Jenny H makes a good point that unnecessary c-section is definately not beneficial to mother or baby and the procedure carries a good many risks to both. It should be the last resort, not a first choice.

Apart from health implications there are the costs to the Health system which I referred to in earlier posts. Caesarean births are expensive, from the moment Mum is on that trolley bound for theatre to the time she has recovered from the insult of major abdominal surgery, and although some of the 'too posh to push' mob claim they are paying so it's no-ones business bar theirs, truth is we all pay. Look at ever increasing costs of health insurance in the private sector. In public health it means funds diverted from research and treatment of disease and an ever increasing demand on the public (taxpayer) purse.

Obstetricians and their cohorts in the 'medicalised pregnancy and birth' industry however are quite happy with the status quo. After paying their hefty insurance premiums to protect them against lawsuits when things do go horribly wrong - as happens occasionally, they still have enough of a profit margin to afford the good life.

As stated earlier, I believe a backward step to a more 'natural' approach to birthing would be very much a step in the right direction.

In a day and age where boob jobs and face lifts are just another choice, when fertilised eggs are installed in other women's uteruses, who's business is it to say that a woman should not be able to choose a caesarian?

I resent, very much the intrusion of midwife politics into my life, my body and my choices when it comes to birthing my baby.

Why should women be told they are NOT to have a caesarian if they request it, and have the means to pay for it?

As a matter of fact, all of my children were born completely naturally, and drug free. It hurt a great deal indeed, and I often joke that I would prefer the (theoretical) removal of my arm using a teaspoon as the cutting device.

I required a lot of stitches, which took many, many months to heal. I believe that for many women, the pain involved in childbirth would have longterm psycholocial effects.

The commonality of childbirth means the real physical and mental trauma suffered by women in childbirth is diminished, and overlooked.

I believe this is a cause for research. Post Natal Depression may actually be linked to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Yes childbirth is natural...but so is death by childbirth. And what a dreadful way to die that must be!! The midwife 'side' of the debate needs to be more measured, realistic, and more responsible.

Dear Antiseptic,

"Why do you need some overarching purpose other than the dissemination of your genes?"

To keep slaving away for those silly little buggers (did you know that a large part of them is not even human DNA, but of parasitic viruses?), is not different in essence than slaving away for life in the fields for some cotton-growing master.

Personally I don't care about the dissemination of those, but if I could think of one reason to serve them anyway, it would be to make my parents happy. However, I asked them and they said that they don't particularly care, so why should I?

Whatever they did, they did for themselves, not for us, so do we owe them anything? I suppose this should be the subject of a new topic.

Yuyutsu:"is not different in essence than slaving away for life in the fields for some cotton-growing master."

huh? There's no compulsion to do anything at all for your genes. If you want to have sex and propagate them, do so, if you don't, don't. Where's the "slavery"?

I enjoy my life for what it is (most of the time) and I try to make as much of the time I have as I can, not because of some "spirit in the sky", but because it's all I've got.

The phrase that I try to live by is "life is not a dress rehearsal". Once the curtain closes, the show's over. Make it a good show.

My more recent experiences with childbirth are those of my daughters. I've been surprised to note the controlling, lack of listening, and resulting mistakes/lengthy labours that arise because of female staff in the labour rooms either not listening, or deciding that they know best. That's not such a good development in birthing practice. I wonder why it's happening?

Hi ruthie, interesting post.

I actually found the opposite in my own personal experience, in that the midwives were very happy to follow my lead on most things, and were very supportive...but then, I was already going in the direction they wanted to go:
active birth, walking and standing as long as possible into the birth, no pain relief.
so there was no conflict with their values.

Many of my friends have scarcely planned at all for their births, and have no real coherent approach to their labours. Some of them have had a dreadful time in labour, and I wonder if this lack of planning and mental prep is the cause.