A recent study in NSW hospitals has found that tens of thousands of women with low risk of birth complications are undergoing unnecessary medical interventions in private hospitals.
The study found that those giving birth privately had a 20 per cent lower chance of having their first child through normal vaginal delivery.
The leader of the study, Hannah Dahlen, said the women examined between 2000 and 2008 were aged 20 to 34, were not pre-term or overdue and carried babies of normal weight.
While 35 per cent gave birth with no intervention in public hospitals, this dropped to 15 per cent in private hospitals.
”These are horrifying figures,” Dr Dahlen said.
”Women need to be informed that intervention in childbirth is no walk in the park, with caesarean sections, for example, potentially causing a scarred uterus, which can increase the risk of complications in future pregnancies.”
That’s the view of one health professional but what of the women having these c-section? MM reader Carlie Daley writes that her caesarean birth was actually healing…
My caesarean birth was healing. How can this be so, you ask? How can being slashed across the lower abdomen, while you’re paralysed from the torso down, and your baby pulled out and away from you, be healing you say?
Let me tell you my journey of birth, a story that defies popular opinion that medicalised birth is disempowering for women. I was meant to have ‘natural’ births for both my babies but the stars didn’t align. I’d read all the spiritual books about ecstatic and natural birthing, booked myself into the hospital birth centre and was surrounded by mid-wives who had given birth either at home or were very supportive of birth as a natural process. I believed my birth would be a transcendental experience. True, both my births were transcendental, but they were not natural in the least.
FYI – This is not Carlie
First time I booked myself in for a tour of the water birthing suite at my local hospital I visualised myself labouring in the pool, with beautiful murals painted above me. Candles flickering. Music playing and my partner supporting me all the way. I watched You Tube clips of women labouring in water and I cried – that was exactly how I wanted to bring my babies gently into this world.
Yet, the birth of my firstborn was traumatic. He was overdue by 14 days thereby ejecting me from the birthing suite at that particular hospital and induced. I laboured through the stronger contractions associated with an induction for 6 hrs. There was virtually no dilation of my cervix. I relented and had an epidural, feeling like a failure, then my medicalised birth progressed to other levels of intervention – forceps, vacuum delivery, episiotomy, third degree tear etc.
Throughout my pregnancy and birth I had met about 10-20 different mid-wives. I still don’t remember one single name. After this ordeal we had breastfeeding problems that went on and off for 6 months until I gave up – culminating in the black cloud of postnatal depression. Sleep problems for 2 years consolidated these feelings of despair. I felt like an epic failure. Nothing had come ‘naturally’ for me in the arena of motherhood, and it wasn’t until my boy was about one that I started to feel I had some grip onmy role.
Amazingly we decided to go back for a second round after I had my postnatal depression under control. On one hand I was open-minded about my birth plan after my plans had fallen through the first time; on another I thirsted for a ‘natural’ second birth to heal my first one. We even moved to the country to be closer to myfamily and to access better health services in regional Australia – I managed to get a caseload mid-wife who followed us all the way through from pre-natal appointments to the birth.
ADVERTISEMENT
She was a fairy godmother with silver hair and an infectious, positive attitude. She assured me despite my previous experiences she wouldn’t abandon me no matter what my birth outcome, even after I developed gestational diabetes. This single factor – the continuity of care- helped me trust my second birth. It is also what I believe is the key to having a positive birth experience, no matter what the circumstances.
Of course when I found out at the eleventh hour my girl had turned breech and in a footling position with very low fluid and was quite likely a hefty weight, my heart sank. I was advised to have a Caesar as the risks were too high. Despite my initial disappointment, birthing this way with a strong mid-wife by my side was still empowering in its own way. When my girl was placed in my arms and she suckled at my breast I felt strong and powerful and we bonded immediately.
Today’s community of mothers can place too much emphasis on the way our babies enter this world – forgetting the most important things – that our babies are born safe and sound.
Carlie Daley is a writer and mother living in the hills of Northern NSW trying to make sense of it all through words. Her ramblings on creativity and motherhood can be found at Scheherazade’s Den.
How were your children or your friends’ children born? Would you have a cesarean by choice?
Top Comments
"Today’s community of mothers can place too much emphasis on the way our babies enter this world – forgetting the most important things – that our babies are born safe and sound". - amen to that!
