The US does NOT have one of the highest Maternal or Fetal Death rates.

[cminamyer]

I have read a post stateing that the US has one of the highest death rates for birth due to the way we deliver our babies....THIS IS NOT TRUE!  In my opinion and experiance, natural birth is the BEST way to go.  With that being said, there is nothing wrong with having a "medicated" birth in a hospital with an OBGYN there are millions of babies born with an epidural...it is a safe way to have a baby and the US is one of the safest places to have a child. With only 13.3 maternal deaths per 100,000, and these are more comonly due to hemorage...which can happen with or with out and epidural.  Here are the statistics which show the US being on the lower, not the higher side.

http://   en.wikipedia.  org/wiki/   Maternal_death

copy and past the link without spaces.

[cminamyer]

There is absolutly noting wrong with giving birth to a baby in a hospital with and obgyn with and epidural and on your back!!!!!!!

[Cassandrajane]

Spikett... I need to educate myself! And I am, by reading books and looking at posts on here, I also have a visit to a L&D ward at the hosp I will be delievering at. But hands up... I am not educated enough... but thats what learning is all about. And its true you do learn new things everyday... well I do.

Anyways.

I am with LauraB78... I would prefer to give birth in a Hosp surrounded by medical professionals, I will feel sooo much safer. I am RH- Blood group, father of my baby is Pos... PLUS its also a better idea to have your first in a hosp down this end of the woods anyways...

There also isnt just one doc in every hosp, if your doc (Who agreed to be there) was away they would have another doc to cover their patients... they wont tell you to cross your legs untill they get back. And if they did, I suggest they give birth, and let us tell them to sit there with their legs crossed untill we're ready!! There is always a cover doc for another doc...

Peoples Opt for c-sections maybe because they feel comfortable, It isnt always thhe docs I am sure... I personally think, if they suggest a csection for someone, they have their (the patients) best interest at heart.

But people that ask for Csections because they want them... for reasons like LosingMyMind said, they dont wanna mess up their vagina...??? Why would it matter, unless someone looks at that more than the persons face??? Hmm... if thats the case, dont get preg then.. its natural, thats like a Gay person saying I dont want a poo incase I mess up my bum??? (sorry if I offended anyone! :))
Those reasons are silly!!

What are the rates in England?? and why is it soo bad to be laying on your back whilst giving birth?? Again something I need to learn. I know its somethhing about the birth canal... But I was ill when this was being explained to me... and so I wasnt listening!!

So many things to learn!!

x

[LosingMyMindInGA]

We aren't referring to NECESSARY c-sections.  We are referring to the ones where doctors refuse to allow VBAC's for NO medical reason at all, simply becuase they don't want to pay extra for the insurance or becuase they want to make it home in time for the football game.  Or the ones where a woman wants to "schedule" her birth around her schedule or she doesn't want to "mess up her vagina".  Those ridiculous reasons are the c-sections we are talking about.  In your case the fact that the baby was too large for your pelvis is a GOOD medical reason for a c-section AND is something that is likely to reoccur making you less of a good candidate for a VBAC than someone who had a c-section for a reason that is NOT likely to repeat.  Becuase of the problems you had I can see it being necessary/better to have a repeat c-section rather than attempt VBAC.

[Mumita]

