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Childbirth Facts vs Childbirth Myths
Childbirth facts are not necessarily well known and you may be surprised to learn that what most of us consider facts are just plain myths or
worse - lies.
You want the truth and nothing but...because anything else is still a lie.
Pregnancy - and childbirth - is a time when many decisions are made.
Have you ever stopped long enough to wonder what those life changing decisions are based on?
For most of us the answer is no. We trust that "they" - OBGYNs,
midwives, etc - know better and that they tell us the truth and nothing but.
But do they?
Yes, certainly some do. There are wonderful doctors and midwives. And there are really bad - and dangerous - childbirth attendants as well.
Sadly though, what we see as "facts" - i.e. VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-section) is dangerous, or another example would be homebirth is a crazy
choice - are in actuality based on fear not facts.
What do VBAC statistics actually say? Is homebirth truly unsafe? What are the true facts about childbirth? And what are the childbirth myths we have
all believed that have
no basis in truth...
To set the scene, let's mention some medical facts. Facts, that we think, reflect on the "health" of our medical system, the same medical system
that tells
us VBAC is unsafe, homebirth is crazy and labor drugs have
no consequences.
True Medical Facts
True Nutrition Facts
True Childbirth Facts
Conclusion
Your Input
Sources
Childbirth Facts: True Medical Facts
"I find medicine the best of all trades because whether
you do any good or not you still get your money."
Moliere
A Physician in Spite of Himself 1664
The United States is the biggest spender in the WORLD on health care - over 2 trillion spent in 2007.
In 1998 the U.S. was ranked by the World Health Organization - WHO - as the 12th healthiest country in the world. In July 2007, 9 years later,
we had fallen to 42nd.
In 1987, we ranked 11th for longevity. In July 2007, ten years later, we had fallen to 32nd.
We are the most overfed nation on the planet - and most obese - yet we are still malnourished. Most of our bodies are starving for the right nutrients to
function.
Today, 86% of America's school age children cannot pass a minimum physical fitness test.
1 out of 5 Americans under the age of 17 already have a chronic illness.
According to the CDC, the incidence for autism is 1 in 150. At the end of the 1970s - 40 years ago - it was 1 in 10,000!
An estimated 129.6 million Americans or 64% or 2/3 is overweight or obese.
Over 50% of Americans suffer from chronic digestive disorders.
It is true cancer mortality rates have remained relatively unchanged from 1975 to 2003. However, in the same time period the incidence of cancer had
risen dramatically affecting 1.3 million people annually. Today nearly 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will develop cancer in their lifetime. This translates to 56%
more cancers in men and 22% more in women in a single generation!
Christopher Murray M.D. and Ph.D., Director of WHO's Global Program on Evidence for Health Policy said:
Basically, you die earlier and spend more time disabled if you are an American rather than a member of most other advanced
countries.
It costs $300 million to bring a drug to market.
The first step of the FDA approval process is that ALL drugs must pass an LD-50. This means that the said drug must be able
to kill 50% of
its lab animals and then go on to kill all of them for a lethal dose test. IF a drug cannot pass that test it is
said to be a Natural Remedy and falls
under the DSHEA of 1994 - Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.
In the U.S., over 3 million pounds of antibiotics are used every year on humans. That amounts to 10 teaspoons
of pure antibiotic for every
man, woman and child per year.
Most medication are synthesized from chemicals in labs, however some include biological agents as diverse as whale sperm and human
blood parts.
Every body of water tested contains measurable drug residues.
In 1995 JAMA - the Journal of the American Medical Association - noted that:
"Over one million patients are injured in U.S. hospitals each year and approximately 280,000 die annually as
a result of these injuries."
Iatrogenic deaths - doctor caused - in the U.S. account for 783,936 deaths each year. It is evident that the American medical system is
the leading cause of death and injury. The facts bear this out. In 2001, heart disease annual death rate was 699,697 . In 2001, the annual
cancer death rate was 553,251
Childbirth Facts: True Nutrition Facts
Each of us is ultimately responsible for our own wellness. I think we should
leave no stone unturned in our search for better
health.
I also believe that you get out of your body what you put into it. Your body will respond to your efforts
to improve your health.
The time to start is
right now.
Dr. Andrew Saul
If you have said any of these statements - and you believe them:
"I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables."
"I choose organic whenever possible."
"I am in excellent health."
"My health issues are a normal part of the aging process."
Then read on.
The amount of beta carotene found in 2 peaches in 1951 now takes 53 peaches to get the same amount.
The nutrition in corporate farming soils have been reduced by 85%.
The nutrition is missing in our fruits and vegetables because both nutrition and flavor are
absorbed in the last 24 to 48 hours on the plant.
Our produce - both commercial and organic - are picked before they are ripe for transportation
and delivery to the store. They are then
gassed with ethylene so they turn the proper color.
