Actress Jenna Elfman, 35, who’s seven months along with her son, says she hopes to make his late June birth a natural one. She told People,
Bodies have been giving birth for a really long time. Iwant to know what it’s like to go through that process. I’m just goingto be as focused and patient as I can be.
Source: People
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brass on
Why should she have to “hope” for a natural birth…it’s her birth she should be able to have it anyway she wants! Maybe i’m getting on my soap box, but it’s such a quick judgement that an unneccessary c-section is the way to go these days. If you put it in your head that you ARE having a natural birth, then you’ll have one…the pain is NOT that bad!!! Let’s hope she does it…and question: Is natural “natural”? or is the new “natural” come with the drugs, (epidural, etc)?
And NO this is not an attack on mothers who HAD to have a c-section….
The article didn’t specify whether Jenna meant drug-free or if she was referring to a vaginal birth. So who knows?
Sarita on
I thinks she says “hopes” because she hopes there are no complications that lead to C section. But isn’t that the hope of every woman?
KF on
Brass, I respectfully disagree with you when you state “If you put it in your head that you ARE having a natural birth, then you’ll have one…” We really wanted, and planned for, a natural birth (midwife, no drugs, using self-hypnosis) and unfortunately our daughter had other ideas. She arrived very unexpectedly at six weeks early, was breech, and we had all of four hours from the time I went into premature labour until I needed to have an emergency c-section. Like Sarita said, I would guess Jenna is just being realistic in that you can’t plan for everything, and there is such an element of unknown in this. Yes, you need to go into childbirth prepared and with a plan for how you’d like it to go, but also with an open mind and just go with the flow. Also, different women have different pain thresholds and different labour situations (I’ve head back labour is quite painful), etc… so I don’t think it’s fair to say that it will always go the way you want if you just put your mind to it.
brass on
KF, you are absolutely right…about the baby coming how and when they want. My direction towards my soap box speech was that of the “suggested” way to give birth. It’s almost a widely known fact that child birth has taken on a different meaning and put in the hands of doctors who put their schedule, time and convenience into play rather than the wish of a woman’s want of a natural birth. I am in no way bashing or disrespecting mothers who have had c-sections…that was not my point. Yes, back labor is painful, but again with education and positions, etc you can get thru it!!
Here’s something to chew on: my mom works in a hospital and out of 15 births in 1 day, 13 were c-sections!! 13!!! You can’t tell me that ALL of those were emergencies AND they were all done before 5 pm….hhhmm. Sound fishy??
I just wanted to advocate woman’s choice rather than doctor’s suggestion.
But, any birth is a beautiful birth!! That’s one thing I know we can all agree on! 
Trish on
Natural birth refers to a vaginal birth that is drug free, not just a vaginal birth.
People.com seems to like to refer to anything that’s not a c-section as natural though. Since the natural bit wasn’t a direct quote from Jenna I was wary about describing what she meant in case I was wrong!
k. on
brass… I love you!
I truely love you!!!!
Okay, from what I envision of Ms. Elfman… I suspect she is the type to try go to a birth centre, midwifery model of care. But I’ve been wrong before.
I’m hope, in my doula mind… that a great birth happens for this couple! Be that with a midwife, hospital, ob, doula, homebirth or if medically indicated a surgical delivery… whatever happens, I hope it goes well. I am begging for a vaginal birth though… so few celebrities seem to suffer the issues that those of us who aren’t famous have after our surgeries! sigh… who knew scar tissue could suck so much?
Beverley on
She is a Scientologist. Doesn’t she have to do some silent birth thing? Like Katie Holmes.
tink1217 on
I do find it offensive that peopel think that if you haven’t had a natural drug free vaginal birth that it isn’t a “great” birth!! So what if women have been birthing babies for centuries!! There are circumstances that arise where a “natural” birth is not ok(as in the baby actually truly being too big, breech presentation, prolapsed cord, and prolonged labor resulting in fever and possible infection).
Personally, I had a baby that was too big for me to have naturally with a head that was crooked in the birth canal and a fever of 102 by the time they did the csection. Was it what I planned? Of course not. Was it scary? A little. Was the recovery more painful…I have no idea since I haven’t given birth vaginally. But, was it not beautiful and great??? NO DOUBT IT WAS beautiful and great!
