I'm seeing a lot of news articles recently about cesarean birth, particularly in regards to mothers who request a c-section without having a medical need for one prior to labor. Childbirth Connection, in Listening to Mothers II found it to be about 1% and an article released from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) believes it to be about 3%. Still, I think many media outlets make it seem like it is a much higher number than either of these numbers.
That said, the recommendations have been to carefully counsel and consider the ramifications for both the mother and the baby as well as futures pregnancies. A cesarean is not a risk free surgery, just as vaginal birth is not risk free. But there are different risks that go along with the surgery that can include complications to future pregnancies, including placenta previa or accreta. One mother just died earlier this week giving birth to her sixth child. It is important that all of this is throughly discussed and explained, not glossed over. There are times when the risks of a cesarean birth are the best choice for a specific family. But the take away message should be that few of these requests are really being made, compared to what you might be lead to believe in the media.
What do you think your doctor or midwife should ask if you were to make this type of request?
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Very Few Moms Request Cesareans originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 at 11:53:42.
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