A Woman's Nation: Reclaim Your Right To Birth Right

The times have truly changed. According to the newly released The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything, women now make up half the work force for the first time in written history! This means that our voices and skills are impacting all areas of society more than ever before. The Shriver Report also found that for both men and women, health is their number one priority! Since women make the vast majority of healthcare decisions in their families--and have the buying power to do it--we women are in a very powerful position to influence the future of healthcare in America. Nowhere is this more critical than in the area of pregnancy and birth.

As an obstetrician/gynecologist, I have spent the last 30 years educating women about the wisdom of their bodies, including their innate ability to birth normally. Yet our so-called healthcare system, which is a direct reflection of the beliefs of our culture, sees the female body and its processes (like labor) as an accident waiting to happen. Media images of birth as an emergency play right into this. The truth is that labor and birth need not be the emergencies we think they are. And the medicalization of birth actually does more harm than good.

Progress Set Us Back

I was a resident back in the late 1970's when electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) was first introduced and lauded as a panacea that would prevent cerebral palsy and birth injuries. Thirty years later, data indicates that the only thing EFM has done reliably is increase the rate of Cesarean section (C-section) births. George Macones, M.D., who headed up the development of the latest fetal monitoring guidelines for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, summarized it quite nicely: "Since 1980, the use of EFM has grown dramatically, from being used on 45 percent of pregnant women in labor to 85 percent in 2002. Although EFM (electronic fetal monitoring) is the most common obstetric procedure today, unfortunately it hasn't reduced perinatal mortality or the risk of cerebral palsy. In fact, the rate of cerebral palsy has essentially remained the same since World War II, despite fetal monitoring and all of our advancements in treatments and interventions." [1]

Monitoring also reliably draws the attention away from the laboring woman herself, who needs the support, and transfers it to the monitor screen--as if she and the monitor screen were two separate entities.

Dangerous Interventions Soar

Given our love affair with technology and the mind/body split that is part of health in the United States and birth in particular, it's little wonder that our C-section rate is now a whopping 33 percent. [2] This is particularly troubling given that the World Health Organization says that an optimal rate is 5-10 percent, and that recent research shows that anything over 15 percent does more harm than good. [3]

The rate of births by C-section keeps going up every year, and over the past decade, it's increased by more than 50 percent. Way back in 1965, for example, the rate was only 4.5 percent! [4] At least in part, these sky-high rates may be linked to doctors' fears of being sued. In 2003, more than three quarters of all American obstetricians were sued at least once, with a median award of $2.3 million for medical negligence in childbirth. As a result, many doctors are more likely to opt for performing a C-section at the first sign of a complication. [5]

Then there's the issue of labor inductions. In 2006, more than 22 percent of all pregnant women in the UNITED STATES had induced labors, a rate that has more than doubled in the last 20 years. [6] Similarly, women have been brainwashed into believing that because a C-section can be planned it's therefore preferable to a normal birth--which, again, society sees as messy and inconvenient.

Labor proceeds on its own schedule. The exquisite timing that is a result of the delicate interaction between a baby and her mother needs to be respected. Our culture's collective trust in C-sections and labor inductions that increase the risk of surgical birth is mind-boggling! The Shriver Report points out that women still seek permission from authority figures far more often than men do. We still don't trust ourselves. No wonder we so willingly turn over our bodies during birth.

Risky labor inductions for "convenience" and all the complications associated with them--increased risk of prematurity, C-section, bladder and bowel injury, and maternal death--are now on the rise all over the country. It troubles me that more women don't realize that a Cesarean section is major surgery. And it carries with it a risk of maternal death that is five to seven times greater than a normal birth. [7]

