The process of labor and childbirth can be an extremely stressful event, causing potentially untold stress to both mom and her partner.



Why is it a stressful event?

Well, the underlying factor is that of the unknown! No matter how prepared and informed for the event an individual is, you just can't figure for the scenario which rears up just when you are thinking all is going so well.Labor is only judged to have been 'normal' in retrospect... after your child has been born.

If you have had a birth which has not required any intervention, then it considered to have been a 'normal' event.The reality however, can and often is, anything but normal.

Perhaps much of the intervention in labor and childbirth is down to the fact that we live in a world imbued with ever-increasing medical technology and personal injury/negligence claims.

Obstetric professionals are constantly aware of their actions and inactionsinsofar as they may be on the recieving end of a claim for sometheing which they have failed to do in reaction to a particular event during labor.

It is therefore so much easier to perform an instrumetal delivery or cesarian section than to wait a while longer and see how the labor 'pans out' and develops.In the pregnancy which does not have any potentially serious complications, labor can be allowed to progress of it's own accord.

The pregnancies which do have complications or medical conditions associated with them, are more carefully managed once labor begins or is induced. This is a widely accepted understanding, as it is certainly not wished to harm either the mother or the as yet unborn fetus, by allowing undue strain to be put on either during labor.

However, at what point does one allow the apparently 'normal' labor develop into the downright 'abnormal' labor... the labor which is going to require a degree of obstetric intervention?Furthermore, are the individuals making the decisions about the outcome of labor basing their decisions upon clinical events, or are they thinking along the lines of whether thay are likely to be facing a claim for having not done something about a 'development' which transpired during labor?

Healthy fetuses having developed throughout pregnancy in a fit and healthy mom, are remarkably resiliant to the effects and progress of labor, whilst the numbers of cesarian sections are on the rise worldwide. Can these rises all be due to fetal distress, or can a good proportion of them be due to a 'cut your losses' mentality?

Back to the plot...

Many stresses during labor can be attributed to an ignorance of the process of labor, and how labor is managed within the obstetric unit. Many units have a policy of having delivered the delivery accomplished within a set timespan once labor has been confirmed to have started. The usual timespan is 12 hours or thereabouts, although this timespan may be allowed to extend if all variables are satisfactory.

After this time, is is deemed likely that either the mom, or the fetus will start to become distressed with a higher incidence of morbidity ensuing as a result. If labor isn't progressing (and this a key principle) according to a given maternity unit's criteria, then it is likely that the labor will be 'fiddled with' in order to speed up the process and get the required result within the timespan.

No doubt this is also influenced by the need for many units to maintain throughput of individuals in their delivery rooms.

But does 'one size fit all' in such cases?

Absolutely not! Individuals are, well, individuals... they have different needs and requirements during their labors. Some individuals can withstand longer durations of labor without serious ill-effect.

Fetus's are individual also, and can take an awful lot of punishment through labor, they just recover and carry on!

So, how can YOU reduce your stress levels in labor?

I would suggest the following:

1.Get yourself as much information as you possibly can on labor... it's course, and potential events.

2.Prepare for your labor from an early stage as you often don't know when it's likely to start.

3.Try to develop a 'laid back' attitude to labor and childbirth. Don't have stringent ideas as to how your labor will pan out. Labor can, and often does change throughout it's course.

4.Get yourself 'Informed' regards your labor and your courses of action in your decision making process. Informed Consent allows you more power and influence over your labor and your wishes.

5.Compile a 'Birth Plan', highlighting your wishes and concerns for your labor experience.

6.Get yourself a good, understanding and advocating birth partner to accompany you through your labor.

Good Luck and Best Wishes!

Andy