Wednesday, 11 May 2011
-
Doctors Pushing C-Sections
(As a disclaimer, I don't know each of your individual situations so don't think I'm criticizing anyone personally if they ended up with a c-section. A recent Momaroo post just reminded me of a pet peeve I have with doctors.)
Many times when a pregnant woman nears the end of her pregnancy she considers an induction. After all, she's tired of being pregnant, her due date is right around the corner, and it's so nice to know exactly when the baby will be born. Her doctor is open to it or even suggests it since her baby seems to be "on the large size."
Said woman sets the date and shows up to the hospital to have her baby. She gets the cervix softener, is hooked up to the pitocin, and after enduring contractions for a few hours, opts for an epidural. All seems to be going smoothly and the doctor comes in to break her water around 3 cm. But then, things start slowing down.
She never dilates past a 4 or 5 and labor seems to stall. The pitocin is increased and then the baby starts responding poorly. After a while the doctor comes in and tells the now distraught woman, "I'm sorry, but your body isn't responding the way it should. For the sake of the baby, we will have to perform a c-section."
The woman is a bit disappointed, but that wears off once she is united with her brand new daughter. Later on, she questions her doctor about why the induction failed and is told, "Well, since your cervix wouldn't dilate fast enough, it appears your body isn't made to have babies vaginally." From then on that woman forever believes that her cervix and pelvis are "broken" and cannot perform their natural function. She never gets a second opinion or considers a vaginal birth again.
Why do doctors say this when they have such little evidence to support it? If so many of us are "broken," how has the human race survived? Lest you think I'm exaggerating the issue, I have FIVE friends who were told this in the past two years. And that's out of the TEN or so friends that have had babies in that time.
I know the c-section rate is technically only 31% or so, but that's still too high! When your OB suggests an induction and then an epidural, they never explain to you that your risk of ending up with a c-section increases greatly when you opt to start labor early.
All of those Braxton Hicks contractions and "false" labor we deal with in the last trimester help prep our bodies for labor. In fact, it's not truly false labor. Those contractions are softening our cervixes and bringing the baby lower into the birth canal. When doctors attempt to dilate a hard cervix and jump start contractions in our bodies, it's no wonder our bodies won't respond they way we want them to.
I want to encourage every pregnant woman I know to let your labor start naturally. Labor at home as long as possible to prevent unnecessary interventions at the hospital. Once you get to the hospital, resist the urge to have your water broken (if it hasn't already) because labor is more painful once you do and your doctor will put you on a deadline to have the baby.
Also hold off on the epidural as long as you can (try to get to a 6 or 7) because occasionally epidurals can stall your labor as well (which then results in pitocin being used). If your doctor recommends using pitocin to speed your labor up, refuse unless he or she can give you a really good reason for it (like if you've been in labor for 36 hours or so or if your water has broken and you're coming up against the deadline).
If you're nearing the end of your pregnancy and your doctor suggests an induction, question them thoroughly and weigh the pros and cons. Obviously if your health dictates it or your husband is deploying to Afghanistan, you may have no other option, but do your research ahead of time and realize that things like being "overdue" and the possibility of having a big baby are not good enough reasons to induce labor. (Take it from a 95-pound woman who delivered a 9-pound baby at 41 weeks with no drugs.)
Sometimes your doctor will be insistent, but offer to come in for additional appointments, stress tests, or sonograms to make sure the baby and placenta are fine. If you do have to have an induction, try natural means of starting labor ahead of time, ask that the pitocin be started slowly, and wait to have your water broken so as to not put yourself on a deadline.
Above all, I encourage all of you to do your research, get second opinions, and be informed as to your choices. Take pride in being a woman and take charge of your bodies during childbirth!
Does any of this sound familiar to you? Did you have a C-Section under these circumstances? Did your doctor offer?
