On C-section choice

Elective C-sections are the women’s health issue abandoned by feminists, says Alberta doctor:

“Murphy concedes C-sections have surgical risks, but says they need to be contrasted against the risks of vaginal delivery so that pregnant women can make a choice based on informed consent… ‘The pelvic floor outcomes are completely ignored and that is a huge impact on a woman’s quality of life over time,’ he says…

“Murphy now focuses exclusively on pelvic floor dysfunction — a range of symptoms which include bladder and bowel problems as well as pelvic pain — and he says he often hears patients voicing regret…

“‘It’s not uncommon to hear ‘if I had only known, I would have made this choice or that choice’ and the point I’m trying to make is not that women should choose caesareans or that’s the way it should be done, but that women deserve to have proper information… There are a lot of women who do feel that the feminist movement has dropped the ball on this,” he says…

“Murphy says he thinks part of the problem is that generally the feminist movement has hitched itself to what he calls the ‘natural movement’ and as a result have abandoned women who might opt for a C-section…

“It’s become a situation where you are not a real woman unless you go through as normal or natural a birth as possible — less of everything. That’s a valid position. But the opposite position should be respected as well. I’m not sure why these women are denigrated as ‘too posh to push.’ That’s a very denigrating slogan and it’s used to humiliate and I think that’s completely unnecessary and unfair.”…

“‘We don’t accept diseases that can be prevented with vaccines. We don’t accept diseases that can be treated with antibiotics, or conditions that can be corrected with surgeries. They are all normal. It’s also normal to have a 1 in 7 chance of dying during childbirth — [but] we don’t accept that.'”

Recommended reading: Choosing Cesarean: A Natural Birth Plan.

Obstetrician and gynecologist Magnus Murphy, MD, and journalist/advocate Pauline McDonagh Hull offer a compelling case for surgical delivery as a legitimate birth choice for informed women. By offering a wealth of medical evidence from around the world and thoughtfully countering the many objections detractors have lodged against it, the authors convincingly demonstrate that a planned cesarean birth at thirty-nine- plus weeks is a safe and often preferred alternative to a planned vaginal delivery. An indispensable guide for women, their families, and medical professionals.

 

Read: Caesarean rates don’t indicate quality of care and targets are dangerous