Birth Business

Just finished watching Ricki Lake's The Business Of Being Born documentary on birth in US... WOW!! It's mind-blowing...

I'm not going to go into details but in my case I'm glad I didn't go through induction and all the intervention cascades, because it would've made the experience traumatic and might've harmed the baby too. You see these women strapped down on the bed with various lines attached to their veins and the obstetricians giving them ultimatum if they're not going to deliver this baby in such and such time then they'll do ventouse/forceps delivery or c-section. You see these women were crying from the pain (induction causes more pain than natural labour), and then they were crying because they felt helpless.

I am grateful that my experience of elective c-section somewhat good if not blissful compare to those "failed to progress" (which actually caused by failed induction) those women had . And I'm grateful that the hospital's OB agrees not to induce me because I'm having VBAC, and it's giving me an advantage for lessen the risk uterine scar rupture since in 1999 medical research finally concluded that the cause of most of uterine scar rupture is the strong contractions from pitocin induction.

One of the OBs on the documentary said the first c-section is easy, it's when it comes to second, third and fourth when things get complicated and the risk of bleeding, infections and other things are going up and up...

One of my favourite persons who is a speaker in this documentary is Marsden Wagner (who has retired from a distinguished career as head of Maternal and Child Health for the European Office of the World Health Organisation (WHO), he now acts as a consultant for WHO in the emerging countries of central and eastern Europe), said that if you want to have a natural birth then stay away from the hospital! He's an OB and by him saying this, well it says a lot doesn't it?

Unlike Ricki Lake who felt cheated from her first birth which was in the hospital and was full with interventions and time limits, so that for the second birth she wanted to have a natural birth at home, my reasons for having a natural birth (either at home or hospital) is because I want to be able to be on my feet straight after birth which I didn't have when I had my first with my c-section. We haven't had help, it was just hubby and I. He helped me a lot of course but after 2 weeks he had to go back to work. I was struggling to recover from a major abdominal surgery with oozing scar infection and unable to do normal things such as lifting up and walking even a short distance without getting the pain, AND also looking after our newborn. Believe me, looking after newborns are harder that it seems.

If I can change few things, this is definitely one thing I want to avoid. I'm not trying to be a martyr or a crusader in birthing a child, I will be feeling so grateful and relieved if with the next birth I'll be able to recover quickly... But IF things don't go according to plan and IF I end up with another c-section I will be grateful too. First because I know I'm not putting my baby through those induction cocktail of drugs, and two because I will know that I am informed and know my choices/options, something I was lacking previously.