More Maternal Death Than Reported

Unfortunately, the American public in general (physicians included) has a false sense of security about the safety of C-sections because the statistics on maternal death in the UNITED STATES are misleading. It's well known that the maternal death rate in any given population is a very good indicator of the overall health status of that population, as is infant mortality. Unlike most other developed countries, pregnancy-related death statistics for the United States include only women who die within a six-week period after a pregnancy ends. Other developed countries include deaths that occur up to one year afterward.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of maternal deaths in the United States is probably up to three times as high as the number reported in our national statistics because not all maternal deaths are classified as pregnancy-related on the death certificate. [8] According to midwife Ina May Gaskin, who launched the The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project to bring this issue to public attention, the maternal death rate has actually doubled in the UNITED STATES in the last 25 years. It was 7.5 per 100,000 live births in 1982. In 1999, that rate had risen to 13.2 deaths per 100,000 births. By 2005, it was up to 15.1 per 100,000 live births! In some New York City hospitals, it's higher still. Moreover, Hispanic and Black women continue to have much higher maternal death rates--perhaps four times as high or higher.

Gaskin wrote, "When I first became curious about the maternal death rate in the UNITED STATES, I wondered why it was so difficult to unearth in the medical library. This was in the early 1990's. I noticed a sharp contrast between how maternal deaths are counted here in the United States and the United Kingdom's system of Confidential Enquiries, where four countries cooperate to achieve 100 percent ascertainment of maternal deaths that are directly related to pregnancy and birth. (They claim 97 percent accuracy.) According to the CDC, the actual number may be 1.6 to 3 times the figure that is published annually. I find this shocking, especially since we know that the maternal death rate has been rising in recent years--something that isn't happening in other countries " [9] Currently, according to the World Health Organization and several United Nations agencies, the United States ranks behind no fewer than forty other nations in preventing maternal deaths (based upon an official but unreliable number). [10]

Normal Birth, Safe Birth

Studies have repeatedly shown that in healthy mothers with no risk factors, home birth is as safe as hospital birth. Increasingly, savvy women who trust their ability to birth normally are opting to avoid the hospital altogether (or at least have the foresight to hire a midwife or doula). And who can blame them? One study in the Netherlands looked at almost 530,000 low-risk planned births and found that with the proper services in place (such as a well-trained midwife and good transportation), home births are just as safe as hospital births. [11] In fact, home birth may even be safer.

Ina May Gaskin reports that at The Farm Midwifery Center, the C-section rate is only 1.4 percent--a safety rate unparalleled by hospitals. And her experience is clearly not solitary. A landmark study published in the British Medical Journal in 2005 found that natural birth at home, under the care of certified practicing midwives, is safe for low-risk mothers and their babies. This study, which tracked more than 5,000 mothers in the United States and Canada, also reported that home births with low-risk mothers resulted in much lower rates of medical interventions when compared to the intervention rates for low-risk mothers giving birth in hospitals. For example, the episiotomy rate was 2.1 percent for the home-birth group, compared with 33 percent for hospital births, and labor was induced in only 9.6 percent of home births, compared to 21 percent of hospital births. The rate of electronic fetal monitoring, C-sections, forceps or vacuum delivery, and epidurals were also much lower with home births. [12]

A Woman's Birthright

The Pulitzer Prize winning journalists Sheryl WuDunn and Nicolas D. Kristof, authors of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2009), point out that focusing on the needs of women and girls is the number one issue of this century. I couldn't agree more. One of those needs is fostering a woman's trust in the processes of her body instead of making them into surgical emergencies that aren't medically indicated.

When it comes to pregnancy and birth, we as a culture and as individuals need to wake up and claim our right to literally birth right!

For more cutting edge articles on health and wellness, visit www.drnorthrup.com and sign up for the Women's Wisdom Circle.

© 2001-2009 Christiane Northrup, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This information is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease.
All material in this article is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.

