I’m about a week late on this one, but check out my feature over at RH Reality Check on the myth of the elective c-section.
When the media covers the rising rate of c-section, it’s often ready to lay the blame at the feet of a woman we’re come to know well over the last few years — the busy career mom scheduling her delivery between important business deals, penciling in labor and delivery the way she pencils in a client meeting. As criticism of surgical birth mounts, the idea that mother-initiated c-sections are spurring an overall increase in the practice has only become more popular.
I go on to refute this idea, with the help of some great birth activists and advocates.
Does it do any harm when the media, doctors and others point to mother’s choice as the reason behind higher c-section rates? These advocates argue that it takes away attention from the how decisions related to pregnancy and childbirth are really made: often, under intense pressure from the woman’s physician.
Check the full piece out here.
Radical Doula 