A friend just sent me this link to an article on Ina May Gaskin on MSNBC. Read it!
And please note this little statement from the article:
"The National Center for Health Statistics reported last month that the maternal death rate for 2005 has risen to about 15 women per 100,000 live births, more than double the 1998 rate of 7."
Supposedly some of that rise can be attributed to better reporting, but researchers think it also has to do with the now 31% C-section rate in our country.
Of course, it doesn't help when we have "stars" like Christina Aguilera raving about how great a C-section is because it's such a relaxing, calm way to "give birth." Oh, and it protects your parts, and there are no surprises...She had a scheduled C-section at 37 weeks! Never mind the average gestation is 40 weeks, and it's not uncommon for babies to need 41 and 42 weeks...sigh.
eta: found this lovely quote from People, by Xtina:
"'I didn't want any surprises,' she says matter-of-factly of her decision to deliver via scheduled C-section at week 37 of her pregnancy. “Honestly, I didn’t want any [vaginal] tearing. I had heard horror stories of women going in and having to have an emergency C-section [anyway]. The hardest part was deciding on his birthday. I wanted to leave it up to fate, but at the same time I was ready to be done early!”
(italics mine)
eta (again): just found this lovely "open letter" to Christina from Jennifer Block, the author of Pushed (great read - get it if you haven't yet read it)!
1 comment:
Jen you're not up on the latest celeb too posh to push gossip. Apparently Christina complained POST-section that she is in more pain than she had expected. No longer the poster girl for designer birth. Thanks for the link to Ina May -- she looks so very grandmotherly... I forgot she's actually old! Eternally young in my mind :)
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