Normal birth - what does it mean to you

[Olderbutnotwiser]

Hi
I have been a midwife for ten years and I have an interview for a senior post next week and have to give a presentation on 'keeping birth normal'. I have loads of info so far but mostly from a midwifery / medical perspective and would appreciate coments on what the phrase means to you
Thanks

Normal would by definition mean the average birth. Whether you take that as being in the UK or Worldwide would determine the facts really.

Personally when PG I thought of normal to be natural Childbirth. But having been through it now and having spoken to Women who all had different experiences I would say that however you gave Birth is normal to you.

Does that make any sense? Basically in reality no one act of Childbirth is normal each Child born is an individual process never to be experienced by anyone else.

I think if you take the word 'normal' and throw it out the window, you'll have it right. There is no such thing as 'normal'. Focus on meeting the needs of the individual woman.

A vaginal birth without complications, i.e. a birth that a midwife could cope with alone without the need to call a doctor.

The kind of birth that the greatest proportion of the population has.

Very subjective though. To me a C-Section would not be normal because I haven't had one but to somebody with, for example, a small pelvis who couldn't give birth vaginally maybe that is normal to them and would be normal for those who also have a small pelvis.

Do that make sense?

Difficult one though.

one with as little intervention as is needed for that particular baby and that particular mother, so no "this is what we do here" like it or lump it approach.

Is there such a thing as a "normal" birth? I can see there is a "natural" or an "assisted" (varying from induction, forceps, c-section etc), but what is "normal". Surely each birth experience is totally individual thus what is normal?

This where it gets difficult isn't, Hanaflower, as on your suggestion neither of my two births were normal but I felt that at one of them was. Not criticising your suggestions but it does just go to show that it isn't easy. Maybe the definition can't be too prescriptive.

it means being able to pick stuff up after

it means being able to sit up without crying with pain

I had a great experience in hospital (something that you could almost believe doesn't exist!) and would do anything to revisit that special day! I might sound like a gushy idiot but I felt safe, secure and well looked after during the active section of birth. I wasn't examined at all which was a little bit frustrating for me but meant that the process seemed really stress free. Midwives were kind, sensitive, funny and put up with my moaning without being pushy or 'know it all'- but also made me get on with it when baby needed to get out!

'Normal' for me meant that I still felt like me, I never felt like things were out of my control or that I was being pushed or over ruled and I think my husband would agree. We even had a really good laugh during the post birth stitching and a lovely cup of tea!

Normal birth to me means a straight forward birth without any intervention. Although I would take the phrase 'keeping birth normal' to mean - treating it as a normal natural event i.e not over medicalise it or treat healthy labouring woman as 'ill' IYSWIM.

Good luck at your interview!

Must add that I'm sure it was positive cos it was relatively straight forward!

Normal for me was very abnormal both times. I won't be having a third but if I did I would expect to have a nightmare again which is "normal" for me.
I think you've been asked a very difficult question there because every birth is so different.

I'm speaking from the point of view of someone who has not yet had her baby (due January) which though inexperiencedd I thought might be useful.

I would say there are a range of things which happen frequently 'normally', including a planned c-section or a birth where there is no intervention. I have found that women I know who have had a very fixed idea of what is 'normal' and assume what is 'going to happen' have often had the most traumatic births because they were only mentally prepared for one thing to happen and something else did. But that thing was quite a 'normal' thing (usually an emergency caesarian).

Bear in mind I haven't had my baby yet! But based on this anecdotal experience, I'm trying not to build up too many expectations. Hopefully then I'll be ready for anything apart from really abnormal things. Or nothing, perhaps....!

Good luck with job interview

Normal is perhaps not how I would look at it ,to me it would mean having a birth expierience that you are happy with. Nothing goes exactly to plan and as long as you feel happy with the outcome and have no regrets then fabulous. Most women need to feel in control and that there feelings are being taken into consideration. I wanted a vaginal birth with minimal pain relief and my birth plan to be followed as much as possible, thats what I thought was normal for me.

for me its the least amount of interference ie, epidural, forceps, consultant etc. but then thats because thats how my first 2 births were so thats how i view it.

one where the mother walks out of the hospital with a healthy happy baby in her arms.

Personally I really object to the term 'normal birth'. I had an assisted delivery for foetal distress for my dd so I suppose that makes her birth 'abnormal'?

I can see why they say it, i.e birth is a normal process and usually doesn't need a lot of interventions, but if you already feel crap for not getting the birth you want for it to be defined as not 'normal' feels awful.

I actually prefer the phrase 'natural birth' but I think vaginal birth is nice and neutral, although I can see not everyone would be comfortable with the v word though

Assisted deliveries are 'normal' (appreciate your distinction)though, aren't they? I mean, they happen all the time.

Normal is relative.

I hate it when people talk in terms of normal delivery. When I was pregnant with ds1 I thought that C-sections were normal, because everyone I know had one.

But now after two wonderful births, normal for me is vaginal delivery with no pain relief.

Isn't the whole point that the question was what is normal for YOU? Of course it's personal so don't get so het up about it!

Normal birth to me is physiological. It means not inducing or accelerating labour, including accelerating delivery by using ventouse, forceps or C-section.

I do consider artificial pain relief as normal, as long as the woman can still function normally - ie walk around, toilet, select her own position etc.

Who cares what normal is though? As long as it is withing the bounds of what the mother is happy with, and the baby is well, does it really matter?

Perfectly put scienceteacher!!!

"Normal birth" sounds meaningless to me.

"Keeping birth normal" sounds like keeping in mind that giving birth is a normal physical process, and that it doesn't have to be medicalised to proceed well.

"keeping birth normal"
To me this means accepting birth as a normal bodily function.
An example (maybe not the best and sorry if I offend anyone) is a bowel movement. A normal one just happens. You feel the urge, go to the loo, leave a deposit and off you go. Now it's not always as straightforward as that for some people. Sometimes it comes too loose and too soon and they need help. Sometimes it won't come at all and a person would need varying degrees of intervention. But we don't lose sight of what is normal and what we would like to happen. There is also a range of what is normal.
For me a normal birth is one that requires no intervention and just happens. The more interventions, the less normal the whole thing becomes.
I had 2 induced births. Once labour had been triggered I continued on to labour and give birth 'normally'. However, I don't consider being induced as normal. It may have saved my babies lives or I might have gone into labour normally at a later date. I chose not to take the risk.

DSs birth was classed as "normal" on my notes. Not quite sure how being in a hospital, having my waters broken, then a drip to enhance contractions, epidural for 12 hours, refused food for 12 hours, and eventually delivering DS in stirrups and having a small epesiotomy could ever be considered "normal"

Normal in my book would have been at home with minimal intervention & opiate drugs.