I don’t define giving birth by how it happens. I define giving birth by giving life to this new little person in whatever way is the safest. Sure there are unnecessary csections performed. Its a fact! But because a woman decides to labor in a hospital (instead of a birth center), with a doctor (instead of a midwife), and get an epidural (instead of painkiller free) she is somehow less than a woman/mother?? Nonsense!!
What is important is that the baby be delivered safely and the mother labor safely and in whatever way she needs. I think sometimes there is so much pressure to “go natural” that it makes women feel less than a woman if they ask for an epidural. Therefore they are even more stressed out and if things don’t go exactly the way they think they are supposed to go they think they had a lousy birth experience.
Was your baby born healthy??? If the answer is yes and you are healthy too then you had a good birth experience! Bottom line….healthy baby and healthy mother.
Breck Hawk on
She probably hopes because she knows when she enters a hospital that the birth will most likely go the way the provider wants things to go. If he feels it is going to slow then here comes the pitocin, if she is still not moving along as fast as he wants then on comes the cesarean. Hey why not convince her that she needs an epidural and then she can just lay in bed, sleep and create all kinds of complications for her and her baby.
Natural is not a word heard much in hospitals anymore, and hopefully she will choose another route, providers can’t control natural but if they add this and that then they can surely sway the birth to happen the way that would get her delivered so he can go home.
Breck, RN, midwife, doula and author “Hey! Who’s Having This Baby Anyway?
cassopolis on
she’s a strong scientology so it means silence birth, no drugs
tink1217 on
Breck, my doctor did NONE of those things you mentioned and I STILL had a csection. I had no progression of labor past 5cm after 22 hours and walking to help try to get things going better. My doctor only introduced pitocin after about 10 hours and ONLY if I agreed. They did not push it. My doctor NEVER asked me or told me I needed an epidural. I asked for it because the pain was unbearable with my daughters head pressing on my lower back. No amount of contractions would straighten her head out to push against my cervix to help dilate me. After about 16 hours I had a fever. Still not more than 5cm and by then the epidural wasn’t helping at all. When my fever proved to be a worry and after 22 hours and only 5cm the doc said a csection was probably best. We agreed. I wanted my baby out safely. She was still in the NICU for 4 days due to my fever though. Receiving antibiotics. I am very thankful I had the care I did. Not every doctor is like the one you describe in your post. Not every csection goes that way either.
Oh and BTW, 18 months later I had a scheduled csection with my son. It was planned and wonderful and beautiful. Thankfully he was a healthy 10lb 2oz baby with no complications and no stay in the NICU. Had the doc asked me hours earlier with my daughter if I would like a csection maybe I wouldn’t have gotten that fever and my daughter wouldn’t have been in the NICU. If I ever have another baby I will be having a planned csection no doubt! I have absolutely NO desire to ever go through labor again.
Like I said before it doesn’t matter how a woman gives birth. Whether it is in a hospital bed, bathtub, home birthing pool, or csection. Every birth is beautiful and every woman a whole woman for having done it no matter the way!
Trish on
With my last child I had a natural birth (vaginal, no drugs). When I was in transition, laboring on hands and knees, the doctor came in and stuck his fingers into me without any warning. I didn’t even know he was in the room. And it hurt! I don’t consider that a good birth experience, I consider it assault.
preesi on
Aint nuttin “Natural” about a Scientology Birth!
Greg on
In terms of Elfman being a Scientologist:
The silent birth thing is an OPTION, which the scientologist mother may or may not choose. It is based on Mr. Hubbard’s ADVICE, and it is not dogma. Please don’t think for a second that what you read in the tabloids is accurate information. If you’re curious, you can visit http://www.silentbirth.org
best,
Greg
Scientologist and proud of it
stephanie on
Kelly Preston, Katie Holmes, and Leah Remini all had epidurals. Please don’t turn this to another Natural Birth vs C-sections or LOLZ those Scientologists threads. How a woman decide to deliver her child is deeply personal and is nobody else’s business.
- not a Scientologist
Kristen on
Good for her and best wishes for a happy, healthy birth and baby.
I am having a natural (drug-free) birth in July and am very prepared and excited for it. I agree that you must be open to a c-section if absolutely necessary, but must be educated so as not to be taken advantage of by Doctors trying to meet their quota. I have learned a LOT in my childbirth classes about modern medicine and it’s very sickening. I hope she can find the strength and peace to accomplish her goal!
yogadaisy on
Wow, for the above poster who went on and on about how you should be grateful for a healthy baby regardless of the birth, I’m sorry your birth didn’t go the way you wanted it to. How you give birth is VERY important.
