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Choosing between natural childbirth and C-section surgery
By Michelle Qiao |
April 22, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
"C-SECTION or not" is a question confronting most urban Chinese woman, including me as I awaited my first baby months ago.
I wanted the birth to be natural if possible. After all, I'm a healthy, active woman. I also wanted to be scientific in making my choice, reading and hearing from experts as well as friends. But I did go back and forth.
C-sections - major abdominal surgery with more risks for mother and child - are supposed to be last resorts, emergency measures. Recovery takes much longer time than natural birth. But in China they are routine and the country has the world's highest rate; 46.2 percent of births were surgically assisted in 2010, according to the World health Organization.
Shanghai's rate was 53.6 percent that year and rising. WHO recommends 10-15 percent; the Asian average is 27.3 percent.
Some health authorities encourage more vaginal births, but it's an uphill struggle.
I was bombarded by advice from family, friends, doctors and experts.
Many doctors and nurses encourage fast and (for them) easy C-sections because hospitals are crowded and there's a huge volume of births, especially in this auspicious Chinese Lunar Year of the Dragon. They don't have to wait through labor - and it pays much more.
Mother's advice
My physician mother suggested a C-section, although I was born the natural way during the hot summer of 1978 when C-sections were very rare emergency measures. Now she wanted 100 percent safety for the first baby of her only daughter.
"You are already 33 years old and I don't think you are as strong as I was and able to endure a vaginal birth, which required a lot of strength," she said.
Both my two best friends had C-sections. Elena Xiao tried natural delivery but failed because of complications. Maggie Lu chose a C-section even before she got pregnant.
"I heard too many terrible stories about natural birth and the pain and the indignity you suffer while you're left there crying in the cold hospital room during labor," Maggie said.
Going natural
Chinese want their children to "win from the starting line in life." For me, natural birth and breast feeding are the two best gifts to help a baby win at the beginning, not the excessive pre-school training for toddlers.
In a book "Conception, Pregnancy & Birth: The Childbirth Bible for Today's Parents" by British obstetrician Miriam Stoppard, I was surprised that Caesarean was not even listed as a choice - the choices are natural birth at home and assisted birth in hospital.
Dr Stoppard warns that C-sections greatly increase risks of massive bleeding and uterine damage.
"Be active and scientific," I told myself.
I attended Lamaze classes to learn breathing techniques during delivery. I joined a pre-natal yoga class taught by an American mother of two who looked as strong as a Marathoner. Moreover, I swam until the 33rd week of pregnancy to maintain energy - that shocked a lot of Chinese.
Maybe a C-section
More than a month before I was due, my friend Ding had a C-section because she was very afraid of pain. It took half an hour and it was effortless, almost painless. If Ding, who was younger than I, chose a C-section, why should I go through the pain and uncertainty?
There was another reason - to ensure my baby could enter school as soon as possible.
I was due around September 13, but that was late because babies born before September 1 can enter primary school in autumn when they are 6.
Some friends suggested I choose an auspicious date in late August for a C-section, so my baby would get an early start in school.
Last-minute choice
To be more scientific, I attended a lecture about medical interventions during labor by a retired obstetrician. She dramatically delivered her message using a model of a very pregnant belly made with layers of colored cloth.
She demonstrated that in a Caesarean, five layers of skin, muscle and abdominal membranes would be cut - she stripped away the layers in the model. It was shocking. That changed my mind about having someone cut through my abdomen.
My physician mother's C-section preference was also changed by a last-minute call from family friend Ren Ling, a senior obstetrician.
"The more C-sections I preformed, the more worried I felt," Dr Ren said. "From my 20 years' experience, I can tell you it's still risky surgery ... If your daughter is qualified, try natural childbirth. That's what I recommend to all my relatives and friends."
The big day
My baby probably wanted to make that September 1 school deadline - labor started three weeks earlier than expected.
At first the pain was beyond imagination. I realized that a person could be so utterly alone facing pain that overwhelmed body and mind, and no one could endure it for you.
Finally, the anesthesiologist gave me an injection that lifted me from hell to heaven. I could feel the contractions but there was no pain. I felt warm, happy and even napped.
The final moment came around 10:30pm, almost 24 hours after the first contraction. I was putting a lot of strength into pushing, but a long push made little progress. Fortunately, I knew how to breathe and conserve strength, thanks to Lamaze, yoga and swimming.
Push, push, let all this end. Suddenly I heard a faraway yet nearby voice, like an alien crying louder and louder. The clock on the wall hit 11:05pm and I had a healthy big-eyed baby boy, my son Jordan.
My husband Jacky Chen was there with me most of the time, holding my hand, helping me breathe and push. I will never forget the pain, the strength and the ecstasy of that day.
Apart from the many health advantages, the best part was the experience that makes a woman feel so instinctive, strong and so like a woman. I believe that experience increases her love for her baby and will be cherished for the rest of her life.
