How to Avoid a C-Section

Modern inventions allow us to lead busier and more complicated lives. Most of us are very hurried with our activities and responsibilities. We seek to control our chaotic lives by scheduling and planning. The prevalence of C-sections is an outgrowth of our hurriedness and need for predictability. There are valid reasons for C-sections, but many C-sections are done for convenience and not as a last resort. Remember, C-sections are considered major surgery. Researchers estimate that the true need for C-sections is around 5% of all deliveries. Approximately 30% (depending on the doctor and hospital) of women end up with a C-section. Failure to progress, a large baby, baby's heart rate stopped or baby in distress are common reasons for a C-section. Here's how you can avoid a C-section.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• courage
• determination
• time to research / read

1. Make it a goal of your pregnancy and birth to deliver vaginally. Prepare mentally, physically and be persistent with your doctor. Do some research by visiting the ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) website and read about stories of women who had unnecessary C-sections who felt violated. Find out why they had a C-section and determine what you can do to avoid a C-section. Each woman will have individual concerns. Don't go along with your doctor if he says that you must have a C-section because the baby is breech or that you are over age 35 or are at high risk because you are overweight or have had three or four children. Much of this is arbitrary and induces fear in expectant mothers. The current trend in many hospitals is to avoid VBACs (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean). Many women are embracing homebirths in this situation. You have to determine if a C-section is absolutely necessary in your case. There is not enough space or time here to delve more deeply into the issue. I suggest you listen to my CD titled YOUR BODY, YOUR BIRTH: SECRETS FOR A SUCCESSFUL AND SATISFYING BIRTH, which is available at my website (www.yourbodyyourbirth.org) or through Amazon.com.
2. Arrive at the hospital well into labor. Once you are there, you will have to deliver within a certain time period, whether the baby is ready or not. Medical professionals are somewhat impatient. C-sections are sometimes performed because the doctor is in distress; he has a failure to wait or wants to avoid litigation if something should go wrong with a vaginal birth. C-sections are more risky than vaginal births. There is a higher chance of infection and other risks to the baby and mother. C-sections are not perfectly safe. Two mothers died in New Jersey in May 2007 as a result of botched C-sections and one mother was set on fire during her C-section operation in California in 2006!
3. Take a Bradley childbirth class during pregnancy. Childbirth education classes which lead the mother in the direction of taking control of her birth are what you should be looking for. Strengthen yourself on the inside and acquire the knowledge to help you make good decisions.
4. Don't take drugs during labor. Epidurals may dull the pain, but they dull your ability to be fully involved and often lead to further intervention.
   
   Here's a common scenario found in hospitals across the country: Pitocin used to speed up labor often leads to strong contractions and women find themselves requesting an epidural. Epidurals require continuous fetal monitoring which is restrictive and uncomfortable for the patient. In order to push, a woman needs to focus mentally at the moment she feels physical sensations. But epidurals dull the pain and seem to cloud the mind and body from this most important task. So the epidural detracts from the ability to push and sometimes leads to a C-section, which would have been totally unnecessary had the woman avoided the drugs. Studies show that C-sections present at least three to five times greater risk of death to the mother than vaginal delivery and an increased rate of complications in subsequent pregnancies.
5. Bring a doula or labor assistant into the delivery room with you. Studies show that the presence of a doula, who acts as a mother's advocate, greatly reduces unnecessary interference and procedures. Laboring moms are vulnerable and doulas can be assertive with the medical personnel, while at the same time offer gentle encouragement for laboring women. A great resource that can help women achieve the birth of their dreams can be found in my "Childbirth Success Kit" which shares dozens of secrets and techniques for having a successful birth experience. Visit www.unasssitedhomebirth.com/ChildBirthSuccessKit.html.
   
   Lynn M. Griesemer is the mother of six children: four born in the hospital and two at home. Her average time for labor was three hours, with minimal pushing. She is the author of UNASSISTED HOMEBIRTH: AN ACT OF LOVE and YOUR BODY, YOUR BIRTH: SECRETS FOR A SATISFYING AND SUCCESSFUL BIRTH. She has been featured in the Washington Post and on PBS's "To The Contrary." Visit her websites at www.yourbodyyourbirth.org and www.unassistedhomebirth.com.

Tips & Warnings

• set and commit to a goal to have a vaginal birth
• arrive at the hospital well into labor
• take a childbirth education class
• avoid drugs, such as pitocin and an epidural
• hire a doula
• Some women will truly need a C-section. Determine whether it is ABSOLUTELY MEDICALLY NECESSARY that you agree to a C-section by conducting a lot of research. If you don't care enough about your body and your birth to take proactive measures, the medical personnel will manage your birth and tell you what to do. If you should need a C-section, accept it, not as a failure on your part, but as a blessing that medical science can help you. In an emergency situation, trust your doctor. If you do not completely agree with your doctor or trust his judgment, find a new doctor before you go into the delivery room. I've known many women who left their doctor's practice at seven, eight or even nine months along!