C-Sections are at an all-time high

[MooCowSteph]

According to this news article, C-sections are at an all time high, nearing 30%. It didn’t mention, however, how much better (or worse) babies are doing because of this increase. One would think that fewer babies are suffering death and injury in the birth process, but I’ve read this is not true. I wish they’d mentioned that figure in their article.

breitbart.com/news/2005/11/16/D8DTGGKO4.html

 

[spacecadet]

yes it is so sad. c=secs are wonderful for people that truly need them but lack of education, fear of malpractice, failed inductions, and convenience are just some reasons that this epidemic is getting worse.

it is also sad that we have the worst infant mortality rate of the industrialized world

 

[Ghostgirl]

What’s wrong with C-sections?

Is it just we’re all evil, evil women and deserve all the pain we get?

 

[spacecadet]

Ghostgirl:

What’s wrong with C-sections?

Is it just we’re all evil, evil women and deserve all the pain we get?

nothing if the benefits outweigh the risks but if they don’t than the baby and mom are put at risk for no good reason. you don’t really think that 30% of woman are unable to do what God created their body to do, do you? and as far as pain goes, education is the best prevention for pain

 

[kristacecilia]

What’s wrong with C-sections?

Is it just we’re all evil, evil women and deserve all the pain we get?

Every surgical procedure one has carries a lot of risk. Unnecessary surgical procedures, like a c-section for the sake of the doctor making his tee time on Sunday, is putting both mother and baby at unnecessary risk.

When a baby is birthed vaginally there is a sudden increase of adrenaline that surges through the baby as it passes through the birth canal. One of the things this extra adrenaline does is prepare the muscles and lungs for those first few moments of birth. It has been shown that the adrenaline levels in infants who have c-section births are much lower than those of vaginally delivered births.

Obviously, c-sections are wonderful in cases of emergency, when a woman is anatomically unable to deliver vaginally, or in cases like placenta previa. If it weren’t for c-sections I would not exist. My mother, both sisters, and husband were all c-sections. I probably should have been a c-section, but the doctors made my mother deliver vaginally.

It has nothing to do with being a woman and deserving pain. C-sections are painful. I have heard women who say their c-section scars still hurt years after they give birth. The recovery from a c-section is much harder than from a vaginal birth.

It has just been scientifically proven that vaginal birth is best for both mother and baby and is obviously how God designed things to happen ideally. So we should aim for that and depend on c-sections as a back-up plan.

 

[paramedicgirl]

I had 4 C-sections, and they all went very well. My first one was due to placenta privea where the placenta is blocking the cervix and there is massive bleeding. My pregnancy after that, I tried a natural birth, and it didn’t go well, but was completed with an epidural. The baby was blue, needed oxygen and scored very low on the apgar scale.

After that experience, my remaining 3 pregnancies were all delivered C-section, and with the epidural, I got to stay awake the whole time. Until the last one - my doctors were discussing politics as they peformed the surgery. I chipped in my 2 cents and bang, I was out! I guess that’s a big no-no. Listen, but don’t try to converse with them while they are working!

 

[MooCowSteph]

paramedicgirl:

After that experience, my remaining 3 pregnancies were all delivered C-section, and with the epidural, I got to stay awake the whole time. Until the last one - my doctors were discussing politics as they peformed the surgery. I chipped in my 2 cents and bang, I was out! I guess that’s a big no-no. Listen, but don’t try to converse with them while they are working!

Are you serious? I’d be mad! I’ll voice my two cents, thank you! Just hand me my baby!

 

[Nonie]

spacecadet:

nothing if the benefits outweigh the risks but if they don’t than the baby and mom are put at risk for no good reason. you don’t really think that 30% of woman are unable to do what God created their body to do, do you? and as far as pain goes, education is the best prevention for pain

I’m sorry but education is NO PREVENTION for pain!!!. I mean I would have gotten my Doctorate in “Painology” before having my third child if this were true. I did the relaxation methods, bla bla bla…basically you are in for pain. Unless you are a wiz at self hypnosis or such nonsense. Some women have more pain than others and wether that makes you take the c-section route I wouldn’t know. I always heard it was better to have a normal birth if you were going to have more children in the future. But if they came out and said that a c-section was the best way to go…safe for the baby …etc. i would have done it in a heart beat. :yup:

 

[CatholicSam]

paramedicgirl:

After that experience, my remaining 3 pregnancies were all delivered C-section, and with the epidural, I got to stay awake the whole time. Until the last one - my doctors were discussing politics as they peformed the surgery. I chipped in my 2 cents and bang, I was out! I guess that’s a big no-no. Listen, but don’t try to converse with them while they are working!

When I was observing breast reduction surgery as a nursing student, they were playing CDs by Shakira with one of the lines being about her breasts that are “small and humble.” During circumcisions the doctors and nurses would talk about which model car the doctor should get next. I felt like saying, “look at what you’re doing!!! Not at the nurses! You can converse after the cutting is over!” Oh, and during open heart surgery, they were joking about what to give up for lent. I always wondered what they would do if a patient added their two cents!

