ThingsOrdinary - March 30th, 2006

Nearly three in 10 U.S. women are giving birth by cesarean section -- a record number -- and more and more of them seem to be choosing a surgical birth even when there is no clear medical need.

No one knows exactly how many C-sections are elective. It's an intense controversy: Some estimates suggest there could be tens of thousands annually, and critics say many of those women were pressured into surgery or didn't know the risks.

So what's the lure if it is not medically necessary?

Convenience plays a role for busy women. Maybe women need to schedule delivery so relatives can visit to take care of older children, or they live far from a hospital and worry about arriving in time. Or they fear something will go wrong and they'll wind up with an emergency C-section, considered far riskier than a planned one, especially if performed by a tired physician.

Others worry that vaginal deliveries can cause incontinence, although some studies dispute that the method of childbirth plays any role.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS07/603280313/1009

This is a dangerous procedure that puts the mother and the child at much more risk than actual childbirth. The baby often has respiratory problems afterward because it has not been exposed to the hormones that are given off during the labor process to help it get adjusted to life outside the womb. The chance of infection and hemorrhage, as with any surgery, is great.

Now come on America! If you are that busy, that you can't take time off to have a baby...then why are you having a baby?! You think you're busy now....

If you are that selfish that you would put your child's health in danger because you're worried about a bladder control issue that lasts from what I understand, a few months after giving birth...then why are you having a baby?!

A quick fix for everything...this country drives me insane.