Unnecessary C-sections.

Alicia the midwife has some articles up regarding the NIH Conference on C-sections, and how the media is misreporting it. See Alicia’s post ona call for accurate reporting

I have had three C-sections. The first one was because I ignorantly went into pregnancy and delivery through the “regular” medical model. That delivery, although difficult, could have been a vaginal delivery but I truly believe that my caregivers had no clue how to facilitate that and were much better trained in providing me with major abdominal surgery. My second C-section really was an emergency as my daughter’s umbilical cord had prolapsed into the vagina cutting off her oxygen supply. I clearly saw the difference between a C-section “just because” and a life or death emergency.

My last C-section last year was because I felt that I wanted my baby to be under medical care. We had gone without a lot of prenatal testing and I had lost a baby a few years before so I did not want to do another home birth. Nonetheless, I knew that putting her under medical care severely limited my birth options. I was told I could have a vaginal delivery, if I was not over due (I was always over due!) if the baby did not weigh over 8 pounds (all my babies weighed over 9 pounds!) if I were continuously monitored (translate flat on back in bed – no thank you) and if labor was limited. I don’t know what the time limit is but considering I cut out and made a dress while in labor with my fourth son, I think it’s fair to say I don’t have quick labors! Bottom line is I consented to a scheduled C-section because I knew I wasn’t going to meet these parameters and I did not want to go through an entire labor (again) only to have a surgical delivery – the worst of both worlds again!! So I gave it up for her. If I had been 10 years younger, maybe I would have been pushier about another VBAC. If I hadn’t lost the baby before her, maybe I would have been more willing to stick with a midwife at home. Maybe if the healing I needed to do wasn’t just physical, but emotional too, I could have handled the medical BS. But I didn’t have it in me to do that with her delivery. And that’s a shame that I had to surrender because I didn’t have any other choices.