I am fortunate to get to child birth 36 hours every week. Before you think I am crazy my current profession is a surgical technician. I just happen to work on a labor and delivery unit. I have seen the highs and lows of the experience for the past ten years. One experience that brought tears to my eyes was a couple had a 24 week demise in 2011. I worked the entire weekend while she labored. During that time you bond with the families and they look to the staff for guidance. They know we have experienced death, on a different level, more frequently than them. February of 2013 the couple came back to the hospital with a full term pregnancy. She requested the same room as her previous pregnancy. She dilated to 10 cm but because of CPD ( cephalo pelvic disproportion) she was delivered by cesarean section. CPD occurs when the babies head or body is to large to fit through the pelvic canal. Without a second thought she agreed to the surgery and a healthy baby girl was born. The baby had and initial evaluation by the nursery staff and was given a 9/9 apgar. The next event is what brought tears to my eyes. She kissed her baby girl and said, "I love you, daddy loves you, and your sister told its okay to love you as much as she loved me." She kissed her again and said, I don't have to go home empty handed this time." Talk about a touching moment.
Brazil has over a 90% cesarean rate among middle and upper class citizens. One reason given for opting out of a traditional child birth is the damage done to the body during delivery. Also the women did not want to feel the pain during labor. Other reasons given was for the convenience of the physicians. It is easier to schedule a surgery and know exactly when the baby would arrive. In 2011 the US C-section rate was 32.8. That shows a extreme difference in practices.
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http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm
