Natural Childbirth
Willow OBGYN
Obstetrics & Gynecology located in San Antonio, TX
When it comes to delivering your baby, compassionate OB/GYN Kelly Morales, MD, makes it a priority to provide the experience you want. At her private practice in San Antonio, Dr. Morales discusses the pros and cons of various options for labor and delivery, including natural childbirth. If you plan to have a natural childbirth and seek a supportive OB/GYN, call or book an appointment online today.
Natural Childbirth Q & A
What is a natural childbirth?
Childbirth is a beautiful and memorable experience, but it’s common to feel anxious about the anticipated pain of labor and delivery. Many women get epidurals to alleviate labor pains, but the option for natural, medication-free vaginal childbirth is becoming more popular.
Natural childbirth may include working with your partner or a professional birth assistant to manage your labor pains with massage, hypnosis, or other relaxation techniques instead of epidurals.
No matter what birth experience you envision, Dr. Morales listens attentively to your concerns and discusses your best options for labor and delivery.
What are the advantages of a natural childbirth?
Natural childbirth doesn’t involve medications or medical procedures that may require you to remain attached to monitoring devices throughout labor and delivery. The absence of medical intervention offers several benefits for your delivery experience, such as:
Reduced risk of harm to you or your baby from invasive medical procedures
More control over your birth experience
No loss of sensation or alertness
Freedom to change positions or move around during labor
Reduced need for medications to assist your contractions
Reduced need for bladder catheterization, vacuum extraction, or forceps delivery
What are the disadvantages of natural childbirth?
If you decide to pursue natural childbirth, it’s essential to prepare for the pain of labor and delivery. Dr. Morales helps you develop a birth plan to cope with the physical demands of childbirth, but it’s possible to experience a prolonged or complicated labor.
Though natural childbirth reduces many risks, it introduces several others, such as:
Increased pain
Tears in the perineum
Hemorrhoids
Urinary incontinence
Pelvic trauma
Bowel issues
What are the risks of an epidural?
Although it’s rare to experience severe side effects from an epidural, several risks associated with this procedure do exist, including:
Headaches
Back pain
Fever
Persistent bleeding at the puncture site
Difficulty breathing
Drop in blood pressure, which can slow the baby’s heart rate
To learn more about your options for natural childbirth and whether it’s right for you, call the office of Kelly Morales, OB/GYN, or book an appointment online today.
““Absolutely love Doctor Morales! She makes me feel so comfortable in every way. What I love most is how all the staff remember my name. Makes me feel so special. I ALMOST want to be pregnant again so I can see everyone. HaHa!””
