Was just talking about women's health issues with someone yesterday and lamenting the fact that the majority of what are actually normal processes are treated more akin to diseases here in the U.S.
PJ.
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----- Original Message ----- From: Tako Oda To: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 12:34 PM Subject: [vocalist] Okay - pregnancy and the singing voice
Susi <plvdijk@i...> wrote: Susi <plvdijk@i...> wrote: > > Don't be too scared about a C-section, think of the health of your baby as > well as your singing career. Normal deliveries also have their downside.eg > prolapses, which doctors seldom tell you about. My Gynea was quite > irritated, because everyone was wanting natural births and were then > surprised that they also brought unwanted side-effects.Every body reacts > differently, so just enjoy the wonder of it all and don't push yourself too > hard.
Dear Susi,
There is certainly a place in the modern world for C-section. It has saved many lives, mothers and children alike. If a CS has helped a woman or baby, that's a reason to rejoice. But in my humble opinion it is rarely necessary. I can see it in a case of placentia previa (when the placenta is physically in the way), or a vaginal infection that could transfer to the baby, but these sorts of complications are very rare - *much* rarer than the 25% C-section rate that is the norm in the US. Prolapse (when the uterus bulges into the birth canal) is definitely not the main reason for all these C-sections - I know a lot of moms who have been cut, but none who had uterine prolapse ;-)
To me, there is a fundamental problem with the "medical model" of birthing in the US. Having babies is a healthy, natural process. Having a professional who's specialty is dysfunction is going skew the way your birth goes. Of course the insane health insurance system in the US doesn't help either. Doctors aren't allowed to spend enough time with their clients, and must adhere to protocols that emphasize speed rather than quality. A C section takes a long time to heal for the mother, but is a pretty quick procedure for the doctor and may cut short a 36 hour labor, so there aren't so many costs for the HMO. You don't know how often I've heard "failure to progress" as a reason to cut a woman open. Maybe if hospital beds were free, there wouldn't be such a rush?
The US has one of the highest rates of hospital births, and yet has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world. The inverse is true in Japan, which employs many midwives and boasts the lowest IM rate in the world. Birth is not a disease, and a woman shouldn't have to feel like she needs intervention as her default mode of birthing. Some of these interventions create new problems, leading to more interventions.
Anyway, the reason I'm a little skeptical about the "think of the health of your baby" reasoning, is that it is common for hospital staff to use that as a high presssure tactic to get compliance from the mother. What new mother could refuse that line? Surely no mother wants harm to come to her baby - I only question the motivations of the people who say it. The mother is being pitted against her child in the interests of the hospital staff. I've actually seen a statistic that shows C section rates elevated toward the end of shifts for OBs or during crunch times for residents. Surely that's not a coincidence? Baby's health indeed! Doctor's convenience is more like it!
Some OBs have a higher rate of CS than others, they are not necessarily the ones with better outcomes, there is clearly a lot of room for skill and discretion outside of the true emergency situations. Would God or evolution design a process in which 25% of babies died in childbirth?
Tako Oda
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