The Observer's health editor says women ought to have C-sections instead of vaginal delivery.

[dizietsma]

\link{http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,,1723873,00.html\link to article}

I'm appalled. I haven't read it all the way through yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be writing to the Observer to complain about this shocking and irresponsible opinion piece.

WVW, yes, my position is that if the risks of an emergency c-section are too high to be acceptable to a fully informed mother (and that threshold is personal to each woman), then she should be offered the choice of a c-section. We'll have to agree to disagree.

ok blueshoes, fair enough, happy to agree to disagree!

Hi girls. Long time no argue. As usual, I agree 100% with uwila. I have had a 40 hour labor followed by a crash cs and then a successful vbac with my 2nd.

In retrospect, or if I ever had another child, I would have chosen an elective cs. I think that my body was just old to subject it to the rigors of natural childbirth. I was 36 when I had my first. My recovery from my vbac to being able to walk was much quicker than from my crash cs. However, 3 years later I am still suffering from the scars and tears from the natural birth. I'm sure that if i had been in my teens (when our bodies were designed to have babies) I would have had a much quicker recovery.
I also think that the argument that you don't risk staff shortage if you have an elective cs is a very very strong one. I suffered from staff shortage in both my births.

Sofia - agree that bodies are better at giving natural birth when younger. I was also 36 when I had my son in 2004. But I didn't have a single tear or stiches after a natural birth. I did spend 8 hours in water though which can obvioulsy help to soften the tissues so that you don't tear. In fact it is one of the biggest advantages of a water birth. My son's wasn't particularly small either at just over 3 kilos. Nor was I. I was overweight then and I am overweight now.

My friend who is one of the most petite and fragile looking women I know gave birth on all fours on her bathroom floor. Again just minor tears and no stiches.

I am totally convinced that one of the reasons medical intervention has become more and more common is beacuse most of us have office jobs (right up to a few days before birth) and sitting and lying down do absolutley nothing to help a baby get into position. I literally never sat down for 3 weeks before the birth and even stood up in the office while heavily pregnant. I worked right up to 10 days before the birth. I also massaged the perinium with olive oil twice a week (no, not because I am kinky !) because it soften the area. So there are things one can do to help the process.

In the days that women were upright all the time, working in the fields or whatever, studies show that babies were more likley to be in a good position for a nautral birth. Unfortunately modern living is the answer to why so many women end up with medical intervention.

As for strapping women down with a monitor onto a hospital bed. FGS - how is that going to help a woman push ? One of the main reasons for damage to the perinium is excessive pushing in a horizontal position against gravity.

How that woman can call her births unremarkable makes me really

It's about the most remarkable event anyone is ever likely to experience IMO.

That silly woman should have her hands tied behind her back until she can type something worth reading!

Check out \link{http://www.csections.org\this caesarean site }

At the end of the day surely it is down to the woman's individual choice. There are instances where women need caesareans for medical reasons or want them for personal (non-medical reasons) and there are instances where caesareans are recommended when it is not actually 100% necessary. Surely this article simply suggests that there are positives to caesareans and that they do not need to be the scary last, resort that we are often led to believe they are.

Oh oh, look, it's Sofia.

How is beautiful Southern California? How are the kids settling in? (I suppose you are well and truly settled by now) How is DH liking his new land?

Nice to "see" you.