Re: [ozmidwifery] 'elective' cs

[rem & melissa bruijn]

Title: Re: [ozmidwifery] 'elective' cs

---------- From: "Jo & Dean Bainbridge" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [ozmidwifery] 'elective' cs Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 12:56 PM  I would suggest (perhaps incorrectly?) that the greatest culprits of the right to elective cs are women...  Issues such as respiratory disorders and so forth were worth the risk and they were up and doing the shopping in a few days!!     ...There is no comprehension of alternative options of care no understanding of consecutive pregnancy complications and so forth.  They are proud and very aggressive to alternative experiences.   Jo, I know exactly what you mean.  It IS scary, the general attitude towards cs.  A lot of women I know have exactly that proud, aggressive attitude you describe.  One woman I know, who had 3 c/secs (2 elective) was telling me  of a friend (a GP!!) who had all 4 of her kids by elective cs.  SHe then announced - with almost a ferocity - that almost NONE of her friends have had a natural birth...nearly ALL caesareans.         I face this attitude towards c/secs (the flippant "fit it into my schedule/I had no pain" attitude) a lot of the time, as many of the women from my old social group from school days have this attitude.  I used to be quite threatened by their aggression. But I still have trouble putting the blame on the women.  I agree they promote the cs myth...but who gave them the idea that it was "safe" in the first place?         I believe it is also a cultural issue : we are brought up to trust Drs unquestionably, and to be good little girls, and expect to be looked after.  The idea that we need a Dr to birth is so ingrained in our culture (media, horror stories from friends, our mother's stories).  Plus most of us are trained to fear pain, and there is no education as to the possible benefits of labour pain.  Plus we are not educated to trust our bodies.         But the women I talk to DO ask their OBs about safety...but are generally assured they are doing the right thing, and given a brief list of possible "side effects" but then are able to either explain them away or dismiss them as not important.         THe woman I mentioned with the 3 c/secs got info from her endocrinologist whose wife was pg, supporting the "safety of c/secs" (love to know where he got his stats), and it was THIS info that conviced her to get her second c/sec.  She asked her own OB if he had this info, and he said yes, but he didn't need it.         Whew - this has got long.  Sorry.  And I have written it with a very vocal 3yo next to me, so sorry if it jumps all over the place!         Melissa