Nature intended for women to deliver their babies in the most painful way possible – but having a normal delivery is a rite of passage for both mother and child. As excruciating as the process is, a natural birth is a test of a mother’s love – and her overall fitness – as both she and her child battle to get through the birth and meet each other at last.

However, doctors insist on a medical intervention if the mother’s blood pressure spikes during labour, or if there is foetal distress or if the mother is not strong enough to push the baby out of her body. At times, doctors give the mother an epidural to ease the pain of the labour and to relax her.

It all boils down to how fit the mother is to proceed with childbirth the natural way. If you are one of those women who wish to have a normal delivery for your child, you must do the following:

Exercise Daily

The prime reason for most women being unfit to carry their babies to term or even push during labour is that their bodies are not in prime health. They may be overweight or underweight, their blood glucose levels and blood pressure may be off kilter, they may suffer from excruciating pain in their joints and muscles, and so on. Avoid a situation where your doctor is forced to carry out a C-section owing to your ill health – exercise daily with the doctor’s guidance, do yoga to strengthen your back, pelvis and abdomen, and keep yourself limber for the possibility of several hours of labour. You can also enrol for pre-natal exercise classes to learn squats and strength training to get fitter during your pregnancy.

Eat Well

Your diet plays a major role in the health and development of your baby. Your dietary habits and indeed, your entire lifestyle, will need a complete overhaul if you want to ensure good health for yourself and your baby. Do away with smoking, drinking and substance abuse, and eat as much fresh fruit and vegetable as you can. Though you will feel the urge to urinate often, make sure you sip on water, green tea and other fluids throughout the day. Limit your use of sugar, salt and oil in your food and have small meals every two hours to keep yourself satisfied. Do not try detoxes or junk food during this time.

Rest Enough

Resting well is key to a happy pregnancy and a fit body. As your pregnancy progresses, you might get increasingly uncomfortable and unable to sleep at night. Lack of sleep can make you restless and stressful, which can affect your health and appetite. Meditate every day, go for a walk, drink a glass of warm milk before bed and read a relaxing book just before sleeping. Adequate rest will strengthen your body and relax your baby, too.

Give Yourself a Perineal Massage

Not many women are aware of this, but massaging the perineum daily once the eighth month begins can actually prepare the birth canal for normal delivery. It stretches out the outer vagina the same way that the baby’s head does during birth. A perineal massage can also reduce the chances of tears during delivery – tears must be sutured after delivery and are quite painful. Besides, the massage relaxes the vaginal area and prepares it for delivery as the days progress.

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Caesarean deliveries are skyrocketing in India. Until 2010, caesarean or C-sections were limited to 8.5% of all deliveries in the country, just under the recommended level of 10-15%, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. However, their occurrence have escalated in many parts of the country between 2005 and 2015 with states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu registering as many as 41% and 58% C-section deliveries respectively, according to an article published in Quartz India in January 2015. Vaginal delivery refers to the natural form of childbirth but there are other types of delivery as well.

Process of Childbirth

There are largely two types of delivery: vaginal and caesarean but they can be further differentiated on the type of assistance and medicines used during childbirth. Moreover, there are many questions regarding the process of childbirth. Here are some answers that might help you.

Natural Childbirth

A natural childbirth is a vaginal delivery where no medicines or medical assistance is used. If you opt for a natural childbirth then you must prepare yourself mentally and physically to do so.

Assisted Vaginal Delivery

An assisted vaginal delivery is one in which the birth takes place directly through the birth-canal but medications and tools may be used to assist the delivery. Epidural, an anesthesia which is directly inserted into the spine may be used during a vaginal delivery to numb the pain. It is an optional process and you can consult your doctor about the same. Instruments such as forceps may be used to hold the baby’s head and help guide the baby through the birth canal. Vacuum delivery is another way to assist delivery. A suction cup is applied to the baby’s head and the baby is gently pulled out through the birth-canal. Other ways of assistance are episiotomy in which a small surgical incision is made in the perineum to enlarge the vaginal passage and amniotomy which involves artificial rupture of the amniotic sac and inducing labor by injection of a synthetic drug.

Caesarean Section

One of the other types of delivery is caesarean section (commonly known as C-section) in which a surgical incision is made in the mother’s belly and uterus and the baby is delivered. C-section may be planned as many women opt for it or if the nature of the pregnancy calls for it. It may even be unplanned if complications arise during labor and C-section is necessary for the well-being of the mother and the baby. Because a caesarean is a major surgery, it will take you longer to recover and resume daily activities. A woman who has previously delivered through C-section can deliver through the normal vaginal delivery in a subsequent pregnancy. It depends on the reason of the C-section and the nature of the incision that was made in the first place.

Whatever the type of delivery you opt or go through, make sure to store your child’s cord blood stem cells through umbilical cord blood banking. This will help to secure your child’s future health. Stem cells have the ability to replicate in just about any other type of cells and are therefore instrumental in the treatment of various diseases.

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