This summer I have known six women, myself included, who have had babies (or are having very soon) and I am the only one who experienced a vaginal delivery. Two of the women who have yet to deliver know that they will be having C-sections as well.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??
Why have we, as a medical culture, allowed this crippling fear of being "past a due date" to drive woman after woman into an operating room. Today you have to luck out to be given the privilege of experiencing childbirth, as it appears that one in three babies is now delivered via C-section. Those are crappy odds.
We've all heard "as long as you end up with a healthy baby, who cares how it gets here," but it does matter how babies get here...there has been study after study about the physiological effects of both types of delivery.
I'm not going to write a diatribe on this topic tonight, but as I was counting the new moms I know of Summer 2011, it struck me how insane it was that I'm the only one with a birth story that involves pushing. I wish that they had similar stories to share...ones that don't involve a big blue curtain.
Put down the knife and let women do what our bodies are quite capable of doing ... when they are ready to do it.
I do agree with you to a point, but I was two weeks overdue and so glad they did an emergency C-section at midnight for Drew, as it turns out...the cord was wrapped around his neck twice. They didn't do ultrasounds very much back then though and I never had one. With all the technology and the amount of ultrasounds people receive now, they should be able to tell a little better whether you will need a C-section. With Darren my blood pressure went up so high while I was in labor, that they were worried it was gonna cause a stroke. Kent and I were watching a movie once where and the lady was all upset because she didn't have her babies naturally. He asked me if I ever felt that way....less of a woman? NO...I really never have and it has never bothered me at all. Just my perspective from the other side of the birth story :o). Daphne would have been just as beautiful either way she came out...cuz she has you guys for parents!
Posted by: Cathy | August 25, 2011 at 11:22 PM
I totally agree! I did my research and understood the slippery slope that starts with pitocin, then epidurals, and ends in c-section. To my doctor's credit, we waited a full 32 hours of contractions 3-5 minutes apart (and zero dilation ... yep, zippo) before we started pitocin and then waited longer to start an epidural (tried walking first and no effect at all). We discussed our options every step of the way. I wasn't pressured and the decision to start it was made after several other options were attempted. And if contractions hadn't started naturally, we would have waited at least another week before discussing being induced. We all hung in there (Max was a champ) until hour 40, at 7 cm, when his heartrate started dropping drastically with each contraction. At that point, we called it quits. I have to believe that before the invention of modern medicine, I could have delivered this baby naturally and we would have all survived, but I honestly don't know what we could have done differently. How long would it have taken to dilate if I didn't do the pitocin? Did the pitocin or epidural cause his heart rate to drop? Did his size have anything to do with the lack of progression? Lots of unknowns. All I can say is, I went in eyes open and STILL ended up with a c-section. And if we are lucky enough to have another baby, I'll still go in with the expectation of a natural childbirth.
Posted by: Tammie Edwards | August 26, 2011 at 12:06 AM
i would like to say a lot, but cant quite formulate my words right now. i was lucky enough to have two healthy babies, both by c-sections. first, a c-section for medical reasons which could not have been avoided, and the second due to the risks of a vaginal delivery after having had a c-section. i have no regrets. i think my birth experience was just as amazing as anyone else's. seeing first hand (through working in the profession) what can happen to a baby when a delivery goes wrong or a c-section does not happen fast enough when it is definitely needed gives me a little different perspective than the general population. i read this post on a "mothers in medicine" blog and would love to share it. and i'd love to hear people's thoughts....
http://obgynkenobi.blogspot.com/2011/08/obgyns-are-terrible-people-who-deserve.html
Posted by: marni | August 26, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Ah yes, this is one of those things. Motherhood. So much drama.
Posted by: Amanda | August 26, 2011 at 10:38 PM