Epidurals CAUSE fevers. If you didn’t get the epidural, most likely you would not have had the fever and you wouldn’t have had your “emergency” c-section. Sorry, but that’s the truth.
If you want to learn more about it google “epidural fever”. And why in the world schedule elective surgery to deliver your 2nd baby?– a vaginal birth after c-section is perfectly safe and would have at least allowed you to heal from your first birth that didn’t go the way you intended.
Lilybett on
The Australian government has put the nix on elective ceasarians to reduce the amount we’re having in this country.
I think Jenna’s wise to be realistic about the situation. I’ve known a few women who were gung-ho naturalists- there would be no interference, no drugs, etc – but it didn’t go to plan and they all had emergency caesars or epidurals. Two of them actually went through some guilt and depression about it because they didn’t feel like they’d had the full experience. It’s silly to put so much pressure on your body and your baby and the “experience”. I like that Jenna’s hoping for the best but is prepared if things don’t go to plan.
Sarita on
I ‘m not sure it is even possible to opt for a c section over here. And epidurals aren’t offered easily either. I don’t know any figures but vaginal births with epidurals are pretty unheard of even though there is some action group trying to change that.
Diana on
I love this website but I have to say I wish you all would stop allowing these comments by Greg in which he pushes his religion and website.
We will remove the personal site address in the signature, because that is considered advertising and is against our commenting rules. But Greg has been commenting on Scientology-related posts since June ’06, and we welcome the opposite viewpoint, especially since he’s quiet polite about it. We don’t feel he pushes the religion, just corrects what he considers misinformation.
Elaine on
re natural birth v c-section, I have had both, and I would not say one birth was “better” than the other. Both resulted in my beautiful daughters delivered in what was the best and safest way for them. I think Jenna is sensible to prepare herself for the possibility of an emergency c-section, otherwise it could be very distressing for her and her family if the birth does not happen as she wants it to.
TwinMom24 on
I gave birth to my twins vaginally, in the O.R., with an epidural and I don’t think it was any less beautiful than a “natural” childbirth. Hubby and I still cried the first time we saw our son and our daughter. (Hubby was holding our newborn son while I pushed our daughter out) It was truly amazing and although I felt like crap, I would do it all over again.
And for the record, before I got the epidural and before my labour really started progressing, I all but begged the OB for a c-section, and he refused. I don’t think the doctors actually want to do a c-section. I suppose maybe if he had to stay until the baby was born he might. But because I was in labour for 52 hours, I went through several OB’s. (shift changes) It wasn’t even my OB who delivered my twins… it was one of his partners and a resident.
ANY time a baby is born, it’s beautiful.
Aura on
shouldn’t it be up to mothers how they give birth? Because lot of people here seem to be attacking those who don’t give birth ‘naturally’. My mother had me so-called naturally, after 23 hours, with only a shot of pethdine, and frankly she wishes she could have had a c-section, as it was so painful for her. Also I ended up being born deaf, and the doctors later told my mother that it could have been because of the long labour, and the fact that I was in distress in the labour. So really, c-sections are probably safer than natural births.
Annoymus on
Aura-I am sorry, but I must disagree with you. Unless there are complications with the labor and/or delivery, C-sections are certainly not safer than natural births. In fact, they actually carry risks, just like any surgery.
Terralynn on
You know I read all your comments here about the dispute on NATURAL..NOT NATURAL..GOOD BAD..Birth experiences..ANd All I can think is the baby alive after this…GOOD EXPERIENCE THEN..I lost my little boy in November..his heart stopped beating in the womb..and i found out during a checkup..I had no drugs was in enormous pain and delivered him..It still wasnt the best birth experience for me because he wasnt born alive..I think that people need to keep their judgements and opinions private..Leave it up to the individual woman on what she needs to do..Because in the end a live baby equals a good birth experience..Drugs C- Sections..Midwife..Doesnt matter..All just logistics..If you have a screaming baby..That is the important thing..That is what makes it all good..
Anonymous on
I’m happy that she’s thinking positively about her birth experience. She plans to go natural and, like most new moms, is probably scared of birth still, just a little, but hopes all will go well and she will have a happy healthy baby.
And, as far as the silent birth goes, I don’t think she said she was having one. And, even if she strongly believes in Scientology, whether or not she has a silent birth is her option, not a requirement.
I say go Jenna!!
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