The birth finally announces itself after nine months. So it’s high time to take your little one in your arms and surround him with lots of love. You secretly hope that the birth will go smoothly and that you will not have any nightmares about it. In most cases, childbirth proceeds very normally. There are also many techniques or methods for giving birth. The majority of women give birth via perfusion. In addition, there are also methods of caesarean section or delivery with the help of instruments. These are a suction cup or forceps. Gynecologists have a lot of experience delivering babies in these ways. So you certainly don’t have to worry. Childbirth is something very special. After all, your child will be born during this very special moment. Childbirth brings with it a lot of emotions. On the one hand, you are very happy that you will soon be able to hold your baby in your arms. On the other hand, especially with the first birth, there is a feeling of uncertainty and fear because you don’t know what will happen in the coming hours. All mothers face these questions and emotions. Your partner can provide some support here. Always keep in mind that the midwife has the necessary knowledge to deliver your child via the correct method. After all, sometimes you need to give nature a helping hand. Four methods of delivery can be distinguished.
Regular and stronger contractions: perfusion
This method is the most commonly used in practice and is the most comfortable for woman and child. During the contractions, which can of course be very painful, the midwife will administer an injection into the baxter. This is a serum that contains medicines to make contractions more regular and stronger. The idea is that the contractions, towards the end, come very quickly and strongly one after the other and then start pushing. If you opt for epidural anesthesia, you will also first receive a perfusion.
Giving birth via caesarean section
During a caesarean section, a cut or incision will be made at the level of the mons pubis to deliver the baby through this route. In most cases, the mother and the gynecologist have already discussed this in advance. After all, it is possible that the woman’s pelvis is too narrow or the baby is too large to give birth normally. Certain types of breech presentation of the baby can also prompt the midwife to opt for delivery by caesarean section. A planned caesarean section takes place under epidural anesthesia or general anesthesia. In the Netherlands, approximately one in fifteen births is performed by caesarean section. This trend is increasing. If you notice that something is going wrong during the traditional delivery, you can also opt for a caesarean section to keep the child out of danger. This caesarean section is almost always performed under general anesthesia, because this is faster and time is usually short. This delivery method is of course slightly more complicated than classic perfusion, but it can really be a saving method to deliver your baby safely. The woman is left with a scar that can feel a bit difficult in the first days after giving birth. After three months, this cut has almost completely disappeared.
If you become too tired during childbirth or the contractions are no longer strong enough, the gynecologist can use two handy instruments to deliver the baby. This is about the suction cup or the forceps.
Deliverance with forceps
With this instrument, the gynecologist will hold the baby’s head with forceps. The forceps look like a kind of double spoon. When a new contraction occurs, the midwife can pull the baby out using these forceps. This method of giving birth is done under epidural or general anesthesia. Just like with the suction cup, delivery with forceps does not hurt the baby. The skull may look slightly different, but this will normalize very quickly.
Salvation with the suction cup
During delivery with a suction cup, the gynecologist will apply a suction cup to the baby’s head. This suction cup will fit perfectly around the entire head thanks to the connection with a vacuum device. If the mother has a new contraction and is going to push, the gynecologist will gently pull the baby’s head towards him at the same time. The suction cup method seems very drastic, but it is not. The baby will have a slightly deformed head (flat or bumpy) in the first few days, just like the sucker. However, this disappears very quickly and your baby then looks very normal. He himself will not have experienced any discomfort from this suction cup procedure.
A caesarean section is not inferior
In many cases, mothers feel unhappy when the traditional birth ends in a caesarean section. You will have the feeling that you have not experienced the birth personally and intensely. Ultimately, the decision to proceed with a caesarean section will be purely medical, for example to save the life of your baby or to safeguard the life of the mother. One more reason to believe in a caesarean section and that it is not an inferior birth.
First care for the baby after birth
If the baby has just been delivered, the midwife will very briefly perform the first tests. The baby will be dried and cleaned of blood and mucus. The baby is then given a hat and kept warm in a blanket or pajama. Within the hour, the baby is returned to the mother to initiate breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for the first time starts very slowly. However, one must continue to persevere to get milk production going properly. The day after birth, the pediatrician will come by to do a complete medical check-up.
