Pregnancy Guide – Week 25
Natural or assisted??
This can be a very controversial issue to discuss when it comes to labor and delivery. First off let me clear up the terms for what I am referencing. A natural delivery is one that is not aided by pain management medications and is vaginal (pitocin, or otherwise induced deliveries are still considered natural). An assisted delivery is one that is aided by pain management medications and is vaginal or caesarian.
It is a good idea to start thinking about which is your preference. Some women are dead set on a completely natural delivery, while other would like to arrange for an epidural as soon as possible. As I have been saying over and over you will need to be flexible and go with the flow of things. If you go into the delivery room and things get too intense or the baby is not presenting well or labor is lasting too long, you may need an epidural. And I want to point out that if you cannot stand the pain, you are not a bad mother and you have done nothing wrong. If you start laboring and realize the contractions are tolerable, you might want to skip the epidural. Here are some pros and cons of both choices to help you make your decision. 
Natural
1. You can be sure that your child is born without any unnecessary medication in their system.
2. You can remain alert and present throughout the whole labor and delivery process.
3. It can be very exhausting and requires a lot more active participation from your coach and nursing staff to help you maintain during the contractions.
4. The healing process is usually shorter with a natural delivery.
Assisted
1. You can “enjoy” your labor and delivery without much pain.
2. Epidurals can either work too well (leaving you numb for a day or two after the delivery) or not well enough (in which case you have to endure the pain).
3. If you already have an epidural and require an emergency C-Section you will be one step closer to getting the baby out and may not have to be put in a general anesthetic.
4. The healing process is usually significantly longer.
Word of the Week
Epidural – noun – anesthesia produced by the injection of an anesthetic into the lumbar area of the spine in the space between the spinal cord and the dura, which eliminates sensation from the point of insertion downward, used esp. in childbirth.
