Science>Personal Experience

[pregpostmassage]

You wrote on May. 13, 2009 at 2:14 PM Just because you know someone who didn't have complications doesn't mean there's not a significant risk of them. The point is why would you increase risks with a procedure that is 95% of the time unnecessary? Quoting AutymsMommy: Every woman in my family has had an episiotomy when having a vaginal delivery and they have never had any of the complications that you mention. As LeVar Burton used to say: "But you don't have to take my word for it." Edit Quote Reply Delete Reply Send pregpostmassage a Message | Friend Invite Report abuse

One of the things that worries me about birth in America is that mothers are more likely to believe what happened to their sister or mother or friend will also be true for them, despite scientific evidence revealing that they have a good chance of another outcome. Women NEED to learn to research--yes, personal stories and anedotes are very helpful (the labor stories in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth immediately springs to mind), but you need to take that in consideration with the scientific and published information. And you need to do it before pregnancy--there's a lot of information to review, and some of it covers before conception (a lot of it has to do with geting your body, mind, and life in shape so you can have the best chance at a good outcome.) Also, some of the information can be scary, so it's best not to stress yourself out about it after you're already pregnant (stress hormones can have a very negative effect on your baby.) Women don't know their choices about birth: a lot of them don't know about midwives or home-births, or how safe home-births are (the numbers bear out that homebirths have as good or better mortality rates, and lower morbidity [complications] rates), or that there's certified nurse midwives (CNM) as well as certifed professional midwifes (CPM), or that going to a midwife usually means much longer appointment times (usually forty-five minutes to an hour instead of the five to fifteen minutes with your doc) and continous care during your labor (meaning the midwife will come to your house or hospital as soon as you want her to in early labor, and stay with you for a few hours after your birth.) They don't know what questions to ask to interview a doctor before starting care, and most don't know that's an option (interviews should always be free.) They don't know that they have a one-in-three chance of having a cesarean when they walk into the hospital, or that they can refuse any procedure they do not want (and have the right to sue and file assault charges if procedures are done against their will or without getting consent in advance.) They don't know pregnancy--especially late pregnancy--is a bad time to move or renovate their house, or that they have to be careful with stress at all.

EDUCATE YOURSELF, WOMEN!