RecommendRelated Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to momaroo's Momaroo Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in momaroo's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: averyswife@xanga
- Name: Emily
- Location: San Antonio, Texas, United States
- About Me: I am the wife of a cop, the mother of three adorable kids, and a daughter of King Jesus. ~Romans 8:28~
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 10 Views: 0 7541 Comments: 0 158 View all posts by averyswife@xanga
Comments (60)
Some good points. It's so important to be a well-informed patient, especially when you're having a baby!
I agree almost 100% with this article. When I eventually having children, I want my body to do as much of the work as possible so as to avoid having to have a C-Section as much as possible. I would need a VERY good reason as to get one. As it is, I'm already planning to have a water birth (if possible) and to continue to move about as much as possible before/during delivery rather than have the medication/lay down on my back on the bed route. Even before I started doing more research into the matter I swore that I did not want to be confined to a bed because a) I hate being confined to a bed for any reason, especially pain since it makes pain less endurable for me rather than more endurable, b) I like to move around no matter what, c) Ancient egyptians had a very progressive birth experience, in which they would allow gravity help them to deliver the baby (hello, path of least resistance)? The egyptian example has stuck with me since MIDDLE SCHOOL and I had no intentions or even thoughts of giving birth or children at that point in my life.
And why is a c-section so wrong? I don't know...it just bothers me when people think it's not a good way to give birth. It's the woman's choice to be induced and not be pregnant anymore. If it ends in a c-section, so be it. I think we should be thankful we have the technology to save babies and mama's when things go wrong in childbirth. Of course i know these things that "go wrong" could maybe be avoided without an induction, but at least we have options to ensure the health of ourselves and our children.
If I ever met you in person, I'd shake your hand. A 9 pound baby with NO DRUGS?!?!? You are officially my childbirth hero! o.O That would kill me!! LOL
I dont think a C-Section is wrong but I dislike when women do it for cosmetic reasons or think it's easy. A C-section is still surgery with risks, medications & downtime. I read about how women did it for the sake of "being easier" or whatnot & they regretted it because they either took longer to heal, had difficulties with their incisions & it took them longer to get back to normal. I havent had a baby yet but I did have laproscopic surgery to remove benign ovarian cysts & some endometriosis spots. I was told I'd be fine to do my usual stuff in a few days. IT TOOK ME MONTHS!!!!!!! Now I realize this isnt as invasive as a C-section & every body heals & reacts differently but the point I'm making is dont go into something major thinking it's easy or expecting to have the same results.
Unless it's needed to save the baby or the mama (or your husband deploys like the OP said. heh), I think C-sections should be kept to a minimum & if possible, I would get a second opinion. It's no secret either some doctors do a C-section to save time because they dont want to be around all day/night. I remember an episode of Strong Medicine where a doctor lied to a woman saying she wasnt progessing enough when she really was & started doing a C-section so she could make a plane for a vacation & the woman ended up having complications on the table. It's fiction there but it could happen in real life.
@ShamrockLover@xanga - i dont think c sections are wrong.. but i do think that if possible a woman should {be allowed to } let labor happen as naturally as possible. after all we have been doing it since the dawn of time. i plan on having this discussion with my dr tomorrow when i go in for my Glucose test and appt. he delivered my son, but since my water broke at home before contractions started they hooked me up to pitocin and i really think that is why i ended up in labor for 21 hours and had the "complications" i did. this time i plan on laboring at home for as long as possible.
What does weight have anything to do how painful labor and delivery is?
I know epidurals risk slowing things down, but I don't mind them. They actually sped up my labor because I could finally relax and breathe properly (and not kill everyone in the room or so my husband says.) Of course, that is just one anecdotal story out of many that I have heard.
I was induced on my second one two weeks early because my doctor was saying the baby was small. I knew ahead of time of the average weight gain per week of development so I knew he was full of crap because it was close to Thanksgiving and called him on it which caused the nurse to laugh. Of course, I went ahead with it because that is when my sister was visiting and offered to help out.
