According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 61% of women received an epidural or spinal anesthesia when giving birth. The CDC also found that nearly 32% of moms had cesarean sections (C-sections). While medicated and surgical interventions are predominant in births today, there is strong support for unmedicated or natural birth.

The Herstory of Birth

Natural or unmedicated birth has been the method of giving birth for most of human history. Proponents of natural childbirth say it emphasizes an unrushed, supported process with minimal interference and less invasive monitoring, which some studies show improves health outcomes for moms and babies.

Historically speaking, medically assisted birth most likely didn’t occur until the 1500s when the first successful C-sections—during which mother and child both survived—took place. Legend has it that Julius Caesar was delivered by cesarean, but historians suggest that this is not true since there is evidence his mother lived after his birth. Anesthesia didn’t show up in birthing rooms or hospital maternity wards until the 1800s, and epidural anesthesia was first used on wounded soldiers and not widely used for childbirth until after the 1970s.

In the 1950s, French obstetrician Dr. Fernand Lamaze popularized an alternative to medical intervention during childbirth that used breathing exercises, massage, movement, and other relaxation techniques to help mothers cope with pain and facilitate labor. A decade later, Dr. Robert Bradley’s method of natural childbirth expanded Lamaze’s tools and included a birthing coach (usually a birthing mother’s spouse/partner) with whom she practices relaxation techniques during her third trimester of pregnancy. One of the objectives of the Bradley method is for the mother to achieve conditioned relaxation responses just by hearing her coach or being touched by them. Bradley also encouraged focusing on a mother’s nutrition and appropriate exercise throughout her pregnancy to help her stay healthy and reduce her risk of having a complicated birth.

Other birthing methods such as HypnoBirthing and Birthing From Within share similar qualities to Lamaze and Bradley. They too educate birthing mothers and their supporters on the labor and birth process and integrate the power of the body and mind to assist in pain management and successful birth.

Before Birth

Dr. Rachel Marynowski is a naturopathic physician and owner of an integrative medicine practice associated with the Atlanta Birth Center. She also co-founded KaleBlossom.com, a wellness website that offers support on how to navigate womanhood and motherhood through holistic and natural modalities. Dr. Marynowski has four kids and chose natural births attended by a midwife for all her children. Her first child was born at a hospital\; her last three were born at home.

Dr. Marynowski says the idea that natural birth begins when a mom’s waters break is not quite accurate. “Natural birth actually starts with good nutrition and laying the groundwork for healthy baby development and mom’s overall well-being prior to conception,” she says.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to having a healthy pregnancy, Dr. Marynowski often recommends that expectant mothers reduce or eliminate processed foods, chemical exposure (in food, home, and beauty products), preservatives, and refined sugar. She also encourages yoga, low-impact exercising such as swimming or walking, mindfulness practices, and supplements to help ensure adequate nutrition throughout pregnancy, reduce stress and promote healthy sleep during pregnancy and position a woman optimally to go into labor and delivery, as well as the post-partum period.

Types of Births

According to certified nurse midwife (CNM) Vanessa Treaster at Atlanta Birth Center, where a birth takes place does not dictate how it takes place. A woman can have a natural or unmedicated birth in a hospital room, birthing center, or home.

Treaster says it’s a mistake to think that nurse midwives can’t or don’t offer pain control or other medically necessary interventions.

“Nurse midwives can provide sutures, pain medication, oxygen, and other interventions, if needed, at a birthing center or home birth. So if something does happen, the right tools, skills, and medicine are available,” Treaster says.

Both Treaster and Dr. Marynowski encourage moms to outline their birth plan while also remaining flexible enough to accommodate different situations that may arise during the birthing process.

Why Choose Natural Birth?

Why would a woman want to have a natural birth? Treaster says many of the women she’s attended said they chose a natural birth because they wanted to have an active role in birthing their children and because it held a sense of empowerment for them.

For Dr. Marynowski, this was especially true. “Giving birth empowered me. I didn’t buy the narrative that being pregnant made me fragile. I wanted to take back my power and have agency over my own birthing process, within reason assuming my babies and I maintained our health throughout each pregnancy” she says.

Treaster says giving birth is a natural process and is one that is done best when the mother and the birth assistant (midwife or doctor) listen to what the body is telling them.

For example, the birth process can expend a lot of energy and women may get hungry during labor. She encourages patients to give their bodies good food to fuel it.

“Eating healthy foods such as, lean meats, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, and vegetables during labor may not be something mainstream OB-GYNs often suggest,” Dr. Marynowski says. “But if you are able to [keep food down], eating healthily food and drinking electrolyte-replacing fluids during labor is a great idea. You are basically running a marathon and need good calories and hydration to help you cross the finish line.”

Benefits of Natural Birth

While there is still much discussion about natural birth in low-risk pregnancies among healthcare providers, natural birth proponents Dr. Marynowski and Treaster suggest that there are a lot of good reasons to consider having a natural birth.

Better Immune and Digestion Function. Research has shown that babies who are born vaginally may pick up friendly bacteria that support their immune and digestive systems.

Quicker Recovery. Mom’s own, natural pain-reducing hormone oxytocin doesn’t leave the lingering side effects that chemical pain medication can, allowing her to recover faster.

Better Breastfeeding Outcomes. Some medications used in childbirth can slow breastmilk production and make baby sluggish and slow to respond to breastfeeding.

Less Risk to Baby. Medications may produce side effects for the baby, including altered neurological behavior, respiratory depression, decreased ability to regulate body temperature, and central nervous depression.

Quicker Labor Process. Epidurals can slow the body’s natural rhythm during the birthing process, making the labor process stall, lag, or require more medicines.

Lower Infection Rate for Mom. Medicated births have been associated with increased and unplanned cesarean delivery, which increases risk of infection for mom.

Less Expensive. Natural births don’t include the cost of surgery or medicine, passing the savings on to the family.

In the end, a birth plan is a personal choice. “Find a provider who is experienced in the kind of birth you desire,” Treaster says. “If you are desiring a low intervention, supported birth then choosing an obstetrician with a high C-section rate is unlikely to be a good fit.”

Going All Natural

The International Doula Institute and the American College of Nurse-Midwives list these benefits of natural birth when attended by a nurse midwife and/or doula:

• Higher rates of breastfeeding
• Higher readiness for labor and birth
• Higher rates of satisfaction with care
• Increased sense of control
• Decreased pain
• Shortened duration of labor
• Reduced chance of C-section