Finally, I don't have to weigh the C-section question anymore. I have my son in my arms.
I wanted the birth to be natural if possible. After all, I'm a healthy, active woman. I also wanted to be scientific in making my choice, reading and hearing from experts as well as friends. But I did go back and forth.
C-sections - major abdominal surgery with more risks for mother and child - are supposed to be last resorts, emergency measures. Recovery takes much longer time than natural birth. But in China they are routine and the country has the world's highest rate; 46.2 percent of births were surgically assisted in 2010, according to the World health Organization.
Shanghai's rate was 53.6 percent that year and rising. WHO recommends 10-15 percent; the Asian average is 27.3 percent.
Some health authorities encourage more vaginal births, but it's an uphill struggle.
I was bombarded by advice from family, friends, doctors and experts.
Many doctors and nurses encourage fast and (for them) easy C-sections because hospitals are crowded and there's a huge volume of births, especially in this auspicious Chinese Lunar Year of the Dragon. They don't have to wait through labor - and it pays much more.
Mother's advice
My physician mother suggested a C-section, although I was born the natural way during the hot summer of 1978 when C-sections were very rare emergency measures. Now she wanted 100 percent safety for the first baby of her only daughter.
"You are already 33 years old and I don't think you are as strong as I was and able to endure a vaginal birth, which required a lot of strength," she said.
Both my two best friends had C-sections. Elena Xiao tried natural delivery but failed because of complications. Maggie Lu chose a C-section even before she got pregnant.
"I heard too many terrible stories about natural birth and the pain and the indignity you suffer while you're left there crying in the cold hospital room during labor," Maggie said.
Going natural
Chinese want their children to "win from the starting line in life." For me, natural birth and breast feeding are the two best gifts to help a baby win at the beginning, not the excessive pre-school training for toddlers.
In a book "Conception, Pregnancy & Birth: The Childbirth Bible for Today's Parents" by British obstetrician Miriam Stoppard, I was surprised that Caesarean was not even listed as a choice - the choices are natural birth at home and assisted birth in hospital.
Dr Stoppard warns that C-sections greatly increase risks of massive bleeding and uterine damage.
"Be active and scientific," I told myself.
I attended Lamaze classes to learn breathing techniques during delivery. I joined a pre-natal yoga class taught by an American mother of two who looked as strong as a Marathoner. Moreover, I swam until the 33rd week of pregnancy to maintain energy - that shocked a lot of Chinese.
Maybe a C-section
More than a month before I was due, my friend Ding had a C-section because she was very afraid of pain. It took half an hour and it was effortless, almost painless. If Ding, who was younger than I, chose a C-section, why should I go through the pain and uncertainty?
There was another reason - to ensure my baby could enter school as soon as possible.
I was due around September 13, but that was late because babies born before September 1 can enter primary school in autumn when they are 6.
Some friends suggested I choose an auspicious date in late August for a C-section, so my baby would get an early start in school.
Last-minute choice
To be more scientific, I attended a lecture about medical interventions during labor by a retired obstetrician. She dramatically delivered her message using a model of a very pregnant belly made with layers of colored cloth.
She demonstrated that in a Caesarean, five layers of skin, muscle and abdominal membranes would be cut - she stripped away the layers in the model. It was shocking. That changed my mind about having someone cut through my abdomen.
My physician mother's C-section preference was also changed by a last-minute call from family friend Ren Ling, a senior obstetrician.
"The more C-sections I preformed, the more worried I felt," Dr Ren said. "From my 20 years' experience, I can tell you it's still risky surgery ... If your daughter is qualified, try natural childbirth. That's what I recommend to all my relatives and friends."
The big day
My baby probably wanted to make that September 1 school deadline - labor started three weeks earlier than expected.
At first the pain was beyond imagination. I realized that a person could be so utterly alone facing pain that overwhelmed body and mind, and no one could endure it for you.
Finally, the anesthesiologist gave me an injection that lifted me from hell to heaven. I could feel the contractions but there was no pain. I felt warm, happy and even napped.
The final moment came around 10:30pm, almost 24 hours after the first contraction. I was putting a lot of strength into pushing, but a long push made little progress. Fortunately, I knew how to breathe and conserve strength, thanks to Lamaze, yoga and swimming.
Push, push, let all this end. Suddenly I heard a faraway yet nearby voice, like an alien crying louder and louder. The clock on the wall hit 11:05pm and I had a healthy big-eyed baby boy, my son Jordan.
My husband Jacky Chen was there with me most of the time, holding my hand, helping me breathe and push. I will never forget the pain, the strength and the ecstasy of that day.
Apart from the many health advantages, the best part was the experience that makes a woman feel so instinctive, strong and so like a woman. I believe that experience increases her love for her baby and will be cherished for the rest of her life.
Finally, I don't have to weigh the C-section question anymore. I have my son in my arms.
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