I stopped reading for pleasure soon after I graduated from Oklahoma State with an English degree. Now days, when I do take time to read, it usually pertains to my work: yoga information, anatomy, new personal training trends, etc. However, my friend passed on a book to me last week, and I have been raving about it since, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I definitely think it is worth adding to my blog and hope anyone interested picks up a copy.
"There is nothing more important that how we are born. We have forgotten this simple fact for too long. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, as well as her earlier volume, Spiritual Midwifery, is all we need to reconnect to the empowering beauty of childbirth that is woman's amazing gift for people-ing the earth. Few books have the potential to improve the live of everyone born on the planet. This one does."
-Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple
It's easy to appear obsessed with baby information when you're pregnant or a new mom, but the truth for me is--I've never been on this wild ride before. Being a seeker most of my life, I've always asked questions when it comes to the ways of the world, and entering into parenthood has been no different. Generally, in most healthy scenarios, people's kids are the most important focus for them. Children aren't born with handbooks, and most parents do the best they can in raising their offspring. In my eyes, the way I carry and birth my child isn't any different--I want to do the best I can, which to me means absorbing as much information as possible throughout the journey. Obtaining each bit takes me to the next step in finding the right fit for my body, my baby, and our family.
Ina May's book reiterates some of the reasons we're doing a home water birth, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to write about some of our reasoning behind our birthing choice. It doesn't have to fit other people, but has felt like the best direction for us. Within the book, there is some great information on not only childbirth, but nutrition and pregnancy choices also. No matter where you choose to give birth--in a hospital, birthing center, or at home, she covers so many topics that can prepare & inform women for their journey. Even if one is not an expecting mom, this is a phenomenal book and gives much insight into birthing among our society.
What struck me the most is that Ina May writes about her (and her fellow midwives') experiences of watching one natural birth after another--and these births happen safely and successfully in their small Tennessee village. Ina May's 2007 statistics show that out of 2,028 pregnancies: 95.1% were completed at home with 3.6% non-emergency transports and 1.3% emergency transports. Within this, there were 98.6% vaginal births, and 1.40% cesarian sections.
So why is her group having such successful natural childbirths--even home births, when birthing statistics in the rest of the United States aren't as positive? As the book reveals, these midwives are observing first-hand what the female body is capable of doing, and the knowledge is incredible. Their insight is drawn through watching a woman labor and deliver naturally--a sense of wonder that unfortunately some of our doctors and OB's haven't encountered, with the common rate of inductions and C-sections. I believe Ina May's village and experiences are a test-study offering much knowledge in the way of childbirth. Her stories and statistics are very different than the articles written below, bringing up the question, "Is newer better when it comes to birthing babies?"
In 2007, NBC released an article on maternal death rates. "U.S. women are dying from childbirth at the highest rate in decades, new government figures show. Though the risk of death is very small, experts believe increasing maternal obesity and a jump in Caesarean sections are partly to blame...
Some researchers point to the rising C-section rate, now 29 percent of all births — far higher than what public health experts say is appropriate. Like other surgeries, Caesareans come with risks related to anesthesia, infections and blood clots...excessive bleeding is one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death, and women with several previous C-sections are at especially high risk, according to a review of maternal deaths in New York. Blood vessel blockages and infections are among the other leading causes."
As one widower comments, “The hardest thing to understand is how in this day and age, in a modern hospital with doctors and nurses, that somebody can just die like that."
CNN published an article in 2011 titled, "Why is infant mortality still a U.S. problem?" The U.S. infant mortality rate is one of the highest among all developed countries. The disparity in rates within the United States is alarming as well...The most recent statistics from 2007 show that the U.S. rate of almost seven deaths per 1,000 live births ranked the U.S. behind the majority of other developed countries. Thirty developed countries have lower infant mortality rates, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, all of them spending much less than we do on health care."
In a MSN Today's Health 2010 article, it revealed that C-sections are at an all-time high of 31 percent in the United States. "A government panel warned against elective C-sections in 2006. 'The relative safety of the operation leads people to think it’s as safe as vaginal birth,' said Dr. A. Metin Gulmezoglu, 'that’s unlikely to be the case.' Women undergoing C-sections that are not medically necessary are more likely to die or be admitted into intensive care units, require blood transfusions or encounter complications that lead to hysterectomies, the World Health Organization study found. U.S. studies have shown babies born by cesarean have a greater chance for respiratory problems."
With unnecessary C-Sections on the rise, it's definitely worth exploring the link to these mortality rates. In addition, some women aren't fully aware of the drugs that are given during childbirth. Induction drugs never go without risk to both mother and baby, but there are even some drugs being used without FDA approval.
The Improvement of Maternity Services (AIMS) posted, "Most women assume that the drugs offered them by their obstetricians during pregnancy, labor, birth and lactation have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe for use under those condition. The fact is, there is no maternally administered drug that has been proven safe for the fetus. Nor is there any law or regulation that prohibits a physician from prescribing or administered to a childbearing woman a drug that has never been approved by the FDA as safe for such use."
A good example of this is the drug Cytotec. There is much controversy over this induction drug, amidst the crossfire, the FDA states the following for women who may receive Cytotec (or Misoprostol) to induce labor: "Misoprostol is sometimes used to decrease blood loss after delivery of a baby. These uses are not approved by the FDA. No company has sent the FDA scientific proof that misoprostol is safe and effective for these uses."
These are only a few articles from a sea of thousands, but no matter where or how people choose to deliver, it's always good to explore the information & options surrounding different methods of birth. There are pros and cons to every side of child birth, so each person has to weigh their situation personally. As every woman is different, and I believe the most important thing is that we have choices in how we bring our babies into the world. Our freedom to decide is invaluable despite which method we choose to deliver. But I will say through my research I have learned that the topic of childbirth isn't much different than politics or religion--with so many opposing viewpoints, it may not be suitable for the dinner table unless you're ready for a heated debate or food fight!
