Currently viewing the category: "cesarean section"

If you are not fully aware of the amazing intelligence of the human body, let me fill you in: A 40-year-old woman who fell into a coma while 13-weeks pregnant gave birth to a healthy baby 22 weeks later in a German hospital, sources disclosed this week. The incident occurred one and a half years ago, but was withheld until Friday to keep the astounding results from setting off a media circus.

The mother suffered a heart attack early in her pregnancy and remained in a coma throughout. Doctors did not disclose whether the baby was birthed naturally or by cesarean section. The baby is now 1 1/2 years old and healthy. Matthias Beckmann, a director at the hospital in Erlangen, Bavaria, said: “We wanted to keep the spectacular case secret for as long as possible to demonstrate that we’re not experimenting on people and that the child is still healthy.”

Anyone else in awe of the body’s incredible innate intelligence? The body knows what to do and when to do it. The current medical/physiological paradigm perceives the body as highly fragile and fallible. There are some, it believes, that have “good genes,” and are therefore strong and resilient. But for some poor folk–those cursed with “bad genes” or those that have simply gotten the short end of the stick (whatever that’s supposed to mean)–medical science believes their bodies can’t produce proper amounts of cholesterol, or that their brains are dysfunctional in their regulation of neurotransmitters; and that somehow they needs a lifetime of medical intervention to function properly and sustain life.

You know, if this was the rationale behind some medical cases, then I might not scoff. But this paradigm is the prevailing belief system in nearly all of health care and medicine. It’s false.

The human body has an innate intelligence governing it, and the source is not simply genetics. The body knows what it needs and to what degree in development, maintenance and healing. It produces enough cholesterol, serotonin and dopamine for its particular host, even if that amount is outside “medically determined” norms. The innate intelligence of the body is smarter than man; it knows how to regulate a system better, within a wider range of variabilities, than man-made pharmacology does.

Don’t believe me? Ask a German-born child who spent 22-weeks developing in the womb of a comatose mother, who was delivered healthy, and remains alive and well one and a half years later. In a few years ask that child what he or she thinks about innate intelligence.

Let me know what you find out.

Don’t fret, Americans! We’re not the only prima donnas on the planet. Looks like our rivals in Iran want it easy too. According to recent reports, women in this Middle Eastern country are electing to have c-sections by the boatload. In fact, a whopping 40% of children in Iran are born by cesarean section.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a cesarean rate of 10-15% only, but in the Iranian capital of Tehran, the numbers are as high as 50%. Crazy? Not to people in the Isfahan and Gilan provinces. 60% of the women in these regions are choosing to give birth this way. Dang!

Looks like vaginal child birth is so last year in Iran. The women there–like many here in America–don’t want to feel the pain and discomfort associated with child birth. And they figure, if science can alleviate this, why not use it? Some women believe that they’ll actually save themselves physical damage by opting for the surgery. Oh, little do they know it’s quite the contrary.

Doctors there, however, aren’t disclosing the risks to the soon to be sliced-opened moms. According to gynecologist Nasrin Changizi, who heads the mothers’ health bureau in the Iranian health ministry, Iranian women are not generally well-informed about the benefits and risks involved with each form of childbirth, and that elective c-sections potentially have more side effects than having a baby the natural way. She also points out that local doctors (like our own) abhor the long hours of deliveries (must interfere with tee time), and that fears of malpractice suits also lead them to push mothers into c-sections at the slightest sign of difficulty. And of course let’s not forget the difference in price between natural child birth and c-sections. Chaching!

You know how I feel about cesarean deliveries–I discussed it in an earlier post–but it deserves mentioning again. C-sections are a Godsend. They’ve saved countless lives of both mothers and children, and we should count our blessings every day that we have this valuable procedure at our disposal when we need it. However, choosing a c-section to simply make it easier is absurd and dangerous. There is always a risk to the mother (or anybody having a surgery for that matter). Further, I believe that the birthing process develops an emotional and neurological (energetic) bond between mother and baby that is important to the nurturing and parenting process. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that children born by c-section don’t bond with their mothers–they do. But why lose out on this valuable and beautiful experience for sheer simplicities sake? Life ain’t easy, and you can’t escape challenges, so why bother in this regard? For lack of a better analogy, it’s like hoping to win the lottery–you’re living in a dream world, mate.

Anyway, it makes me snicker a little to know that Americans aren’t the most spoiled rotten softies on the globe. At least in this case, Iranians have got us beat by a mile.

Birth by cesarean section (c-section) has doubled in the last ten years. Statistics show that one in three American babies is now delivered by cesarean. A c-section is a form of childbirth where a surgical incision is made through a woman’s abdomen and uterus to extract the baby (or babies). While many of these procedures are medically necessary–to save the life of the mother or baby–a large number of women are electing to have cesarean sections as their first option, that is, without trying to deliver vaginally. In fact, elective c-section is all the rage in Hollywood today, with many a young starlet opting for one (or two as is purportedly the case with this out-of-control Hoochie Mama).

But, once again, I must point out that surgery is not without risks. This is especially true for the now routine c-section: Recent research shows that babies delivered by non-emergency c-section have a four times greater chance of having breathing problems. According to Anne Hansen of the Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, one of the lead researchers in the study, the greatest risk is seen when the procedure is performed early on–before the 39th week of pregnancy. Therefore, she states, if a woman is going to elect for this procedure, it probably shouldn’t be done before this time. It is as of yet unclear why babies born by cesarean might have breathing difficulties, but researchers believe that stress hormones produced by the mother during labor actually help the baby’s lungs mature.

C-sections, without a doubt, are a blessing to any family who has had the horror of experiencing a dangerous labor. There was a time when either mother or baby, or both, might be lost during difficult birthing. Thanks to c-sections, though, many lives have been spared; and probably everyone reading this has a loved one in the world today because of this blessed procedure. But saying that, isn’t it a shame that so many women are choosing not to experience the incredible process of giving birth the old fashioned way? Aside from the bond that is established between mother and child during this laborious process, there must be physiological, hormonal, and–excuse my metaphysics, but–energetic benefits to the entire process. To just bypass this most natural act, this integral part of our evolution, seems a bit detached to me. What’s next? Portable colostomy bags? I mean, what the heck–it’s uncomfortable and…I really can’t be bothered, so…sheesh.

Listen, this isn’t a morality trip but, unless you know it’ll be a hazard to your health or the health of your baby, don’t opt out of the beautiful birthing experience. The labor is worth the pain. It was by far the greatest experience my wife and I have ever had (yes, better than mushrooms and whiskey, much better). And besides, it turns out it’s better for your baby too.

Check out this blogger’s hysterical take on elective c-sections.

And something on the more serious side.

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