References:
[1] American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, "Practice Bulletin No. 106: Intrapartum Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring: Nomenclature, Interpretation, and General Management Principles," Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol. 114, no. 1 (July 2009), pp. 192-202.
[2] B.E. Hamilton, J. A. Martin, and S. J. Ventura, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2007," National Vital Statistics Report, vol. 57, no. 12 (March 18, 2009), p.3.
[3] F. Althabe and J.F. Belizan, "Caesarean Section: The Paradox," The Lancet, vol. 368 (2006), pp.1472-3.
[4] S. M. Taffel, P. J. Placek, and T. Liss, "Trends in the United States Cesarean Section Rate and Reasons for the 1980-85 Rise," American Journal of Public Health, vol. 77, no. 8 (1987), pp. 955-9.
[5] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 57th Annual Clinical Meeting: Papers on Current Clinical and Basic Investigation. Presented May 5, 2009.
[6] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, "Practice Bulletin No. 107: Induction of Labor," Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 114 (2009), pp. 386-397.
[7] M. H. Hall, "Commentary: Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Death," British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol. 97, no. 8 (Aug. 1990), pp. 752-53; N. Schuitemaker et al., "Maternal Mortality After Cesarean Section in the Netherlands," Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, vol. 76, no. 4 (1997), pp. 332-34.
[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "State-Specific Maternal Mortality Among Black and White Women--United States, 1987-1996," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 48, no. 23 (June 18, 1999).
[9] A. de Jonge, et al., "Perinatal Mortality and Morbidity in a Nationwide Cohort of 529,688 Low-Risk Planned Home and Hospital Births," BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, vol. 116 (August 2009), pp. 1177-84.
[10] Gaskin, I., Northrup, C. Safe Motherhood Quilt, www.drnorthrup.com. (August 2009).
[11] Hill, K., et. al. "Estimates of maternal mortality worldwide between 1990 and 2005: an assessment of available data," The Lancet, (August 13, 2007) 370, 1311-1319.
[12] K. C. Johnson and B. A. Daviss, "Outcomes of Planned Home Births with Certified Professional Midwives: Large Prospective Study in North America," British Medical Journal, vol. 330, no. 7505 (June 18, 2005), p. 1416.

Comments

[MaryEllenWalsh]

I am a mother of three and a product of typical middle class birthing procedures on Long Island, NY. After the birth of my third child, I tore (or was cut too deeply) and lived with fecal incontinence for two years. I had reconstructive surgery and my shame and pain in overcoming the emotional scars prompted me to open Mothers Emerge Worldwide a non profit organization to help women find better more holistic birth choices and to overcome birth traumas and help get reconstructive surgeries. http:// www.mothersemergeworldwide.wordpress.com .
Experts throw out a lot of statistics, but I'm living flesh and blood proof that women need help and can take control of their birth(s) and lives. Contact Mothers Emerge Worldwide at motherseme­­rgeworldw­i­de@gmail­.c­om We can help. Have a great day!!!!



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christiane-northrup/c-section-or-natural-birt_b_323422.html

[MaryEllenWalsh]

I am a mother of three and a product of typical middle class birthing procedures on Long Island, NY. After the birth of my third child, I tore (or was cut too deeply) and lived with fecal incontinence for two years. It prompted me to open Mothers Emerge Worldwide a non profit organization to help women find better more holistic birth choices and to overcome birth traumas and help get reconstructive surgeries. http:// www.mothersemergeworld.wordpress.com.
Experts throw out a lot of statistics, but I'm living flesh and blood proof that women need help and can take control of their birth(s) and lives back. Contact Mothers Emerge Worldwide at motherseme­rgeworldwi­de@gmail.c­om. Have a great day!!!!

