I almost cannot bear to hear these stories about mothers dying in the OR due to placenta accreta caused by multiple cesareans. Everyday women are told 1) That a primary cesarean is necessary to birth her baby for some reason. In many (dare I say, most, cases is just UNTRUE. 2) That attempting a VBAC is dangerous. Which is also just UNTRUE and NOT what is recommended by ACOG.
These women are left with option to have no more children or put her LIFE at risk to give birth by more cesarean sections. Which isn't usually explained how risky each subsequent pregnancy becomes. If it's explained, it's usually after her second or third cesarean. What kind of choice is that at that point???
And for a doctor, I imagine it is terrible to lose a baby during a delivery. But, a mother? How do they go on? I'm sure they do everything they can and it must be awful to realize you cannot save her. But we need them to STOP doing all of these unnecessary cesareans! Overmedicalizing birth in the first/second pregnancy is the root cause of mother's hemorrhaging on the operating table a few cesareans later.
Maybe I'm especially emotional hearing of these stories because I lost my mother at age 9. I don't want any other child to endure this kind of loss. And because of my work, I know it can be different. Giving birth doesn't have to be risky. It can be healthy, respected, and trusted in most cases. And, women can be trusted to make their own informed decisions when given the right information based in research and allowing that along with intuition to guide them instead of FEAR...
I don't want to post the stories that have deeply saddened me recently. I know I have other mothers reading, some facing cesareans that have become necessary and possibly complicated and scary pregnancies. Or maybe just like me, a motherless mother who's heart breaks to think of any other mother leaving her children behind. So, instead, if you'd like to read about how another mother managed to survive when facing what became a life threatening pregnancy, read her story included in a previous post below about preventing the primary cesarean. Below is a great video on VBAC.
These women are left with option to have no more children or put her LIFE at risk to give birth by more cesarean sections. Which isn't usually explained how risky each subsequent pregnancy becomes. If it's explained, it's usually after her second or third cesarean. What kind of choice is that at that point???
And for a doctor, I imagine it is terrible to lose a baby during a delivery. But, a mother? How do they go on? I'm sure they do everything they can and it must be awful to realize you cannot save her. But we need them to STOP doing all of these unnecessary cesareans! Overmedicalizing birth in the first/second pregnancy is the root cause of mother's hemorrhaging on the operating table a few cesareans later.
Maybe I'm especially emotional hearing of these stories because I lost my mother at age 9. I don't want any other child to endure this kind of loss. And because of my work, I know it can be different. Giving birth doesn't have to be risky. It can be healthy, respected, and trusted in most cases. And, women can be trusted to make their own informed decisions when given the right information based in research and allowing that along with intuition to guide them instead of FEAR...
I don't want to post the stories that have deeply saddened me recently. I know I have other mothers reading, some facing cesareans that have become necessary and possibly complicated and scary pregnancies. Or maybe just like me, a motherless mother who's heart breaks to think of any other mother leaving her children behind. So, instead, if you'd like to read about how another mother managed to survive when facing what became a life threatening pregnancy, read her story included in a previous post below about preventing the primary cesarean. Below is a great video on VBAC.
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