And who decides when one is “necessary”? I probably could have delivered my daughter “naturally”, eventually, but in all likelihood it would have caused a lot of damage to my body and possibly caused a lot of mental trauma too.
I also remember reading somewhere - I don’t remember where, so sorry , no cite - that the majority of female gynaecologists opt for c-sections, because they’ve seen the long-term damage natural childbirth can do to a woman’s body.
I fully support a woman’s right to have whatever birth works for her and her baby.
I hit send too soon. I meant to add that until you’ve been through childbirth, you’ve no idea how you’re going to react, so you really shouldn’t judge or make assumptions about what is the “right” way to give birth.
My mother got a serious staph infection after they delivered my twin and me via C-section. That was some time ago, but I’m guessing it’s still an important risk worth considering.
My c-section was ten times easier than the nine hours of labor I experienced before it happened. If I end up getting another one without having to go through the labor first, I will thank my lucky stars.
I wanted to get a vasectomy at age 21 and several doctors refused because they thought I was too young. Bastards. I gave up and didn’t try again for more than 10 years, missing out on my Golden Age of bareback fucking.
What about “not strictly necessary, but better”? Isn’t anesthetic used routinely for many procedures, even when it’s not “necessary”? I wouldn’t begrudge anyone anesthetic when having otherwise painful dental work done; why should I want to withhold from someone the means to make childbirth less painful?
In any case, yes, 90% C-sections is ridiculous. But at the same time, obviously 90% of upper-middle or higher class Brazilian women can not be insane.
What we have here is a situation where the speed of social and economic changes in a society is such that there are adaptation problems. There was no time to evolve a model of participative practitioner/patient relationship on a footing of collaborating equals – either the relationship is This Person is THE DOCTOR who has Wisdom and Knowledge you can’t fathom, who are you to question his/her instructions; or, OTOH, you have one where That Person is THE PAYING CUSTOMER and your job is to provide the service they’re buying, shut up and take their money! Also in societies undergoing these transformations, being able to afford a c-section becomes an expectation that you will have one; natural childbirth becomes something that those poor people using public health hospitals or giving birth at home back in the countryside have to endure. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how intense can the urge be for someone finally experiencing social mobility to abandon and renegue from anything that was “old village ways”.
And finally yes some women will deliberately and consciously rather not bother with natural childbirth and prefer c-section for the sake of convenience or predictability. Their bodies, their choice.
I had an elective c-section. It wasn’t medically necessary but it was the best choice for me. I have a happy, healthy daughter and I recovered without a problem.
I only hope that others aren’t as judgmental of your medical decisions as you are of theirs.
I delivered twice naturally and tore both times but the healing was routine and easy. But I think you should have options and whatever works for you and ofcourse if its medically necessary go for it. My mom had 4 c sections when they did the staple thing across the tummy and I guess it was pushed on her at the time in England.
I think these are the key paragraphs in the linked article:
More expensive = status symbol.
A doctor saying that medical aspects aren’t as important as “impact on her and her family” (actually, from later paragraphs, impact on the doctor’s schedule), and the higher medical risks and greater recovery times are not a negative impact. Just schedule the birth when the doctor has a spot.
You’ve never heard of provoked deliveries? Maybe they’re called something else in English. It’s when the woman gets to the hospital at a time agreed upon with the doctor and they give her drugs to try and get the delivery started.
It’s called an induction in the UK, and they generally don’t do them here until you’re at least two weeks overdue, unless there are other medical concerns. In my case an induction was planned for three days after my due date, because of the baby’s size, but it wasn’t needed as I went into labour on my due date.
Personally I think it’s fine for women to choose an elective c-section, but my problem is with the medical professionals who treat it like it’s no big deal, and almost certainly easier than what they tend to sell as long, painful labor that will often end up with surgery anyway. Sure, individual people may have a better experience with surgery than with a vaginal delivery, but across the population, c-sections have higher rates of: infection, blood loss (sometimes leading to hysterectomy), pulmonary embolism, and lasting pain for the mother, higher rates of prematurity for infants along with all the respiratory, neurological, and other problems that brings, and result in just as many cases of pelvic floor dysfunction as vaginal birth.
Yet many women seem to come away from doctor’s offices with the impression that a c-section is akin to getting a pedicure. I say, sure, let women choose surgery if they like, but make sure they’re getting all the information about it first, not just a glowing review from an OB who feels more comfortable with the illusion of control and limited liability it brings.
I’ve experienced almost the entire spectrum of delivery:
Natural but delivered with a vacuum extractor in the end
Epidural
Scheduled C-section
Completely natural VBAC (really fast labor)
With two of the three vaginal deliveries, I experienced some tearing, and it was painful…for a couple days. The C-section, by contrast, was excruciating! It hurt for a few days to laugh or cough, and I still experienced pain months later. There’s a reason hospitals routinely offer a morphine drip post C-section.
The option for women to have an elective C-section with no medical reason seems more than a little strange to me. It’s riskier, more painful, and not recommended by most medical practitioners (example.)
Thank you, I’ll try to remember the word for next time. In Spain there was some worry for a bit that some doctors were inducing too much; like those Brazillian cesareans, it was a matter of selling a procedure that should not even be recommended for a case with no complications as being “more convenient” than letting Nature run its course and yes, maybe waking people up at 11pm.
Maybe they’re called something else in English. It’s when the woman gets to the hospital at a time agreed upon with the doctor and they give her drugs to try and get the delivery started.