It’s sickening. This country’s maternal health care system is BROKEN badly. For the reasons you listed, it’s near high to impossible for even women who WANT a natural childbirth to have one. I had a c-section with my first after being in the hospital with my water broken for three days. They said it was an emergency. I think they just didn’t want me taking up an L&D room anymore.

I planned a homebirth for my 2nd, but we wound up transferring to the hospital and I had a repeat c-section anyway. I felt much more empowered the second time around and I’m more comfortable with the CS because I think it was needed. Due to this country’s broken system, I’ll never know if my first CS was needed or I fell victim to the system’s flawed view of birth.
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I had three boys- and different labor experiences with each one.

My first was natural- and he was the one who ended up being whisked away from me and I couldn’t see him for about 4 hours afterwards.

My second, I went into labor on my own and had a little bit of pain meds. But, it was still difficult.

My third, I was induced(due to quick labors and living far from the hospital at the time) and had an epidural. I was so worried about being induced and the epidural. But, it was by far the least stressful and my only one that I got to nurse right after he was born.

I’m all for whatever each mom decides to do. I hate any sort of pressure to have a baby one way or another- either pushing for natural or pushing for inducing. It really is up to the mom.

Amen. I’m so grateful for that Lamaze book and that a friend gave me it to read so early in my pregnancy. Info like that blew my mind and thankfully I ended up birthing at home.

The statistics are not surprising but they are sickening. Women need to realize the reality of hospital birth and begin utilizing other options – home birth and birth centers with qualified attendants covered by health insurance and agitating for their availability. Of course women should always be given informed choices and treated like a human being instead of a source of income, and some women will always have to give birth in the hospital for medical reasons, but I also believe that “when you buy the hospital ticket, you go for the hospital ride”. Although research has shown and continues to show no improvement in outcomes from continuous EFM, and some more progressive hospitals do “allow” intermittent monitoring, I do not believe hospitals will EVER abandon it completely as a routine procedure because of the liability concerns and the need of healthcare professionals to “know what is going on”. So even if the percentage of women who achieved the other healthy practices (labor starting on own, moving during labor, avoiding lithotomy position, etc.) increased, the number who avoid them ALL will stay very low until more births move back into the home or birth center environment.

I also want to respond to Shell’s comment. Of course the choice should be up to the mother, even if I don’t agree with her choice, but I completely agree with Danielle that the key is informed choice. Shell, were you aware of all the risks of elective induction and epidural anasthesia when you chose those options? If so, you are in the minority. Research studies have shown that most, not many but MOST, women are not told about all the risks of common obstetric interventions. In any other area of medicine this would be considered unethical and abhorrent, but I beleive that it’s tolerated in obstetrics because of sexism and, in particular, a prejudice against pregnant women as being “weak” and needing “protection”. I think it’s great that you were able to initiate breastfeeding immediately despite all the interventions you had, but again your experience is not the norm since Pitocin and epidural anasthesia are known to interfere with breastfeeding initiation. Also, I’m sure you benefitted from your previous breastfeeding experience after your third birth. Many women face all these interventions with their first births and are unprepared for the complications, further interventions (including surgery), difficult recovery, and breastfeeding problems that commonly result.

I had an all natural birth in a hospital and it was a wonderful experience. Obviously I was monitored. But I didn’t have an IV, very light monitoring, I was able to move and no one offered anything to do with drugs. I just want those to know who aren’t comfortable with a home birth that it is possible to have a very natural, drug free, low key birth in a hospital. I was at Southwest Washington Medical Center in the Family Birth Center. I was given all waivers I asked for. I was respected and honored for my desire and firm decision to do this naturally. Also I was the first to have my baby and I even got to grab her as she was finishing coming out. It was phenomenal! We were not at the hospital for long, 41 hours. Just want to shed a positive light as well for those who it can’t or won’t work out for home or birth center births. I fully support home and birth center births and would like my next one to be a home birth. Even though we shouldn’t have to “go to bat” so strongly to have the natural, we can choose to have it the best way, with respectful firmness.

I had to change practices and hospitals at 32 weeks to ensure I got the birth I wanted. Fortunately for me, I was able to achieve all 6 healthy practices and my birth was AWESOME.

What’s most shocking to me is how uninformed most women are. They assume that medical intervention is superior and the doctors are all knowing. I’ve had people call natural childbirth “antiquated” and “foolish” – It’s baffling to me.

