I think every woman who ever gets pregnant reads (or at least skims) What to Expect When You're Expecting. It might even be the law - I can't be sure. Don't get me wrong: this book is full of helpful information. The latest edition tells you what your baby looks like from week to week during your pregnancy, as well as what you can expect in terms of body changes, doctors appointments and the like. It covers everything you could think to ask about pregnancy, and even a few things you didn't think to ask (and wish you didn't know about).
It's all well and good up until the last trimester. I've been checking this book out from the library (e-book) more or less continually since I got pregnant. I've appreciated the milestones and the general information, which is why I keep checking it out. I've also been trying to not read too far ahead. So I recently hit the last trimester of pregnancy.
Cue disappointment in 3... 2... 1...
In addition to the usual milestones and body checks, the book goes into some detail about delivery options. This, in and of itself, is not problematic. Women should know what's out there, and should have as much information about their options as possible. Where I take serious issue is the book's stance on c-sections.
In several places, the authors of the book tout c-sections as the safest way to deliver a baby. And they also make it seem like smart, cosmopolitan women are choosing them in droves because not only are they super safe, they are also super convenient! This isn't just misleading, it's outright false. Study after study shows that c-sections are not the safest way to deliver normal, healthy infants. They are the safest way in certain situations. Emergency situations. The book makes it sound like a c-section rate of over 30% nationally is not only reasonable but warranted and ideal!
The level of fawning the authors do over c-sections makes me wonder if they have received some kind of kick-back from the OB/GYN community. Like some kind of advertising fee or something. I realize this makes me sound crazy conspiracy theorist, but it's really that bad in the book.
This is just the kind of misinformation that women are dealing with during pregnancy and childbirth. And it's extremely difficult to separate good, sound, advice from unnecessary medical procedures because doctors have the ultimate trump card: your baby might die. I heard this from my own OB when she found out I wanted to deliver outside of a hospital, and even pediatricians pull that one out right away to bully you into a certain course of action instead of discussing the facts and evidence.
On the pediatrician side, I get it. They have to go full bore scare tactics because they are fighting against crazy people like Jenny McCarthy who have no training and no evidence to support their crusades, but also have star-power to lend credence to whatever they say. (For the record, the autism/vaccine link has been thoroughly disproven and the doctor who put forth the original research indicating a link has been discredited for manufacturing data and otherwise outright lying to the medical and parenting communities. He was also stripped of all of his credentials.) But pediatricians still pull out the ol' "your baby could die" scenarios.
I don't want scare tactics. I want facts. I want evidence-based research showing cause and effect. We immediately struck pediatricians off our list who weren't willing to discuss options and evidence with us. Anyone who said "your baby could die" was immediately off our list. But I digress...
The point is, the more I learn about women's health, particularly as it pertains to childbirth, the more I think this is not a health issue at all. It's a human rights issue. I'm not kidding. I know it sounds extreme, but the evidence all points to an incontrovertible fact: childbearing women are being bullied into a model of health care that is more dangerous to both mother and infant. We are being drugged, coerced and terrorized into following a model of medicine that is only in the doctor's best interest*. The fetal monitor, for example, has been shown in many evidence based studies to not improve delivery outcomes, and in fact, has been shown to increase the rate of unnecessary c-section and associated negative outcomes. Yet we are still forced into using them in hospitals. Even when there is no other indication of abnormality.
I'm ranting a little bit, I realize. My point is this: we are being fed misinformation at every turn. Even in our most recognized and revered pregnancy books, and especially by those people we trust to take care of us during one of the most vulnerable times in our lives. We, as a community, must start standing up for ourselves and for each other. Demand facts. Demand evidence. Demand informed consent. Demand it. How many of you got an epidural without being told the risks and possible side effects? I imagine the rate of epidural would go down significantly if women knew the ramifications and repercussions.
Aside from taking charge of your own healthcare (and having a partner who fully supports you and will help you when you are vulnerable), speak out about it. This is not to degrade anyone's choices on how they birth or parent their child, but rather to present all the facts so everyone has the ability to make an informed choice. Our current system prevents women (and their partners) from making informed choices. It's time to take back control of our bodies and our babies.
*I'm, of course, discussing normal, uncomplicated childbirth (which is the majority of childbirth). Doctors and c-sections have saved many women and babies who would have otherwise died in the process. It is a crucial and amazing technology that can save lives. When used properly and appropriately. My thesis is that it is not used properly and appropriately in this country.
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