My hospital doesn't let women get epidurals until they are at least 4 cm dilated. In fact, this is the first I heard of any hospital letting a women get one before then.
I'm all for being informed. I don't feel I was as informed as I should have been. My doctor said matter of factly, that she would induce at 39 weeks. I ended up going into pre-term labor, being put on bed rest and induced, a week later, due to her heart rate dipping. I'm glad I wasn't just rushed into a c-section, but given a chance to labor. 5 and a half hours later, she was born vaginally. Couldn't have been happier!
I 100% agree with this post. And I don't think you are downing cesareans if there is a compelling reason to have one. It's a sensitive subject because it's a personal one.
All of this happened to me with my first. Although I did dilate to 10, she was facing the wrong way and wasn't descending and that's why they did the c-section. I was devastated. But when you are in labor, there isn't a more vulnerable time in your life. It's hard to remember you have choices at that point.
I was blessed to have a VBAC with my son. I had to fight like a dog to get the chance though.
I agree fully!
Oh yeah, know what I found out after my cesarean? My dr's c-section rate was 61%!!!!! And no, he wasn't a high risk OB.
*Applause!*
I definitely want an epidural should I be blessed with pregnancy one day
I've heard that C-sections are more painful in the long run than vaginal births due to the long healing process, can anybody give me their opinion?
@ohforrealson@xanga - I have had a both a cesarean and a vaginal birth. For me, the vaginal birth was more painful in the moment than the cesarean. However, the cesarean hurt a lot longer. A lot lot longer. Like 6 weeks of pain, compared to about 2 hrs of vaginal birth pain (w/o an epidural).
I'd sooner take 2 hrs of pain than 6 weeks. Fo sho.
I feel that my doctor was dishonest with me. He told me, three weeks before my induction, that my daughter was already 7lbs 6ozs. He scheduled an induction based on the fear that she would be 10-11lbs when she was born.
When I got to the hospital for the induction I was not dilated at all. I was given a drug to begin the process at 1:30a on 9/9/10. At 7am when I was only 2cm he broke my waters and began pitocin. I managed to labor on the pitocin until 3:30p before asking for an epidural. It took them until 4:30p to get the epidural. I was 3cm dilated. At 5pm my doctor refused to let me labor any longer, declaring that my baby was a " a big passenger" and that the doorway was "too small". Now it must be stated that I am not a petite person, quite the contrary, and my sister vaginally birthed 6 babies who were all between 10-11 lbs. I had a trouble free pregnancy with excellent blood pressure and no gestational diabetes, etc. My daughter was not in any kind of distress and I wanted to take more time to labor vaginally. My doctor refused.
What was I to do, strapped to a bed, numb from the chest down, hooked up to an internal fetal monitor and threatened by a nurse who told me she could up the pitocin "as high as she wanted." (This is usually done, according to my doula, to induce fetal distress and then the C-section.) Having conceived my precious daughter after a difficult struggle with infertility I did not want her to experience the pain or trauma of fetal distress. I consented to the C-section to prevent it. When my daughter was born at 7:22p she weighed in at a perfectly normal 7lbs 10 oz - Gargantuan!?! I hardly thinks so! (and obviously she was not 7lbs 6oz three weeks before)
If I ever have another child I can honestly say I will be seeking a Doctor whom I am certain will not bully me. I love my little one dearly but I actually had to grieve over how difficult my birth experience was due to the fact that my doctor was C-section happy.
http://www.mothersinmedicine.com/2011/04/art-vs-science.html
I love this post! It's so true. I did not keep myself informed for my first pregnancy (with twins) and was basically told I wasn't allowed to even try a vaginal birth. So I had the csection. This time I have a wonderful ob and will be attempting a vbac next month. Doctors get paid more for csections so for some that is the motivation behind it. And a lot do induce before necessary. My dr will not until 41 weeks unless we had a medical issue like pre-e.
