Humanized birth has recently been approved for the SUS! And this is a great victory. On September 25, the bill was passed that allows humanized birth to reach maternity hospitals and birthing centers managed by the Unified Health System1.
Previously, to have this type of birth, either the pregnant woman had to pay huge amounts, or she had to rely on whether her health insurance would approve it or not. Having public access is certainly much better. It is up to mothers to pay attention and ensure that all laws are followed to the letter.
I think I’ve already mentioned here that all my births were by cesarean section. I had the opportunity to try a vaginal birth during my second pregnancy, but due to lack of dilation, unfortunately it didn’t work out.
I do not advocate cesarean birth. On the contrary, I think each woman should choose the experience she wants to have and also count on the help and goodwill of the doctor who has accompanied her from the beginning.
But after all, what is humanized birth?
There is no rule or definition regarding this2. Humanized birth is everything that is natural in childbirth: skin-to-skin contact, immediate contact between mother and baby, a birth as close to natural as possible, without unnecessary interventions, such as cutting the perineum, for example3. Some doctors routinely perform this cut in vaginal births and it is not always actually needed.
Sometimes misinformation is widespread and many women are unaware of what humanization in childbirth means. Sometimes, when people talk about humanized birth, what comes to mind is home birth or water birth. But why not have a humanized birth in a maternity hospital, a birthing center specially prepared for the comfort of mother and baby?
Humanized Birth Law
That’s why the law is important. It ensures that a pregnant woman giving birth in the SUS network has the right to choose how and in what way she wants her baby to be born. And most importantly, that the wishes of the mother in labor are respected.
My experience with cesarean birth was as routine as the ones we usually see and hear about. You are given anesthesia, you lie down, the doctor delivers the baby, and the baby is immediately taken away for initial care.
When a mother has carried a baby for 9 months, she is eager to hold, kiss, hug and cuddle her baby right away. Humanized birth is precisely about this, demystifying the standardized birth process of current medicine and giving mothers greater opportunity for this first contact with their babies.
Humanized Cesarean Section
I’ve even seen videos of cesarean births that are humanized, in which the mother sees her baby being born from her own body and is also able to bond right after birth. The baby stays with the mother the whole time, even during the postoperative period.
I found this article on Bebê Abril and I really liked the doula’s account. She explains well what humanized birth is and also says that the presence of a doctor is necessary, but that the doctor just observes and only intervenes if necessary or there is some complication.
Not every vaginal birth is humanized. But not every hospital birth has to be inhumane. If you and your baby are well, why not have this experience?
See also: Vaginal or Natural Birth
Photo: Clayton, Bruna, and Otávio
