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From:  "PJ. Garner" <garnered_images@e...>
"PJ. Garner" <garnered_images@e...>
Date:  Fri Feb 16, 2001  9:13 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Okay - pregnancy and the singing voice


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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