@mommashannon@xanga - Be careful with inducing a VBAC. I could not be a stronger proponent for the right to have a VBAC, but the risks are much greater when inductions are performed (particularly with pitocin which I think is from hell anyway lol). I had a VBAC almost 2 years ago, and if induction became medically necessary, cesarean would have been a safer choice at that point. Just be careful, and good luck!
None of this sounds familiar to me at all. None of the doctors where I gave birth to would do anything like that. They were all very pro-natural birth and the only reason I had a C-section was b/c my son was in distress. This was after I had surgery while I was pregnant. I am pretty sure that many doctors would have decided that I was having a C-section automatically after that. They wouldn't even give you an epidural unless you were at least 4 cm dilated. I am hoping to have my second at the same place I had my son. I always here these horror stories about other places and it scares me. I don't want to have my son anywhere else.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - He doesn't want to induce me. I will be trying all the "natural" ways to induce before that would happen. He told me inducing me is the last resort.
Great post! We will be TTC in the next six months, so I'm doing my research now.
@PseudoEuphoric@xanga - These are not just assumptions based on one of a few women's experiences. First of all, I was on another network at one point, and the things described here were common. Secondly, I worked for over a decade in a hospital personally. I saw it there as well. Read it in the charts of my patients. Third, there are set protocols based on ACOG recommendations. Are you familiar with ACOG - American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. They are THE resource if you want to know what is recommended to docs because they are the ones setting a majority of the protocols.
I don't give two shits if the hospital doesn't have "room" for another mom in labor and for that reason they choose to put me (and my baby) through more risky procedures to rush me out.
Discussing this with their doctor was never discouraged by this blog. This blog encouraged moms to let nature take it's course and not to induce based on a timeline not having anything to do with the health and well being of either the mom or the baby. Surmise is not reason enough to cut. Prove it. That's what she's saying. Ask for an ultrasound, ask for a non-stress test. Lots of moms, particularly first timers, don't know the options out there, or that they even have one besides scheduling an induction or cesarean during a convenient time for the drs and staff.
The longevity of school and the amount of money spent does not equal almighty knowledge and God-like expertise on all aspects of even a given specialty. As a patient we get to be treated with respect and as an individual - not a number. Not a protocol.
And thanks to our interference and science, as a nation our maternal and fetal outcomes are next to the worst in the developed world. What of that? Look at other countries who have safer deliveries for mom and baby, and they have fewer cesareans, fever interventions, and more midwives. That's a fact, not an opinion.
Midwife all the way for me.
In case anybody's interested... any book by Ina May Gaskin is very informative. She's one of the world's most highly accomplished midwives.
And to those above saying that C-sections are a woman's personal choice, that's true! It's also true that C-sections increase the mother's mortality rate. It's so important to read up on this stuff.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - I agree, totally. There will never be pitocin in my body again! When I have another if I do no go into labor naturally at 2 weeks past due, I'm going straight for a C-Section. Pitocin nearly (and should have) killed my son. It put him in so much distress.
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - I will have a midwife or doula next time around. I'd love a homebirth, but doing a VBAC I'm just not comfortable with it. I keep hoping that a birthing center equipped with the tools for an emergency C-Section will open up before next time around. I
I read an article stating that a lot of doctors push C-Sections because they cost more, and they take less time. So it makes the doctors more money, and it frees up more hospital beds quicker for even more money to be made. I am glad I don't have to deal with any of that (because I'm not having children). This is all really informing, though. I do have a question because I have a friend who is pregnant. She said that she has to have it induced because of her high blood pressure. Is that a valid reason to induce or is the doctor just making this up?
@T0m03@xanga - Her blood pressure must be causing pre-eclampsia? If so, yes she needs to have her baby sooner than later before real eclampsia comes on. That can be a fatal condition. I would try everything to reduce my blood pressure that I could, reduce sodium, watch weight gain, lots of healthy protein, primarily water to drink, stuff like that. But no, her drs aren't making that one up - high maternal blood pressure is a definite risk factor.