How do you define a “successful” birth? Clearly, success can only be defined on an individual level, since every woman’s ideal birth is different. But ultimately, a successful labor and delivery is one that avoids all unnecessary or unwanted interventions and complications, while still adhering to the mother’s wishes as closely as possible, and results in both a healthy mother and baby. The surrounding details of a successful birth vary from case to case.
For a woman who desires an epidural, getting total and complete pain relief is success. As you may know, epidurals don’t always work the way they are supposed to. I know a few women who had varying degrees of pain relief from epidurals with their different children. For the woman that chooses the epidural, the birth with the last pain is probably the most successful.
For a woman who desires to have an unmedicated birth, achieving that would be the ultimate success, but only if she was satisfied with the perceived results in the end. If the next day she proclaims, “I’ll never do that again,” was it really a success? On the other hand, what if she caves and demands the epidural? She may still feel the birth was a success depending on her reasons for wanting a natural birth to begin with. If the only thing she cared about was not having an epidural, she would feel disappointed. But if she was concerned with the health of her baby above all else, her birth may still feel like a success.
I’m inclined to think that any birth that results in a healthy mom and baby is a success. While I personally prefer natural birth, I recognize that sometimes interventions like a cesarean are completely necessary. I do not think a woman should feel an ounce of guilt for needing a cesarean, requesting an epidural or receiving any other medical assistance during labor. The doctors and nurses are there for a reason and there is no shame in accepting help. There is no reason a woman must run the whole show herself. Birth is more than just an individual bringing another individual into the world; it is about families and community welcoming a new life. Doctors and nurses can be a part of that community and their heart for moms and babies is the reason they got into the practice in the first place.