Argh

If you are easily offended by me on a regular basis....Please stop reading now.

I just got an email from a friend of mine who is expecting her second child. In it, she was complaining about how her Dr. is insisting on a scheduled C-section because her first labor ~ according to the Dr.~ was such a disaster. She "failed to progress" and had to be rushed for that "emergency C-section". It doesn't matter to the Dr. that they medically induced her at 38 weeks because "that baby is huge!" and the poor kid came 2 weeks early fairly traumatically and only 6.5 lbs.

This same friend was also discouraged by her Dr. and her mother from breastfeeding her little guy because he was a bit colicky and a puker. Their constant nagging of how he probably wasn't getting enough milk, he's still hungry, you can't let him just cry....blah blah blah.... made her lose any confidence in herself she might have had and she quit breast feeding all together. (surprise surprise the formula didn't make any difference in his puking and he was still colicky, he just was gassier and smelled worse when he threw up!)

I am soooo frustrated at the medical field, my friends' lack of confidence in themselves, and society as a whole. For thousands of years women have been having babies. Long before insane medical intervention (less than 100 years ago!) society continued to thrive, babies were born (sometimes by the dozen to the same woman!), and life went on. Jesus was born in a stable, not Rush Memorial. I am not Anti-medical advancement. So many great things have come from science and medicine, allowing us to live longer and healthier lives. HOWEVER, a major abdominal surgery, narcotic pain killers, IV fluids, and staples are NOT necessary parts of child birth.

The United States ranks 23rd out of the 26 industrial countries in the world in infant mortality. That means that 22 other countries have a lower percentage of babies die each year. Yet, the United States ranks 1st in the number of C-sections performed yearly (nearly 48% of all deliveries are C-sections in the U.S. while the rest of the world hovers around or below 5%) Does anyone else see the correlation here?

No where else in the world do so many women feel compelled to go to the hospital to "deliver" their baby. In fact, in Europe or Latin America, if you say you were born in a hospital, you will be questioned on what was wrong with you at birth.

So many women I know have been convinced to schedule their surgery because there is "a risk of uterine rupture" if they were to try to have their 2nd, 3rd, 4th baby vaginally. Yet, there is NO MEDICALLY DOCUMENTED case that EVER a woman's uterus rupture during labor from a previous cesarean. Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is a realistic and viable option that is rarely given to women who don't ask about it. If I hear "My Dr. said I have to have a C-section" one more time I am going to scream! Find a different friggin Dr! Question what medical fact requires you to have a surgery to bring your baby into the world instead of naturally like your body intended! Ask some questions people!!

After listening to my friends' reasons (i.e. excuses) on why they are scheduling (or worrying they will have) a cesarean, I can only shake my head.

"My baby will be too big." Too big for what? I know women who have had 9, 10, even 12 lb babies vaginally (and naturally for that matter). They all survived. None of them ripped in two or did not recover from labor. They can all still walk, function, raise their children. So I ask, too big for what? Believe me, that thing will stretch! (have you seen the size of my kids' heads?!?)

"I am past my due date." Hello? You have passed some arbitrary date set by your Dr. on when she thinks you might be done cooking that kid? Oh, yeah, your Dr. knows more about your body than you, or your body itself. I promise you will not hold on to a baby until its first day of preschool. At most your looking at a couple extra weeks. (believe me, it sucks!) However, you have got to trust that there has to be a reason for it!

"I might tear." You know they use a scalpal for a C-section, right?

"My Dr. is going to be out of town on my due date." Don't even get me started on that one!

"My labor stalled." Ever think that might have to do with the catheter in your back, the sterile stressful environment of the hospital, the fact that you medically induced your labor before it was ready, or you have been lying prone for the last 5 hours because you can't feel your legs anymore? If your body senses stress in a normal situation, it will shut down, or freak out, or some other non-expected reaction. I don't recall ever having to go pee in the middle of an important softball game. My body knew better. And, heading to a hospital (which is where sick people go) surrounded by beeping machines, getting poked with needles, and having lots of people stick their hand up your who-ha is likely to induce a little bit of stress. Your body might decide this isn't a safe place to bring a fragile new life into the world and shut down. Instead of listening to your body, dimming the lights, taking some deep breaths and letting your body recover.... nurses and Drs. come in telling you all the horrible things that can happen if you don't hurry up and have a baby. Ahhh... how relaxing!

"The babies heart rate dropped/spiked whatever." Ok, I want you to go to the garage, stick your head in the vice, and squeeze ever so gently. Release the pressure, and then about 4 minutes later, do it again. Hold each squeeze for about 30 seconds and repeat for about an hour or so. Check your heart rate.

Have I made my point? I realize that this is quickly becoming a chapter (or two or three) of a book, but I just can't swallow it any more. There is so much more I could get going on (epidural, routine ultra sound, glucose tolerance tests, immunizations, that crap they put in babies eyes when they are born, pitocin, episiotomy, weight gain, enemas). The list is kinda long. But for now, I will let you all chew on this one!