[bmonaghan]

I think it is important to think of giving birth as a process you start while pregnant. Studies show that processed foods, caffeine and toxins can influence both the birth and the baby. We cannot avoid all these things, but we can do things that are healthy for mom and baby. Fragrine is an alkaloid present in red rasberry leaf. It is also a proven compound to strengthing and toning the uterin muscles. The American Pregnancy Association encourages mothers to drink red rasberry tea as well as nettle (for minerals and vitamins), rose hips, and other herbs that are safe and full of nutrients. See:

http://www.prlog.org/10378551-more-women-dying-in-childbirth-in-us-hospitals-advocates-argue-natural-birth-safer.html

[Wangus]

Statistics are valid only when compared apples to apples. What about the fact that both maternal age and fertility treatments are on the rise? How does that impact comparison of home birth to hospital birth.
More than anything I am concerned that there is such aggressive response on both sides. My choice does not need to be yours, nor do I care to make a judgement call on your choice. I like to think that everyone does what is best for their family. I feel blessed that we live in a country where we have choice. Just because I choose hospital because of age and medical history, does not mean I think any less of your choice. I am however bummed that I cannot discuss such choices with other mothers without getting bombarded with suggestions that I am doing wrong. Truth be told I just lie or change subject to avoid discussion.
I wish you all the best and hope as women/mothers and people in general we can all better support one another.

[ArtiesMama]

Homebirth studies do compare apples to apples (low risk mom to low risk mom) . Please see the sitations to check out the research for yourself.

Can you share an example of the aggression that you speak of? I haven't seen any. I have seen that many women are passionat about this issue because of the lack of choice (MW attended homebirth is still illegal in many states) and because women and babies are dying unnecessarily.

You feel blessed to have "choice" because the one thing you wanted was available to you. Unfortunately, women all over this country are not able to choose what they want. I would recommend doing some research on the history of childbirth in the US. Women's choices were taken away from them back in the early 1900s and they have not been fully restored.

[Wangus]

I appreciate your "passion", but rather than commenting on my "choice" or "feeling blessed" why not suggest ways to change & educate. I support your cause and wish we in US had better health care options. I have lived in other countries and must say options for care outside "standard practice" is much more broadly accepted/supported. On the other hand our system does allow much better care than other countries, but still could be much better.

I continue to choose hospital route but I also research what I can so that I have some knowledge to push for a high standard of care for my child and myself within realm of safety. I would like more choice available (ie different hospital facilities, more time with doc, better insurance), but I too have limitations. What I choose is not what I want 100%, but at this point I can only make the best of my personal scenario. I know there is more that can be done to support those in the future so what do you recommend for that.

What do you recommend for change ... better malpractice controls? better education for doctors? leglislative?

What education do you recommend ... studies? websites? historical?

[cinemaven]

Such important information - thank you

My OBGYN tried to schedule a c-section when I was 6 months pregnant (for a date 2 1/2 months away) because the baby was in a breech position. I explained that I expected my baby to continue to summersault until he was born so no thanks... the OBGYN was indignant and said he might not be there if I insisted on waiting to schedule my section because he was going on holiday. I explained that I would be crossing my legs, hoping to deliver when he was away.
My son was almost 3 weeks late and the Dr. talked me into an induction. I was kept on a monitor and not allowed to walk but labor went quickly. My hubby and I figured I was in late labor after 6 hours but the nurse laughed and said I was still in the first stages... I let her talk me into 1/4 strength epidural but it turned out hubby and I had been right and I delivered 14 minutes after epidural. The epidural gave me a "headache" that kept me on my back in hospital for 9 days - if I tried to sit, I would pass out immediately.

Second son.. all natural and 100% easier both to get through and to recover from.

[y0shio]

I believe the most successful society (depending on your definition of success) of the 21st century will be the one which recognizes the benefits and drawbacks of both the technological and natural world and is able to utilize the two harmoniously. That can be applied to this child birthing issue as well. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EITHER OR!!! Statistics only mean so much and each birth likely has it's own unique problems and thankfully obstetricians in America have spent countless hours preparing for these "hiccups." With that in mind (and this is coming from a male perspective so it may oversimplify the matter) lets say I get a severe stomach ache (very natural, happens fairly regularly to people) I'm likely to just deal with it using the most natural means possible and up to this point have had a 100% success rate without having to be prescribed something I didn't need. However lets say its something unexpected such as appendicitis, then I would say the medical industry would be absolutely crucial to my survival.