I agree with Carlie. There is so much more to grapple with than the birth. I had my daughter in the '90's. Elective caesareans were not really an option and I had a perfect pregnancy. I was still young (27) and there was no indication that I may need a caesarean. I went into my labour with an open mind - pain relief, caesar, natural - as long as I had a healthy baby. The consequences of my "natural" birth, in a private hospital with my choice of obstetrician, changed my life forever.
The hospital was under-staffed and over-booked due to another popular hospital undergoing renovations at the time. I was given an epidural 5 hours into my labour as my baby was laying backwards, therefore creating agonising back pain. I had several hours of relief and slept during this time. Once 10cm dilated, my baby became obstructed in the birth canal. There were two attempts at forceps delivery - the 2nd type trying to turn the baby. In the meantime my epidural had fallen out and, regardless of my obvious distress, no-one believed me. There was no theatre available for an caesarean and no-one available to re-administer the epidural at such short notice. My baby girl was delivered under the most traumatic conditions. I tore, had an episiotomy, post partum bleed resulting in 2 blood transfusions and my baby stopped breathing twice. She was transferred to the local children's hospital NICU and was not expected to survive as she was "fitting" due to the trauma. Her face and head were severely bruised, lacerated and she had bleeding from her ear. I was unable to go with her as they were dealing with my own injuries. She was 4 days old before I touched her. She was a little fighter and returned to my hospital where we remained for 15 days. I managed to breast feed successfully and my husband and I were ecstatic that she had survived.
At 5 months old she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. MRI scans revealed that her skull had been fractured by the forceps, therefore causing brain damage.
I didn't have any more children - a choice we made together. My beautiful, beautiful girl has cerebral palsy and is now trying to make her way in the world - so much harder than we ever thought it would be.
I insisted on a private hospital - why not? I'd paid private health insurance since I was 18 and never used it. I wanted a "pretty" room to receive my visitors. Never did I think I wouldn't be receiving visitors at all and not have my baby with me. I do feel guilty, even though I know it's stupid.
If a woman wants a caesar - then that is her choice and hers alone. There maybe any number of reasons. It is her business. Same as any other choices made regarding the delivery of her baby. She shouldn't have to justify herself to anyone. It does not define what sort of mother she is or will be. My advice to any expectant Mother is to ASK QUESTIONS, have an OPEN MIND and not to have unrealistic expectations of something that is often so unpredictable.
I so wish that I had been given the opportunity to have a Caesarean.
Dear Angie,
I'm a year late but I thought I'd reply because your story struck a chord with me. During my first pregnancy, I recall my private Ob mentioning with a smile that "your labour is going to be very difficult". Silly me, I never asked him to explain further or give me options because I thought he was referring to my general fitness (I was very petite and didn't look very strong) to deliver vaginally. At 38w, I had contractions for 4 days and was sent home twice from hospital because I wasn't dilated and my water broke during a painful internal exam at the doc's clinic. Then everything happened in slow motion. I was in second stage labour for 6+ hours, the baby wouldn't descend, I got too exhausted to push, baby's heart rate dropped, they pulled her out with forceps, a cut and a tear, blood loss (leading to months of debilitating iron deficiency for me) and causing pelvic floor damage that I haven't yet full recovered from after 3 years. My daughter was mildly asphyxiated and had a low apgar score at birth, a fact that was never shared with me and I only realized after pouring through the hospital release documents. Thankfully she recovered quickly and all that was left were forceps marks on her face which eventually disappeared. Yes, we were very lucky.
I am pregnant again, seeing a different doc and he has informed me that my second baby is in the 98th percentile (heading to 4+ kg) and probably too large for me to deliver safely vaginally. He explained all the risks to me, which basically echoed everything that happened with the first birth and suggested a c-section at 38w when he estimates my son would be 3.5kg (the weight of my daughter at her birth at 38w). I finally understand what went wrong with my first labour and why recovery was so long and difficult for me. I should never have been allowed to attempt a vaginal birth with my daughter, who would have also been in the 95-98th percentile for weight. My first doc never explained the risks or offered me a c-section as a safer alternative, just making a side remark that labour would be difficult.
Reading your post, I understand how truly lucky my daughter and I were to escape without more tragic consequences. I'm so sorry and angry that you and I were put in this position my a medical profession that is supposed to know better. What a difficult lesson you've learnt and I thank you for posting this, so other women can make informed decisions about the birth of their baby and offering closure to someone like me who was asking "why me?" for a long time and feeling like I had failed the vaginal birth test. I feel deeply for you and your daughter and I wish you both the very best.