Today we have a guest post from Suzy at Sure Baby. Since we always do pregnancy related stuff on Wednesdays, I thought this would fit in nicely!
What is a natural pregnancy?
In modern Western medicine, pregnant women are typically given supplements, medications and pharmaceutical drugs to help their bodies physically cope with the demands of pregnancy and to ease their pregnancy symptoms. A natural pregnancy rejects the use of these chemicals and supplements, instead advocating non-toxic and healthier choices, including nutrition, exercise and holistic prenatal care. At its most extreme, natural pregnancy also disallows the use of ultrasounds and other invasive medical tests that are believed to cause trauma or potential harm to the unborn child. It also includes a birth plan that allows for natural child delivery.
There are many potential benefits of going through pregnancy naturally, without the use of drugs, medications, invasive medical tests and mass-produced supplements. The primary advantage is that the baby will be exposed only to natural and safe substances, which is believed to greatly reduce the risk of congenital birth defects or gestational conditions that could be passed on to the child. Psychologically, it is believed that a natural pregnancy and child birth is less traumatic to both the infant and the mother. Natural pregnancy is also believed to lead to increased overall health of the child, and its strongest supporters suggest that children born of natural pregnancies are far less likely to suffer from conditions like autism and Down syndrome.
Supporters also point out that natural childbirth has many advantages. It allows the mother to move about more freely and avoid Cesarean sections, which are major and risky surgical procedures. Pain medications given to mothers during labor also come with a long list of side effects, some of which may have a lasting impact, and natural childbirth allows you to avoid these.
If you want your pregnancy to be a natural one, you will need a mentor to help you through the process and direct you to resources that can help ease the normal and natural symptoms that result from pregnancy. Through holistic health communities, you can connect with natural pregnancy and childbirth advocates who can further educate you on the many advantages that both you and your baby will enjoy.
Bio
Suzy has been writing about pregnancy and parenting for years. Her website focuses on educating parents on how to cope with pregnancy symptoms and provides parenting tips for that help everyone become better parents.
Interesting guest post, but I think a lot of big ideas were given in four short paragraphs; I would have liked if this information was more developed. It would be helpful if the writer perhaps explained more of the whys behind her beliefs: why she believes ultrasounds to be potentially harmful, why she believes natural pregnancy leads to increased overall health of the child, and also how to connect with a mentor/holistic health community. The writer makes a few bold statements without really backing them up, including suggesting that "children born of natural pregnancies are far less likely to suffer from conditions like autism and Down syndrome." To put that out there without really explaining why or including a link to some research or an article supporting her argument seems like a scare tactic. I'm a fan of your blog, but this post just missed the mark for me.
I'm quite interested in how to go about finding a mentor. Are we talking about a doula, or even a "holistic doula?" This post is sparking some thought, but I'm not sure where to go next…
Thanks!