In the United States, c section is often performed as a matter of choice for women. When a woman has had one c section, doctors sometimes offer a choice between VBAC and a repeat c section. In many cases, doctors pressure women into the repeat c section. This is often done because doctors worry about uterine rupture, which is a rare event. What few doctors do is inform their patients that having repeat c sections may limit the number of children they can have. Repeatedly cutting and stitching the uterus greatly increases the risk of uterine rupture in subsequent pregnancies. … Continue reading →

In the US, women often choose c sections even when there is no medical indication for the procedure. Often this is done after a previous c section for convenience, personal preference or pressure from a doctor who is opposed to vaginal birth after cesarean or VBAC. Organizations such as the World Health Organization have expressed concern about the high c section rate and set goals for lowering this rate. This is due to the increased risk of surgery for both the mother and the baby. Figures from WHO show that worldwide, about 18 percent of all c sections are done … Continue reading →

Around the 1930s, most women switched from giving birth at home with a midwife, to giving birth at a hospital with an obstetrician. Unfortunately, at this point in history, women were still better off delivering at home. In the 1930s, 1 in a 150 pregnancies resulted in maternal death. As a result, many changes were made in the field of obstetrics. Procedures were standardized and doctors were more carefully trained. By the 1950s, the maternal death rate was lowered to 1 in 2,000. Today it’s about 13 in 100,000 (roughly 1 in 7,692). Most of the progress made in the … Continue reading →