But getting back to the subject, I never understood why people would schedule a C-section to avoid the pain of labor and a natural delivery. Don’t they know that a C-section is going to hurt too? I guess you can’t win with pain when it comes to giving birth :crying:

 

[Nonie]

kristacecilia:

Every surgical procedure one has carries a lot of risk. Unnecessary surgical procedures, like a c-section for the sake of the doctor making his tee time on Sunday, is putting both mother and baby at unnecessary risk.

When a baby is birthed vaginally there is a sudden increase of adrenaline that surges through the baby as it passes through the birth canal. One of the things this extra adrenaline does is prepare the muscles and lungs for those first few moments of birth. It has been shown that the adrenaline levels in infants who have c-section births are much lower than those of vaginally delivered births.

Obviously, c-sections are wonderful in cases of emergency, when a woman is anatomically unable to deliver vaginally, or in cases like placenta previa. If it weren’t for c-sections I would not exist. My mother, both sisters, and husband were all c-sections. I probably should have been a c-section, but the doctors made my mother deliver vaginally.

It has nothing to do with being a woman and deserving pain. C-sections are painful. I have heard women who say their c-section scars still hurt years after they give birth. The recovery from a c-section is much harder than from a vaginal birth.

It has just been scientifically proven that vaginal birth is best for both mother and baby and is obviously how God designed things to happen ideally. So we should aim for that and depend on c-sections as a back-up plan.

:twocents: Yes that is a good point, c-sections as a back up plan because vaginal is the best. BUT… It is very very…did I say VERY painful and if there is a better way…lets have it! :yup: And what about foreceps?? I have heard all kinds of horror stories about using those. Even the suction kind if misused are very dangerous. Men are soooo lucky to be men. I mean really. We got the short end of the stick on this deal. AND if men had to give birth you would be sure that the pain prevention would be a fine science by now. Notice all the “male enhancement” drugs they have out now. If men gave birth they would be advertising, “no pain lavor pills” for sure! urrr. Sorry I was venting a wee bit there. :twocents:

 

[GoLatin]

If I ever have kids, I am going to use as much pain prevention as possible, that won’t hurt the baby.

When it comes to physical pain, I am a WIMP!

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

The issue here is not whether there is something wrong with someone having a NEEDED c-section.

The issue is being forced or encouraged to have a major, invasive, painfull, and unneccessary surgery - especially as it may cause complications at the time and/or in future pregnancies. 30% is way higher than ANY other nation in the world and we DO have a VERY low birth mortality rate for an 1st world/industrial country.

My 3rd baby was c-sec due to severe breech position. It was horrible from beginning to end. Not that natural is a picnic, but the recovery from my c-sec was terribly painfull and much longer.

I then went on to have 2 v-bacs without any problems.

Then to my shock I had to go through 4 drs. and 2 hospitals before I could find a situation where they would allow me to have v-bacs with the next 2 babies! It appears that many drs/hospitals are refusing to continue v-bacs because it is inconvienent. Whereas it is VERY hard to win a lawsuit for malpractice on the basis of an unneccessary c-sec surgery.

I’m really worried about the this baby and these policies…
Especially as I’ve heard that many drs. (though not mine I pray!) are purposely giving the vertical interior cut for c-sec to ensure that a patient can’t have future v-bacs.

 

[CatCat]

Yikes, Rob’sWife! I hadn’t heard about the vertical cut thing.

I also had a C-Section with my first baby, because nothing would make me get past 6 cm dilation, and my water had already broken, among other signs from my DD that she was in trouble. The recovery for me wasn’t too bad, but my daughter nursed almost constantly when she was awake, and I had heard that the more you nurse, the better you heal because of the feel-good hormones that nursing releases. They did the “bikini cut” on me, and I now have no complications that can be directly attributed to my c-section delivery.

The BIG thing that scares me is that I won’t be allowed to try a VBAC. I’m sure my doctor would be all for it, but he can’t set the policies at his hospitals. After the ordeal I went through with my first, there’s no way I could handle a home birth, so I’m kind of at their mercy too. As of right now, they allow it, so I have to hope and pray that they don’t change their stance between now and when I get to have another one.

The other thing about this is that the early induction that so many doctors offer (or even push) is contributing. I was induced 9 days early with my daughter just because of her size (which turned out to be only 7lbs 14oz, despite the ultrasound showing her larger) because my doctor was worried about my smaller (5’4") frame delivering a large baby, even though neither my husband nor I had been large babies. I wish I could go back and be stronger resisting that, but the desire to meet my baby and stop just being pregnant with her overwhelmed me. Who knows how many of those c-sections could have been avoided by letting nature take its course? Next time, they’re not inducing me, but it is so hard for first time moms to understand the dangers sometimes.

