One of the biggest concerns for women as soon as they get pregnant and throughout pregnancy is thinking about the kind of birth they would like to have. It is impossible to prepare in detail or try to predict what will happen at that moment, because normal delivery is a unique experience for every woman.

Normal delivery is the most natural way to bring a baby into the world. Still, it can be intimidating due to reports of pain and the length of labor, which are considered the only inevitable disadvantages of a natural process. However, it is possible to have a pain-free delivery with the help of epidural anesthesia and other methods such as immersion baths and massage, which can help greatly during this stage.

At the same time, having a normal delivery brings benefits for both mother and baby, allowing a much quicker recovery and posing fewer risks to the baby. In addition, the mother produces the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which will help the baby's brain develop and favor milk production for breastfeeding.

Labor

Before the time and pain of normal delivery really arrive, a process starts that may be long or not. Labor begins with contractions that start slowly and are almost painless, and can then be followed by intense back pain and sometimes accompanied by diarrhea.

These cramp-like pains will increase more and more and will occur at intervals of 3 to 4 minutes. This is the cervical dilation process, which will increase up to 10 centimeters and be ready for the second stage of normal delivery.

How to Help Speed Up Labor

Each woman has her own way of facing, coping with, and trying to ease the signs of normal labor. Walking helps the dilation process and also relieves the discomfort of stronger contractions that appear toward the end. Warm baths, calm breathing, and a good massage are also strong allies to help you go through this experience positively and calmly.

The amniotic sac doesn't always break on its own, so the doctor may choose to break it to speed up the labor process and finally make normal delivery possible. From this phase, you can request some type of analgesia, or your own doctor may offer it, allowing you to relax and reach full dilation, making for a pain-free normal delivery.

Once the cervix is fully dilated, contractions will come in intervals of 2 minutes and can last up to a minute, and the expulsion phase of normal delivery is near.

Best Position

Ideally, the woman should find the best position for giving birth during normal delivery, settling in a comfortable and secure way between contractions. At this stage, it's common for some women to feel nausea, chills, and a strong urge to defecate—these are normal symptoms of labor.

Upon reaching full dilation, the big moment of normal delivery has arrived. The uterus begins to push the baby out through the vaginal canal. With each contraction, you should push down, helping the baby descend further.

The doctor will let you know when the baby's head is crowning and the exact moment to push together with the contraction. This way, the baby will come out more slowly, reducing the risk of tearing the perineum during normal delivery.

After birth, contractions will return after a few minutes in a much gentler way, and it's natural for the woman to feel the urge to push. Now it is the placenta detaching from the uterine wall and coming out through the vaginal canal.

After it comes out, the pain of normal delivery will disappear, and the doctor will control the uterine contractions along with any bleeding and possible remaining tissues, thus preventing the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.

Photo: Hobo Mama