True Childbirth Facts
In 2003, childbirth admissions accounted for 11% of all U.S. hospital stays.
A hospital vaginal delivery costs between $8,300 and $10,400
A C-section costs between $11,500 and $15,500
The national bill for childbirth is $33 billion
The VBAC rate has decreased by more than 60% while the C-section rate has increased by 38% from 1997 to 2003.
"Elective" C-sections - unnecessary - are on the rise
even though they cause a greater risk both to mother and child, and
increased healthcare costs for all of us
The most common hospital procedures are related to child birth
Recent evidence proves that a VBAC is a safer option than a repeat C-section. Despite this evidence, the VBAC rate has
continued to decline since 1997.
In 2003, over 1/2 million of women received an episiotomy - surgical cutting of the vaginal opening.
In 2006, the C-section rate rose to 31.1%, a 3% increase since 2005 and a 50% increase in 10 years.
In 2004, the U.S. had the 3rd highest infant mortality rate of 30 developed nations
In 2006, the preterm birth rate - babies born before 37 weeks - increased. This same rate has increased by 21% since 1990.
In 2006, the low birth weight - babies less than 5.5 lbs at birth - also rose. Since 1990, it has increased by 19%.
33% - or 1/3 - of American women have a hysterectomy before menopause.
Synthetic hormone therapy - HRT - which was hailed as the answer for menopause, does not prevent heart disease or dementia. However,
it does increase the risks of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and gall bladder attacks.
Most labor drugs are used off-label and they
have never been proven safe for an unborn baby - only the unpregnant
mother. Also check Pitocin and
Cytotec.
Most procedures used routinely in childbirth have never been proven safer than natural childbirth - on the contrary. Most procedures are used
as a result of "habit" rather than scientific proof that it is "better and safer."
Ultrasound technology was used without having to prove its
safety for an unborn baby. New data is showing it may not be
safe (on a side note it took
over 40 years for medicine to discover the danger of x-ray technology on an unborn baby).
In the United States, over 81% of women giving birth in a hospital
receive pitocin
- to either induce or augment their labor.
In the United States, only 1% of babies are born at home.
In the United States, only 6 to 8% of births are attended by midwives.
1 in 3 women has a c-section. The World Health Organization - WHO - states that about 1/2 of these are unnecessary.
In a 2005 study, planned homebirth for low risk women was associated with lower rates of medical interventions
BUT similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality
to that of women who birth in hospitals.
In a 2005 study, researchers discovered that only 3.4% of homebirth mothers needed to be transported for urgent reasons.
The guideline for c-section readiness is 30 minutes. Only 17% of emergency c-sections occur before 30 minutes!
In 2002, of American women:
35% received an episiotomy
63% received an epidural
In 3% of the cases forceps were used
Vacuums were used 7% of the time
Labors were induced 44% of the time
IVs were used 85% of the time
The electronic fetal monitor was used 93%
All this with zero proof that the outcome was better...actually it was to the contrary! And these
statistics are climbing every year as is the maternal mortality rate,
the c-section rate, etc.
According to ACOG's - American Academy of OB/GYNs - Practice Bulletin Number 22 states that all women expecting
a larger baby - usually around 9 lbs -
should be allowed a trial of labor.
The colonization of your newborn's gut is of prime importance, term infants born at home and breastfed exclusively had the highest
number of bifidobacteria
- good bacteria - and the lowest number of C. difficile and E. coli bacteria - bad bacteria compared with other groups of
infants.
Of note is that each
day of hospitalization - after
birth - was associated with a 13% increase in the rate of colonization with C. difficle!
C. difficile
is the most serious cause of diarrhea. C. difficile can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon.
Conclusion on Childbirth Facts
These are childbirth facts.
We have listed the sources so that you may do further research if you wish.
And we encourage you to do so.
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Childbirth Facts
Were You Surprised by Some of These Facts?
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Childbirth Facts Resources
World Health Organization
CDC
FDA
"Hospitalizations Related to Childbirth, 2003" Merrill, Chaya, M.P.H. and Dr. Claudia Steiner
"Answers prove elusive as C-section rate rises.". Rubin, Rita. USA Today
"U.S. Health Care Spending; Comparison with other OECD Countries." CRS Report for Congress
"Death by medicine." Null, Gary, PhD, Caroly Dean MD ND, Martin Feldman MD, Debora Rasio MD and Dorothy Smith PhD
www.birthpsychology.com
www.vbacfacts.com
Johnson and Daviss BMJ.2005; 330: 1416
ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 22.
Penders, J., Thijs, C., Vink, C., Stelma, F. F., Snijders, B., Kummeling, I., et al. (2006). Factors influencing the composition of the intestinal microbiota in early infancy. Pediatrics, 118(2), 511 - 521.
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