 

[captaincatholic]

Here is a link with more complete statistics, including the one listed in the Breibart article.

cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/prelimbirths04/prelimbirths04health.htm

Also, we in the US do not have the lowest mortality rates in birth. Far from ranking in the top 10, we are something like 24 or 27 in the world, behind countries such as Sweden, where the vast majority of births are attended by midwives, whose c-section rates are so much lower than doctors!

If you are having trouble with doctors and VBACs, I highly recommend finding a firm with midwives. They usually share or at least affiliate their practices with OBGYNs, so it is a nice way to have your cake and eat it too.

 

[spacecadet]

I’m sorry but education is NO PREVENTION for pain!!!. I mean I would have gotten my Doctorate in “Painology” before having my third child if this were true. I did the relaxation methods, bla bla bla…basically you are in for pain

yes but if you are educated on how to really relax, and i don’t mean that stupid panting andblowing breathing, than it will lessen your pain. if you stay in a bed flat on your back and don’t know what you are doing than you will increase your pain. i could go on but i have a toddler to tend to…

 

[Eileen_T]

I read somewhere, last year I think, that two reasons for the increase of c-sections have less to do with necessity than with convenience.

1. The doctor can avoid having middle of the night and weekend deliveries.
2. Working mothers can schedule it to suit their maternity leave arrangements.

This is not a rant about those who have no choice, just an observation of our modern times. My daughter gave birth 6 weeks ago and we had a discussion about this. She agreed that she had come up against those reasonings.

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

They did the “bikini cut” on me, and I now have no complications that can be directly attributed to my c-section delivery

Just so you know, the cut you see on the outside may not be the same as on the inside - which is the cut that poses the concern of utero rupture. Your dr. will have to check your medical files to know.

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**CaptainCatholic - **

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It is not an option to have a midwife for several reasons. I currently have a good ob, who has said honestly that she would rather I have a v-bac again and will do her best to work around hospital policies that may make it difficult.

 

[astegallrnc]

Just so you know, the cut you see on the outside may not be the same as on the inside - which is the cut that poses the concern of utero rupture. Your dr. will have to check your medical files to know.

Rob’s wife is correct regarding the incision.

I remember when I first graduated nursing school VBAC was popular, but today OBs and hospitals are a bit more hesitant with VBACs. There is a fear of litigation, because if there is a uterine rupture the outcome is often catastrohpic and there will most likely be a lawsuit. The physician and/or the hospital may end up in court.

There is also the issue of medical malpractice insurance costs that are rapidly increasing and will definitely increase if the physician has been involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit. In fact, there are some malpractice insurers that won’t cover VBACs. In addition to the cost of malpractice insurance, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has a new standard of care for VBACs. So many factors dictating our care.

 

[spacecadet]

isn’t the risk of uterine rupture in VBAC largley due to induction?

 

[leaner]

Eileen T:

I read somewhere, last year I think, that two reasons for the increase of c-sections have less to do with necessity than with convenience.

1. The doctor can avoid having middle of the night and weekend deliveries.
2. Working mothers can schedule it to suit their maternity leave arrangements.

This is not a rant about those who have no choice, just an observation of our modern times. My daughter gave birth 6 weeks ago and we had a discussion about this. She agreed that she had come up against those reasonings.

In my case I knew this to be true (#1, that is) b/c I actually heard my doc talking about “that lady wanting the VBAC” – I had left, only to realize I’d left my folder in the room – his office is right next to the exam room, and he was talking to another doc (backs to the door…idiots) and saying “like I want to be waiting all day long probably when she could just schedule a 9am delivery?!” – guess who was on call the day I walked in? Yep. Doogie Howser (he was really young looking) – I was soooooo mad, I wanted to go home – I actually turned around to leave…and the nurse said “don’t worry, he doesn’t do much around here except catch babies anyway – we’ll be with you the whole time” – LOL! I stayed, and ended up with a section anyway…and this next one will most likely be a section if my placenta doesn’t move up on it’s own…it’s low lying right now, and we’re just playing the waiting game, trying not to freak about the bleeding.

NECESSARY sections are just that – necessary. ELECTIVE sections are what we’re talking about here – and major (and I mean major) abdominal surgery is nothing to think “but it’s less painful” – it’s not less painful, esp if you’ve labored unsuccessfully beforehand (both of mine were emerg. after 18hrs) – with the second, they insisted on antibiotics “just in case” and I ended up with C. diff – which is a WICKED infection of the bowels…caused by…yep, the antibiotics. Oh, and they called me back in b/c they couldn’t be sure they hadn’t left a sponge in me…7 days post partum, I get the phone call…“Uh, Mrs. Smith? I’m really sorry to make this call, but we can’t be sure by the x-ray they took if there was a sponge left inside you or not, so we need you back within the hour to do another x-ray” – you want to talk post-partum emotional turmoil and justifiable homicide…(or lawsuit, take your pick). Thankfully it was a misread x-ray and nothing had been left inside me, but when I asked the doc, his response was “i’ve seen it happen often enough to have called you back in immediately”

There are far more risks than people realize…that’s all. With the US’s medical capabilities, we should not have one of the highest section rates in the world, period.