So I’ve been reading birth stories lately- although I’m not sure why, because I’m currently in a state of mind where not having kids seems like the best idea. **Speaking of birth stories- Queen B. is currently writing her birth story with me because she says all the birth stories are so recent, and we should all know what natural birth looked like in the early-80′s. She’s entitling hers as A Good Old Fashioned Birth Story.

While reading I stumbled across a site called Offbeat Mama, and happened to catch an article where they announced that they are changing their verbiage about birth, transitioning from natural vs. unnatural birth to medicated vs. unmedicated birth. The intent was to not perpetuate the drama that ensues between the two sides, and instead sparked a very interesting debate amongst the commenters.

One of the biggest things I noticed was quite a bit of discussion about what exactly a natural birth means. Someone put out there that natural birth meant intervention-free birth, but then someone else said that’s not quite accurate because most home births include at the very least a doppler and internal exams, and that really can’t be called intervention-free can it?

But beyond the definition many commenters felt that by saying natural birth, it implies that anyone who doesn’t have a birth that fits their definition of natural therefore, by default, had an unnatural birth. That’s quite a statement, and I think its fair of a website to want to tone that kind of statement down- but that being said, I’m not sure a medicated vs. unmedicated birth fits the bill as a replacement for natural birth either. And incidentially, if you look up natural on dictionary.com, it doesn’t say a thing about birth!

But if you look even further, beyond what natural birth does or does not mean if we could pull it up in a dictionary, there is the underlying edge of competition and superiority that comes with your choice of birth. The word natural has a different meaning for every person who uses it, but that one simple word is used as a declaration, a weapon, and a judgment all wrapped up in seven little letters. No wonder you see the hackles go up on the Epidural or C-Section Mom’s!

So, regardless of what kind of birth you have had or would like to have- what does it mean to you if someone says the words natural birth?