[mydwyf]

Well stated. One topic which has not been discussed here is post partum care for c-section mothers. It's one thing to go home a day or two later after a laparoscopic appendectomy and
quite another to go home after major abdominal surgery with one or more infants either in tow or
in NICU. I think most insurance companies will only pay for 48 hours hospital time for post section care. While it may be appropriate to get women out of the high risk hospital environment, it is not appropriate to turn them loose with no help. When my mother had me, in 1955 (she found and sent me the bill recently, it came to about $525) it was normal to stay in the hospital for a week after a vaginal delivery.

Now I read from one poster on another forum that, after her c-section delivery of preemie twins, she was discharged 36 hours later but refused to leave her babies alone in the NICU nursery, so with the nurses' permission she CAMPED OUT on a couch in the NICU waiting room. 36 hours after major abdominal surgery. There is something very wrong with that picture.

How about some 'halfway suites' for a few more days of assisted and monitored recovery ?
I really can't imagine many males being okay with going home a couple days after a c-section,
new baby in tow. But for women it's the norm ?

[LMPE]

Not something that I think much about.

[PVHurt420]

People commenting on here can't look down on women who choose to have the drugs w/ childbirth. Every woman should be able to choose what is best for her and her baby. And I personally gave in (after being induced which I disagreed with) to an epidural because I simply couldn't handle the pain.

I will say that if I decide to have another baby, I will have a midwife at home (if I get to own a home), like my mom did with all 5 of her children. And every so often, I have a sharp pain in the small of my back where the needle was inserted.

Congrats to ALL mothers for going through with childbirth, regardless of how you did it.

[SeaBlood]

I'm starting to think that maybe ALL births should be done naturally. That way women can experience all the pain that goes into giving birth, Then, perhaps they will think a little more carefully about getting pregnant. We no longer have such an urgent need to repopulate the planet.

[PVHurt420]

um, have you given birth at all?? I hope it was natural, cause it's painful as hell.

[naschkatze]

Maybe it's a man because he seems to put all the onus of getting pregnant on the woman. "You'd just better keep your legs crossed." And this from a congressman in the '80s, "And we're saying to you, you get yourself pregnant, you have that baby."

[Psyche78]

Really? You think that's going to be a deterrant? Because, you know, the lack of pain relief during childbirth certainly didn't stop our ancestors from having huge families. And as a someone who gave birth without meds twice, I can say, once you're holding that baby, the pain can become a distant memory.

[pa28]

Question, for all those mothers who had babies "naturally" without drugs...have you ever had your wisdom teeth taken out or a broken leg set or an appendix taken out - all without pain medication? What about open heart surgery? I challenge you, next time you or a family member has emergency surgery after a car accident, tell the doctor that you don't want them to have any pain medication. Let's see how well that goes over. Stop being martyrs. 13 year old girls and my dog have had babies without needing a pat on the back.

[Tina Brown Overton]

Oh come on. Might this be a little short sighted? I'm not sure about your wisdom teeth, but I am certain mine do not have a fully functioning nervous system that relies on a complex chemical process to work optimally to insure their health and well being. I am 100% sure that when my ankle was broken, the medication I took did not compromise it's heart beat or lead to a possible post-break side effect leading to my ankles inability to nourish itself. I am pretty darned sure that open heart surgery is not a normal process that releases hormones to assist in the discomfort of the surgery, nor does it benefit from eating, drinking, being up right, moving, etc. I will elect to go medication free so that my uterus will help to turn my baby into the most optimal position for birth and not numb it so that I will need for my baby to be pulled out, much like a tooth. Oh... there is the tooth connection. Now I get it.

[hereinlou]

... and I'm sure you ate completely organic, straight from the farm during pregnancy... made & baked your own homemade bread... used no hair products, make-up, toiletries, breathed in no toxins (or took in no toxins whatsoever from water that you wash & brush your teeth with)....