Thanks for these statistics and information – I feel like the best thing I can do is keep talking openly about how awesome natural childbirth is in the hopes of encouraging other women to educate themselves!

As a labor and delivery nurse, I am offended that anyone would imply that women receive IV access in order for nurses to lie to their patients and medicate them without their consent. It’s simply offensive. As a nurse, it’s my job to be my patients’ advocate. This includes informing them about their right to REFUSE any treatment (including pitocin and IV access.) It’s also my responsibility to inform them of the rationale behind said interventions. And as for the induction rate being at 44%- this is not physician-led, this is often the desire of the patient. It is, after all, a woman’s right to choose. If she’s sick of being pregnant (which is often why a woman chooses to be induced), then she needs to accept responsibility for that decision. I think that’s the root of it all. Women who complain about OB care and the OB model of care should not go to OBs. If a woman desires a homebirth, that’s wonderful. However, there are risks, and just because you know someone who had a successful homebirth after cesarean or after multiple cesareans doesn’t mean it’s safe. There are poor outcomes, but few choose to post those stories widely on the net. I had a baby at 28 weeks (stat c-section). He’s fine. I wouldn’t recommend everyone to go out and have their babies at 28 weeks, however, and that seems to be the thinking behind this.

Danielle, that is exactly what I’m saying. Although, no consent is signed for medications, or the administration of medications is covered in a blanket consent signed upon admission, it is the duty of the nurse to educate his or her patients about the medications they are administering. When a physician orders pitocin, I will talk with my patient and explain the purpose of pitocin, and what she can expect with pitocin. I then ask if that is acceptable to them. I’m not going to force medications on my patients..
As for stating my stance on homebirth, I don’t believe I did that. I think that every woman has an idea and expectation about what they want in a birth experience. If homebirth is what someone wants, and they are willing to accept the risks associated with it, that’s their perogative. Just as someone who chooses to be electively induced at 39 weeks does so knowing the risks. The same could be said for mothers choosing elective primary or repeat Cesarean sections. Of course, literature shows that the riskiest of those would be the C-section. I’m supportive of birth as the mother wants it.

If that were the case, signing consents alone could take hours. If every medication had to be consented (because if you’re going to be consented for Pit, you need to be consented for all other medications as well.) It would take hours. Honestly, if a low- or non-intervened birth is what you desire, than my recommendation would be to seek care with a midwife. OBs have turned to highly managed labors for two reasons. Frivolous lawsuits and outrageous malpractice insurance rates (up to 100K/yr) Rhet are taught under the premise that no birth is normal until proven otherwise. There will never be a happy medium within the healthcare system as it stands. There are women who know exactly what they want and won’t take anything less, which is fine, but when dealing with birth, one must allow for flexibility. There are certain things that cannot be anticipated. there are definitely alternatives that OBs wouldn’t suggest, but many of them are open-minded and willing to
explore alternatives. About yo fall asleep.

Yes, it is sad that government and money legislate what midwives can and can’t do. I honestly believe that there is little good that will come from healthcare reform, but mark my words, by the time our children are having children, midwifery care will be more commonplace as a need for cost-effective care is sought after. Pregnancy care will evolve as evidence based practice is actually followed, and the FACT that midwives have better outcomes (lower maternal and infant morbidity and mortality) will be more desired and actually encouraged within the healthcare system. Danielle, we aren’t on different sides here. I know the facts. I know what evidence shows. I do have a different opinion on certain things, like singling out certain medications fir consent. That could expand to ICU meds and lead to disaster within the healthcare system. I believe in midwifery care, and the power of women’s bodies and their innate ability to birth. The process is awe-inspiring. I also believe that many women simply buy into the paternalistic obstetrics care which is why there are so many women still utilizing OBs. I think there is a time and a place for obstetrics. There are many high-risk conditions that require it. As women feed less into the zipper-happy OB culture, and when women choose to educate themselves about the whole birth process, they will make better choices in regards to induction, especially induction prior to 41 weeks. As a women, it frustrates me SO much to see women begging to just be delivered sometimes as early as 35 weeks (the docs don’t do that.) If they only recognized that those discomforts are their body’s way of preparing itself for the birth process, then maybe the discomfort would be a little more accepted. I do believe that in time the C-section rate will decline, and it will be through the more widespread use of midwifery principles and through better education.