by BabyCenter Guest Blogger posted in Pregnancy

By Elizabeth MacDonald
I?ve had five babies without medical intervention and can tell you that each birth is different. And so are the pain remedies you may need throughout each labor.
Our bodies are magnificently created to do just this task. The problem is we are pumped full of doubt by nay-sayers and even doctors, and this doubt then makes us believe that we cannot birth our babies without medical guidance and intervention. If you are willing to be even the slightest bit educated about labor and childbirth, you can feel confident in your own abilities.
Childbirth is an experience that has a thousand variations of ?normal.? This is one of the reasons the why the medical community began trying to control women?s labors decades ago. It's also why medical interventions are offered and even recommended early in labor ? or even before labor has begun. But there are endless ways to overcome individual labor pains as they occur, without medical intervention. The key is to know your options, prepare well, and have a great support coach and birth team.
Once you have accepted that you will be giving birth, which is quite a challenge for some mothers, it's time to start learning about childbirth and pain management. Before narrowing your list of remedies, look at your own habits. How do you typically handle pain, whether it is physical or emotional" Do you cry" Do you want to be alone" Do you yell" Knowing yoursel...