us the possibility of a natural birth. The next step is to understand the so-called normal stages of this process. To put it in simple terms, it's water breaking, contractions, dilation of the cervix and expulsion. In cases where the baby is sitting up, there may be an attempt at normal labour, but you can also opt for a caesarean section.
In certain cases, we can also have an induced labour. This can happen in a number of situations: if labour is taking too long, if the health of the mother or baby is at stake, if the delivery date has been exceeded, and so on. On these occasions, labour is induced by the injection of a substance, which triggers and speeds up contractions.
Another type of labour is caesarean section, which is considered to be a type of induced labour. It has to be planned for different reasons - the baby's physiognomy in relation to the mother's physiognomy (e.g. the mother's hips are too narrow for a large baby); the baby may be sitting or crossed; if there is foetal distress; the mother has a health problem (e.g. diabetes or hypertension).
It can happen that you have to have a caesarean section, even if the birth was considered to be normal. This can happen if the baby's head doesn't fit, if the cervix doesn't dilate or if there is foetal distress.
As it is a procedure, it is always necessary for a caesarean section to be carried out in an operating room. A caesarean section consists of an incision in the abdomen and uterus to remove the baby. It is performed under epidural anaesthesia, or in cases where it is necessary, general anaesthesia may be used. Although it is a less painful procedure for women, the number of caesarean sections should not exceed 15%, according to the World Health Organisation, because there are several risks involved in the operation - e.g. pulmonary embolism, infections, among others - as well as tiredness and some abdominal pain in the postpartum period.
Another specific, or better, special case is labour in the case of twins. Generally, the labour process starts a little earlier, between 37 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. However, it will always depend on a number of factors that we've mentioned above, one of which is the position of the baby. What is mentioned is that a caesarean section is usually performed to avoid any complications.
Today we wanted to touch on a very sensitive and extremely important subject when we're in the world of motherhood. It's the moment. It's the experience you'll never forget. It will always be the most unique and special situation we can experience. We don't think we can match another moment as difficult to describe as the birth of our baby. We want to put that moment into words and it will always be indescribable.
So we went to find out about the different types of labour and how we could better introduce this topic here on the blog. We certainly want to return to this topic, with new perspectives, considerations, different realities and certain particularities that we consider to be very important. After all, we won't know until we go through this experience and, even then, we'll always need to be aware that it will always depend from birth to birth. But everything will be all right in the end.
What about you? If you can and are comfortable, we'd love to hear about any particularities of your labour. Has anyone had a normal birth or a caesarean section? How do you feel when you talk about your labour? We want to know about your experience. We want to know your opinion.