Epidurals are safe & effective. My husband has even had one for a slipped disk. I went to one of the best hospitals in the country to deliver my 1st daughter... their epidural rate was just above 80%. I was present & comfortable during delivery. I felt my contractions (just not the pain) & was able to push with ease. Please stop with the scare tactics... it's the same thing that the anti-choice protesters do outside of Planned Parenthood.

And as for the post below, are women strong? Of course we are. Do we have to smash beer cans on our head to prove it... uhhh... no. If you want to feel the pain as part of pregnancy... be my guest. However, don't impose your mandate on other women who choose not to... don't scare them into thinking that epidurals are some dangerous choice that endangers their baby... they are used safely everyday.

[prairiejane]

Wisdom tooth or appendix removal are SURGICAL procedures. Is someone suggesting women go drug free for a surgical birth (i.e. c-section)? Of course not. These arguments are silly.

Medical technology in childbirth encompasses much more than drugs for pain management and those technological inventions do not always make mothers and babies safer. Sometimes they actually harm mothers and babies.

It's sad that we can't have a discussion about the risks of various interventions without posters equating mothers who can manage pain without drugs to dogs.

[ArtiesMama]

Childbirth is a normal phsyological process much like pooping. Do you get a shot of novacaine in your bum before you have a bowl movement? No.

FWIW, I have given birth three times - once with an epidural and IV drugs (stadol) and twice with no epiduiral and no drugs of any kind. The birth with drugs and epidural was by far the most painful birth. The two natural births were not painful because I did not go along with business as usual in modern US obstetrics which causes pain in childbirth.

I did not have natural births for a "pat on the back." I did it to give my child the safest start at life. I did it for myself and my baby so that we could experiece the full benefits of the normal physiological process without a disruption in the flow of hormones and bonding. I did it so that my baby would have less risk of being born by c-section since c-sections increase morbidity. I did it so that I would have less trauma to my own body by way of tearing and brusing. We were both healthier and happier as a result.

[KristinNoelle]

You're comparing giving birth to having a bowel movement? You are either a super hero or you have some secret that I would love to know about.

[gritts43]

clearly not the same thing. i had all my children without drugs.. cant handle tooth pain at all.

[cinemaven]

Question for you.. have you ever had a baby, with or without pain meds?

I've had one with and one without and the son I had without pain meds was by far the easiest.
My first child, I listened to the Dr. more than I should have. Although I didn't listen to him when he tried to schedule a c-section to fit my labor into his vacation schedule, I did listen when my pregancy went to 10 months and he told me that for the health of my baby I needed to induce. I also listened when they (without checking my dialation) told me I was in early labor and should have an epidural. Turned out, I was in the last stage of labor and started pushing minutes after they gave me the epidural. I listened when they yelled at me not to push until the Dr. got there so when they finally told me to stop panting, my son came out with such force that I was horribly torn. The epidural left me flat on my back with complications for 9 days and I still get headaches from it 22 years later.

My second son came on my terms... no induction (even when it dragged on into my 10th month) no drugs and perineal massage to avoid tearing. The labor was easy and there was no recovery time... just bliss and laughter. Having a baby naturally isn't like having an operation... and shouldn't be treated as such

[bmonaghan]

The American Pregnancy Association now encourages women to drink Red Rasberry Tea. Studies show that it reduces birth complications.

http://www.prlog.org/10242581-american-pregnancy-association-encourages-expecting-mothers-to-drink-herbal-tea.html

[peacelove418]

Great article. Thank you for putting many issues of child birth into perspective. I am pregnant and I am having a natural child birth. Let your child enter the world on his/her own terms, when the child is ready. So many women have done this before me, managed the pain fine DRUG-FREE and had healthy babies. Have faith in your bodies and yourself. This article gave truth to what many women have grown accustomed to and I'm happy to see someone expressing the FACTS.

[NeldaDee]

So many women...

As an obstetric nurse, let me tell you about one statistic they're NOT listing:

Wanna guess what the rate is of emergency room admitted "home-birt­hs-gone-wr­ong?"

