It’s almost like a tradition that when a pregnant woman’s water breaks, she gets whooshed off to the hospital to give birth to her child, either through natural birth or Cesarean Section surgery. But maybe it’s time to break that tradition.
When it comes to having a child, it’s no secret that it’s a painful, tolling and sometimes extremely dangerous process for the mother-to-be. These three characteristics combined with doctor recommendations may be the cause of this country’s unusually and dangerously high rate of C-Section births.
While the World Health Organization recommends that caesarean section rates shouldn’t surpass ten to 15 percent, the United States currently holds a high rate of 32.7 percent, but individual states, like Louisiana, have rates around 40 percent. The organization explains that C-section delivery can lead to increased maternal and neonatal complication rates and health-care costs.
So what exactly is to blame for the dangerously high rates of C-sections? The documentary, Mama Sherpas, investigated this same question and found that hospital policies and even doctors can be the target of blame for unnecessary Cesarean sections. The documentary’s trailer is above.
Katy B. Kozhimannil, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health told Quartz that women are more comfortable with having a midwife delivery their baby rather than an OBGYN in a hospital. She said that in cases where the mother faces extreme medical conditions or complications, a traditional hospital setting is ideal, but most women don’t need a C-section yet are receiving them anyway.
Kozhimannil also explained that some US hospitals may even refuse to perform vaginal births, or VBACs, after a woman receives a Cesarean except in cases of emergency, helping increase the rate of C-sections in the country. Because of these policies, a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that 90 percent of births from women who previously had a Cesarean resulted in undergoing yet another C-section.
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The documentary explains that because women feel more connected and safe with a midwife delivering their baby, the rate of C-sections can begin to decrease if more women dive birth with the help of a midwife.
Director of Mama Sherpas, Brigid Maher, says in the film, “I needed someone who was with me. Having the midwife with me enabled and empowered me to have my daughter.”
However, because the rate of birthing surgeries is so high, the documentary suggests that just having more midwives deliver children will not be enough to lower the rate of Cesareans. If hospitals were to change policy, like requiring a C-section after so many hours of labor, and doctors shared the reigns with midwives, the high rate of U.S. Cesarean births have the potential to decrease back to a normal rate.
Everyone knows that the birthing process is intimidating and painful, but in the end, I think all mothers want the best for themselves and their baby, and the best isn’t always what the hospital says. Women need to talk with someone they can trust and think about what the best and healthiest way to have a child is, whether it be a necessary C-section or a natural birth.
Video: BOND360
Featured Photo: Flickr user ? isan
