Welcome to a forgotten corner of the ancient forest.
Pure Pedantry, a blog of inconsequential consequence, to which The Green Man is currently addicted, has an interesting piece on the realitive safety of c-section vs vaginal births vis-a-vis the baby. (Somehow, a photo did not seem appropriate for this post, but, given the nature of the internet, I'm sure I could have found one.)
Obviously abdominal surgery is not a trivial thing for the mother. Whilst being less painful in the short term, it can result in pain for a much longer term.
For the baby, however, the abdominal wall is far more flexible and forgiving than the pelvis. The latest issue of Radiology Dr John Gilmore has an interesting article looking at the incidence of bleeding in the brain of newborns in vaginal deliveries vs c-sections. Needless to say the softness of the abdominal wall does far less damage to the skull on the baby's path to freedom. Dr Jack says
"In our study, neither the size of the baby or the baby's head, the length of the labor, nor the use of vacuum or forceps to assist the delivery caused the bleeds .. The bleeds are probably caused by pressure on the skull during delivery."
There are many jewels hidden amongst the leaves in this forgotten part of the ancient forest. Spend some time browsing and you are sure to find some. Click here or continue your search below
or read the most recent entries here.As a former manager within a major hospital Network in Mellbourne, I remain staggered by the amount of money that is spent on researching science and the kind of research that is conducted.
I agree with Colin that it is very self serving in many cases being the life blood of some universities and private organisations and the source of income of seriously well educated and well connected individuals. C-section definately has its place and saves very many lives when used appropriately. But I can't help but think that research to justify it in anything other than emergency cases is just to serve the medical community so they can schedule themselves better (they are often poor time managers) and a growing number of women who seem to have children completely disconnected from the idea of it changing their lives or the idea of being a parent and think they want to schedule when they can bring this baby into the world and go back to work and "get on with their lives again". Not to be skeptical but what kind of world?? Why have a babe at all?
Just once I would like to see this kind of research conducted by a woman who had had a baby, or many babies and hey ho, what about one who has had a vaginal delivery as well as a c-section. Yes it is possible.
I can't get over the number of women who are of a decent size who are told they won't be able to birth their child naturally and frightenend into having c-sections. As a mum who birthed one child in hospital and one at home (both vaginally) I would like to see some more fundamental research on homebirths versus hospital birthsand the differences in birth outcomes of babes. Especially since the medical system is struggling to support itself both funding wise (that is in terms of people actually attending hospitals not the research component) and in terms of availability of hospital beds!! Why do research the results of which may due to fear propose higher c-section deliveries on a system already bursting at the seams? Especially research which seems fundamentally biased and doesn't talk in detail about the effects or otherwise of the "brain bleeds".
What is the effect of doing an MRI on a newborn for example? We are talking nuclear medicine on a precious little fragile babe when we are constantly told to have as few x/rays and the like tests as a robust adult as possible.
I have also heard stories from women who have had c-sections who tell that they could feel all the jerking around inside their bodies and were watching the clock wondering what was going "wrong" when the c-section which was supposed to take 10 minutes was taking 45 minutes and no one bothered to think to talk to her about it during the surgery. Having seen a c-section delivery, I can see why many women stay sore for so long. To be honest, I have never seen such rough handling of a living human body, it is like unzipping a school bag, rummaging around inside for the book at the bottom and fishing it out before rezipping the bag up. The one I witnessed in a major metropolitan hospital with a specialty in womens health was to be honest frightening in terms of the level of apparent disrespect for the woman having the c-section.
I also cannot help but wonder what might be the effect of the unfamiliar environment, level of pain management (to deaden the pain of childbirth for the mother eg peth, epidural etc) and the stress and fear created by many in the medical model on these intracranial bleeds. Is it caused by vaginal delivery really or all the alterations, modifications etc of the vaginal delivery and stress associated with the entirely unnatural environment of the medical model. A model predominated (without prejudice) by men who frankly are not good at dealing with others distress or pain and often I can't help thinking that the pain management is more for the comfort of those present than the women giving birth.
To what extent might brain bleeds be due to the inability of many women to fully participate in the birth due to the pain management they have received than the vaginal delivery in it's "pure" form? What other factors/variables that have modified vaginal births might be contributing to the supposed higher incidence of brain bleeds of vaginal births. Also, what other factors such as smoking, drinking, poor nutrition and obesity during pregnancy might also contribute to these complications other than the "vagina" itself!! Also, in comparing the two, what are the detrimental effects of c-section delivery over vaginal delivery on the infant and mother.
I seriously worry about fear mongering research that can be readily accessed by women trying to make complex decisions about birth that is so specific that it paints a biased picture about the risks of vaginal delivery compared to c-section delivery without qualifying itself in any way or at least pointing to other research which allows for more even consideration of these complex issues.
Finally, I fear that in our hustle and bustle world where corporate rules and motherhood is just something we are supposed to fit in, expecting mothers are not supported during their pregnancy to make the most of the experience and prepare adequately for the birth, but instead continue on full speed through their jobs as if nothing is different and expect life to continue as it had in the past once the babe is born.
Stumble It!