I have seen SO MANY WOMEN try this cute little home-birth maneuver only to be eventually put into my hands (via ambulance) at the hospital so that I can save their life and their baby's life.

[ArtiesMama]

See the sitations. Homebirth has been shown over and over again to result in equal rates of mortality and lower rates of morbidity. You have to save the lives of women and babies in your hospital as a result of iatrogenic problems during those planned hospital births as well (only more often). Those hospital births gone wrong aren't so "cute" either, huh?

[KJ Cornish]

Wow are you really that out of touch with the medical research?

We don't HAVE to "guess" what the rate is. We know for a fact that homebirth has been proven safe for low-risk women over and over again most recently in this study: http://bit.ly/FS6ps

And you know what's really interesting about your comment, is the whole "saving their life" drama.. I really WOULD like to see some stats on that, because actually the true transport "emergencies" from homebirths are vanishingly rare. Most transports are just due to maternal exhaustion or expressing a desire for something one can only get in the hospital like drugs. Can you provide statistics from your hospital about 1) planned 2) attended homebirth that had a 3) transport that was 4) life-threatening? I'd love to see those numbers.

I could tell you many "cute" stories of women turning to homebirth after the hideous, abusive, life-endangering and sometimes illegal treatment they received in hospitals. But just because women and babies die in hospitals every day isn't a reason to say no one should birth there right? We should actually look at the real numbers and risks and go from there, instead of flinging anecdotes.

[helpontheway]

why do you leave us to guess and not provide an actual statistic to back up your claim-- could it be that you are exaggerating to make your point?

[HeresaClue]

The woman you were replying to made no comment on home births. Perhaps you should rethink replying as you did. Also, just a point, you only see the home births that go wrong, not the many that are perfectly fine. If all you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail...

[cinemaven]

Nelda, I'm sure you see so many births with complications... you work in a hospital hon, a place where sick people tend to end up. I have a good friend who nursed in the ER for 9 years and then went to work with our local midwife group (I live in an area with a very large Mennonite population so we have amazing midwives) and she was a bit stunned at how very normal having a baby is. The hospital she worked for, with the very best of intentions, had turned childbirth into a "procedure".. with all the attendant drugs and protocols but medicalizing childbirth isn't a natural thing even though it is sometimes a necessary thing. There is room for both practices at the table... in the best scenario, the medical world would be involved in births that needed intervention and midwives would help those of us who are able to deliver without complications.

[kiwieagle]

Wasn't it the Victorians that first came up with ways to ease a woman's pain in childbirth? The argument against and the controversy then was that God intended the pain. I'm so surprised that today, people still think women "should" suffer for childbirth. I was glad for my epidurals.
Let's not throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. There are many unneccesary procedures that women are subjected to because they are extremely vulnerable when they are pregnant and in labor. A woman's concern for the baby is exploited to get her to make medical decisions she might not otherwise. However, that doesn't mean that women and childbirth can't benefit from science and technology and the ways in which those things can make childbirth better.
We need to stop making this issue an either/or choice and pitting women against each other over it.

[hereinlou]

Well said sister!

[Tina Brown Overton]

Are you talking about making childbirth "better" or safer? I think safer = better and unfortunately medical technology has done little in creating better outcomes in the past 30 years. For full term moms and babes medical technology has not improved morbidity or mortality rates, however as rates of technology have climbed at a staggering rate, we are seeing more surgery and injury. Sure, you can sometimes (try to) remove the pain in childbirth in the name of a "better" experience, but at what cost?

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christiane-northrup/c-section-or-natural-birt_b_323422.html

[pa28]

Jesus, let it go. Women have a right to choose whatever manner of childbirth they want. Stop trying to make women feel like traitors if they have pain medication.

If pain medication is so bad, don't let your kids have any the next time they go to the dentist.