Statistics are generally misleading, the higher risks of c-sections in this country have been linked to the high obesity percentage of women giving birth, low education levels AND not having adequate prenatal care during pregnancy which generally these outcomes happen in low income communities and medicaid or no insurance.  Higher education and prenatal care which comes with better health insurance leads to better birth outcomes.
Aside from this, I do believe that the US uses too many unnecessary interventions but the confort of the mother giving birth is key.  If the technology is avaiilable for drugs etc, or there are medical reasons to get these interventions than please use the technology that's available.
From experience, I am borderline, I had a necesary c-section but that was not my choice, I was in labor for 46 hours and I was not progressing, my baby was in fact stuck and never decended into the birth canal and my baby's head was truly biger than my pelvic bones would allow.  So I had 3 of the factors necesary for a c-section and most likely my next birth will be the same because I do not think that my next baby will be much smaller than my first, it generally is biger.  Now my doctor doesn't think that I NEED to have another c-section if the baby is small enough to fit through and if my labor is progressing as it should.
Because of my insistance to have a natural birth, I endured 46 hours of pure torture to try to deliver my son naturally and it would just not happen, if I were to have had a natural birth with him, the Dr would have had to use forceps and I probably would have had such a ridiculous vaginal tear that I would have needed total vaginal reconstruction, bled to death and who knows what kind of birth defects or deformities would have happened to my son from being stuck in the birth cannal for a long time without oxigen. In which case, I totally preffer having a c-section.  They gave me pitocin for no reason, demerol, epidural twice and all of those intervention actually made things worse.  
Next time I will go to the hospital when I'm in active labor and if I'm not progressing naturally then I will have a c-section and that is that.
There's no reason in our society to endure unnecessary torture just because you want to prove something.  If your labor is going fine then leave it alone, if you are having complications by all means use whatever medically necesary interventions that you need, that's why they were created in the first place.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I am a prime example of doctors wanting to do a c/s over a VBAC.  I live in a small town with only a handful of ob's.  Before moving here I had THREE successful VBAC's.  With the first child I delivered here I just happened to luck into picking the ONE ob here who was willing to let me VBAC again...but even he assumed at first that I would have  repeat c/s. I told him flat out NO becuase it was not necessary.  AFter VBAC'ing with that pregnancy and talking with people around here about having done a VBAC EVERYONE was shocked becuase thereis definately a "once a c/s always a c/s" mentality around here.  When I got pregnant this last time I was going to switch OB's becuase my original one always made me feel rushed, however, I ended up back wtih him becuase NO OTHER DOCTOR would even consider letting me VBAC even though I had FOUR previous ones with no complications and my c/s was 14 years ago.

I went to L & D a couple of times with this pregnancy and I ALWAYS got a lot of crap and attitude about the fact that I was going to VBAC.  I was told my ob was being unfair to any other doctor who might be on call when I went into labor and THEY wouldn't give me a choice... I told them point blank ...it is ALWAYS MY choice, NOT theirs..they are there for ME not the other way around.  

When I went to the hospital to deliver, my doc put me in to naturally induce me (broke my water).  The nurse who was there in the beginning was a real witch..she kept saying "i'm gonna do this just in case you have a c-section" she even got pissy about me eating ice chips becuase she was SO SURE I would end up with another c-section.  My DH came real close to laying her out on the floor becuase she kept bringing it up.  Fortrunately she was only there for a couple hours before a really nice nurse came on.  I got my VBAC as I KNEW I would.

My point is to prove that yes the United States has a horrible c-section rate, which does increase the rate of complications and even death.  It has gotten so bad that the ACOG released less restrictive guidelines on VBAC's saying that the c-section rate has gotten too high and that they are ADVOCATING VBAC's in MOST cases....even for women who have had 2 previous c/s's.  

I'm all for natural birth, I just haven't been forunate enough to be in a good place to do so with my births...no midwives or birthing centers.. crappy hospitals that won't even let you out of bed.  I did have ONE drug free birth and it was by far my fastest, easiest recovery and I felt like I was on top of the world afterwards!  

[SunWorshiper_26]

I should also state that I'm sure there are some wonderful amazing midwives out there and I don't judge anyone for using a midwife or dula. Like all drs you have to find the right one for you. I've just personally had less than favorable interactions with midwives though to be fair I've also had some less than favorable interactions with some OB gynos too which is why it took a few to find the one I have now.

Every person has to make the right decision for themselves both in pregnancy and labor delivery and beyond. Some women have amazing strength and desire to do natural unmedicated non medical intervention deliveries some feel csection is right for them and so on. To each their own but no matter what we all must remember that this forum is to support each other through our pregnancies to help answer questions and listen to our fellow members as we head into motherhood :)