Although many mothers need to have Cesarean sections performed when giving birth, a new survey reports that major label interventions such as C-sections are being used too excessively on healthy women, according to Parenting.com.
The survey, Listening to Mother's III, questioned about 2,400 moms that gave birth in hospitals across the U.S., and concluded that many women are not informed enough about the risks of such procedures to advocate for themselves.
The majority of moms did not have the correct knowledge about what would put them at risk for needing a potentially dangerous procedure, and one in four reported being pressured by caregivers to receive an intervention.
Only one in eight women surveyed reported not having procedures such as labor induction or speeded delivery. with a quarter of women having received three or more of five serious interventions. Among mothers who had a primary C-section, the survey found that the four major reasons women cited for having the procedure done were: baby was in the wrong position (16 percent), fetal monitor reading showed a problem (11 percent), the mother had a health condition that called for the procedure (10 percent), or the baby was having trouble fitting through (10 percent). Twenty-two percent of mothers indicated that they had asked their health care providers for a planned C-section delivery.
Maureen Corry, the executive director of Childbirth Connection, told The Lund Report that "pressure to have unwanted procedures, a lack of awareness about their downsides, and unqualified trust in health care providers are a potent combination, making women and their babies vulnerable to poor quality care."
"Women urgently need access to publicly reported performance measures of health care providers and hospitals, and decision-making tools to help them choose safe, effective care that reflects their values and preferences," Corry said.
"Underused maternity practices tend to be non-invasive, pose few if any risks, and use relatively few resources," The survey's lead investigator Dr. Eugene Declercq, told The Lund Report. "They offer many opportunities to improve the quality, outcomes and cost of maternity care, with benefits for mothers and babies, and those who pay for their care."
Of the women surveyed, many did not receive help such as continous doula care, support for depression and smoking cessation. Surprisingly, many moms who had previously had C-sections and wanted vaginal births said that their hospital or maternity care provider refused.
According to the survey, almost two-thirds of mothers (63 percent) with primary cesareans indicated that their doctor was the decision maker, and for those mothers with a repeat C-section, the decision had typically been made prior to labor by either their provider (47 percent) or the mothers (30 percent). Just 1 percent of mothers with a primary C-section reported that they themselves had made the decision to have the procedure done in advance of labor.