[kiwieagle]

Wasn't it the Victorians that first came up with ways to ease a woman's pain in childbirth? The argument against and the controversy then was that God intended the pain. I'm so surprised that today, people still think women "should" suffer for childbirth. I was glad for my epidurals.
Let's not throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. There are many unneccesary procedures that women are subjected to because they are extremely vulnerable when they are pregnant and in labor. A woman's concern for the baby is exploited to get her to make medical decisions she might not otherwise. However, that doesn't mean that women and childbirth can't benefit from science and technology and the ways in which those things can make childbirth better.
We need to stop making this issue an either/or choice and pitting women against each other over it.

[mydwyf]

Actually, pain medications have been around for as long as (gasp) people have had access to
opiates and alcohol. A long time. Oh, and also cannabis (oh dear !). The Victorians were i think the first to employ chloroform (very risky) and ether (not much less risky). Dosages were not well understood and so 'some' would be poured on a handkerchief and held over the woman's nostrils.

Sometimes I speculate as to how things could have been and perhaps were done historically in ways which used the knowledge and technology of the times.

What might have helped facilitate comfortable deliveries ? We know that cannabis was often used. I am suspecting that opium suppositories would be pretty effective too. And no doubt many
women availed themselves of whatever liquor was at hand. (After all, it is relaxing). For those in the right location, swimming/soaking in warm salt water probably worked very well in early labor.
Some tribal desert women still give birth in a circle of dancing women, all performing the hip circles and shimmies which were originally designed to help the baby descend and rotate and the mother to release fear, pain and stress.

There are more paths to successful delivery than alleopathic medicine is willing to admit. To go back to the beginning of this thread, the attitude that 'pregnancy is an accident waiting to happen'
informs so much of our entire understanding of gestation, labor and delivery.

[cinemaven]

Have you had a baby without an epidural?
I had a very easy labor with my second son and because I was in tune with my body and the process and I have to say, it was a million times easier than my first labor where I was listening to doctors and nurses and not my body. Even if the epidural I recieved with my first son hadn't caused horrible complications that kept me hospitalized for 9 days, flat on my back, it still would have been far worse than having my second son naturally.
It's the thought that childbirth is painful or unbearable that has caused so much medical intervention... and believe me, an epidural is a medical procedure that can be much worse than the "pain" of childbirth.

[sunnybunny]

Ironically, all the women I know who have had babies in hospitals and had epidurals etc described their birth experience as very painful. I did not have any of these things because I was prepared for a natural home birth and everything went well. I didn't have a very painful birth at all with any of my 3 babies (none of them were big, but they were all over 7lbs and I was under 100lbs both before I got pregnant and shortly after delivery).
A lot of things hurt more than that - for me, a wisdom tooth or a broken bone hurt a lot worse. I would attribute that to the fact that the pain that I did have was directly related to what I was doing and the whole thing lasted only a few hours. I think the fact that I had a good understanding of what was happening and I didn't feel helpless contributed a lot to my positive experience.

[sunnybunny]

I think more women that are in good shape and can physically and mentally do it, should consider all natural childbirth But for the about 10-15% of women who actually have real complications, there needs to be appropriate accomodations or we would end up like women in rural africa who have injuries, as well as infant mortality that could be prevented with some proper medical intervention. There should not be a stigma or bias one way or the other, but unecessary medical procedures that produce unpleasant side effects should be avoided whenever possible.

[caromerewill]

Dr. Northrup-

Thank you for your information about fetal monitoring and outcomes on cerebral palsy. I think many Americans just assume that technology is backed by statistics that support it's use. I have three children and would have loved to have the monitor off during labor. I will say, that I am very thankful for technology and don't know how I would have made it without an epidural with my first child. I arrived at the hospital 5 cm dilated but then it took about 12 hours for me to get to 9cm. I 'm not sure I ever would have gotten to 10cm! This delivery was completed with forceps as I tried to push but never really had the urge-I only pushed because the doctor and nurses told me it was time. In situations like these, I'm not sure what kind of outcome there would have been with a home birth. Maybe a home birthing type center within hospitals would be realistic? Thanks for your article.