Birth, The American Way

My brother was not a c-section. After 17 hours of excruciating labor, broken bones, and forceps, he came out looking like a conehead and is 12.5 in one eye and 13.5 in the other (that's code for Coke-bottle glasses, legally blind). I was a c-section and have never needed glasses to get around. You can bet that if I ever have children, I will risk surgery if only to protect their vision.

I just want to say, "Thank you" to the wonderful nurses and obstetrician that helped me in the delivery of both of my children (now 14 and 12) WITHOUT pharmaceutical intervention. Pain medication was not offered, but I was told that it was available. Thank you for letting ME make the decision not to harm my child simply for the sake of my own comfort. Yes, childbirth hurts, yes, it can be terribly uncomfortable, and can take hours, but how great it is to be alert when that baby is born. How wonderful it is to know that there is nothing in my system that can cause problems for my child in the future!

Wow, sounds like this is a new issue. 31 years ago I was scared of what delivery would mean to me. Could I handle the pain? What would it mean to be that completely vulnerable? What about my sense of dignity? So I started reading and then talking to, not my mom's generation, but my grandparent's views regarding the "birthing" of their babies, who I figured had experienced REAL natural childbirth. In short, I educated myself. I even watched the local livestock when I had the opportunity, to check the "accuracy" of what I was reading. I had the priviledge of giving birth three times. No drugs, no monitors, no forceps. Just me and my participation in three miracles as nature meant for it to happen. My longest labor was 12 hours, the shortest about 2. I opted for the hospital each time, but I had shopped for doctors who understood they were there to catch my baby, not scare me into medical intervention.

I recently watched my daughter through her first labor. She had so many hook-ups and interventions as well as the inevitable C-Section, that she totally missed that wonderful knowledge of what a powerful being a woman is. She was never allowed any autonomy. She was induced, drugged, then convinced she was unable to deliver. It broke my heart. I said nothing..... I hated every minute of it. Thank God that nightmare still ended with a beautiful baby. Shame on the medical profession for taking over..... Shame on females for giving it away!

Whatever! Would you have your teeth removed without any pain medication? I chose to take advantage of modern medicine (an epidural) and the births of my daughters were peaceful, beautiful and stress-free. I too, said "hi there" to my seconds-old girls. To "look down on" others because they choose to not have a "natural" birth smacks of the working mom/stay at home mom judgement wheel. You are no better or worse than I am because of your choice.

I completely agree that a C-sections save lives and prevents complications such as the ones mentioned before, but it is also a fact that many many women choose a c-section because they think it is better, easier and LESS PAINFUL or traumatic than a vaginal delivery. There are many variables when it comes to labour and giving birth, the help and advice of medical staff is extremely important and hopefully given at the right time, and for every woman the experience is different with every birth, but again, I can't believe that one third of c-section are done because of a medical reason-problem, a lot of them are by choice. And yes I know...we have the right to choose.

Why does everyone who writes about this topic assert that women who have elective c sections do it for shallow reasons, *like they were scheduling a manicure*? This is a huge, life decision for women having a baby. It is NOT like choosing a manicure time. My first vaginal delivery was life-threatening for my daughter (who was too big and delivered with forceps and then manual manipulation), a Big emergency...shoulder distocia. The resulting level 3 tear got infected, the stitches burst and I had to do an open would heal for 3 months, not good for me or my baby. My second delivery was an elective c section, supported by my obgyn because he thought the danger would be repeated. It was timed. It was elective. It was for me and my baby. It was a wonderful, happy deliverty and recovery. Good fo both my first and second daughters. So let's get off those high horses People.

Continued??? (please note that the ?? appearing in my previous comment were inserted as speech marks)

I feel that cesarean birth is the safest delivery for me (I hope to have just one more in the future), which is not the same as saying I believe that it is risk-free; pregnancy and childbirth are inherently risky. However, during my analysis of the risks and benefits of PVD versus CDMR, I kept in mind the fact that much of the comparative research on cesarean safety to date combines all or some of three very different scenarios: emergency, elective medical and elective CDMR outcomes. Furthermore, until very recently, the majority of cesarean safety data pooled together all emergency and elective outcomes and then compared them with successful vaginal delivery outcomes only. This was instead of including emergency cesarean outcomes in the PVD outcome pool; a much fairer evaluation given that PVD is where the majority of these surgeries originated. Finally, I evaluated my baby???s (and my own) risks and benefits based on hundreds of research papers; not just those represented in the mass media, and not just the ???Abstract??? part of the publication, in which the data summary and/or conclusions do not always tell the whole story.

A case in point: Just recently, a ???fourfold increased risk in respiratory distress for infants born by elective cesarean??? was heavily reported. Yet the actual data showed that for infants born at 39 weeks gestation (as recommended by the NIH and ACOG), there were NO CASES of serious respiratory morbidity at all. My baby???s safety is my number one concern, but I am not ashamed to say that in addition, I consider my own postnatal health to be important too.

One last comment - I often read criticism about the doctors, insurers and lawyers making money from cesarean births, and quite properly, the issue of cost deserves its place in any debate on cesarean delivery, but I leave you with this final thought ??? how much money does the ???natural childbirth industry??? stand to lose from women like me CHOOSING cesareans? It was reported at the end of last year that attendance at Lamaze childbirth classes is at an all-time low, and remember, I (and others like me) was not pressured, my surgery was not against my will, but I also did not pay any money to attend a single day (let alone a 6 or 8 week course) on preparing for childbirth nor did I buy any books or DVDs on the subject.
Pauline McDonagh Hull
Editor, electivecesarean.com

I have concerns with a number of the opinions and facts cited in this article, but for the purpose of brevity, I will address just one. The statement: ???C-section??? should not be a first choice for healthy mothers. New research into the risks associated with elective Caesareans supports their view.???

Throughout my (very healthy) pregnancy last year, my planned cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) was wholly supported by my OBGYN and I had an extremely positive experience (although in fact, because it was discovered nearer the end of my pregnancy that my baby was breech, my birth ???outcome??? was classified as an elective cesarean for medical reasons). I feel very fortunate (and happy) to have achieved my birth choice and I completely understand the disappointment of women whose planned vaginal deliveries (PVD) end up with a different outcome. I also understand why advocates of PVD may want to reduce the cesarean rate for these women. What I don???t understand is why, as part of their campaign, these advocates seek to prevent another diverse group of women from achieving their equally legitimate birth choice? Personally, I would never choose to have a vaginal delivery, but would I try to stop another woman from choosing it? No. I believe that birth choices should be respected across the spectrum.
Pauline McDonagh Hull
Editor, electivecesarean.com

It's terrible to find out - afterwards, of course - that when you were most vulnerable, somebody decided you "needed" surgery that might've been avoided, only nobody even tried to help you avoid it. And then you find out you'll have to fight tooth and nail in any subsequent pregnancies to be "permitted" to give birth rather than be cut open - to know that you must face major abdominal surgery simply because you got pregnant. That's the reality in most American hospitals. They don't know how to help women give birth naturally, but by golly they do know how to do surgery. So that's what happens....All too often. Yeah. Happened to me too.

i do agreee that c-sections should be reserved only for situations when vaginal birth is unsafe for the mother or the baby; however, i agree with the "movies" that drug-free birth is both painful and indeed bloody. it is also very long, unlike they show it in movies. i had 2 babies: both vaginally, first one completely drug-free, second one with an epidural, so i know what i'm talking about, trust me.

i beilieve you are correct

i beilieve you are correct