A recent report suggests that there might be some doctors who force pregnant women to undergo cesarean section instead of a normal delivery. The doctors are able to do this by telling women that their babies are too large for a natural childbirth.
The report from New York Times says that the high cesarean rates in the country, despite the fact that only 8 percent of babies are considered as large babies, might be due to doctors' overblown estimates of the baby's weight.
"Childbirth is seen as a painful process to begin with," Erika R. Cheng, assistant professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, told the New York Times. "When you're told your baby will be large, it conjures up images of more pain, and risks and complications that might harm you and your baby. Women understandably might want to avoid that."
Yahoo Parenting also reported about a recent study conducted by Childbirth Connection. The same findings were published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal -- showing a great number of women who have been given wrong estimates about their baby's weight. The study also says that women who were told that they are going to give birth to large babies were almost five times more likely to choose the 'cesarean section'.
"I was bullied into the C-section," a mother told the New York Times. "They were telling me my baby would have permanent nerve damage and would never be able to dance or throw a ball because I had a fantasy of what a birth is like, and 'Isn't the only thing that matters a healthy baby?' I felt like I had really very little choice."
Some of the best methods to have a natural childbirth instead of a cesarean section include getting some proper prenatal education, finding a doctor who has plenty of experience with natural childbirth, maintaining proper weight and moderate physical activity during the early part of labor, as presented in the list of Fit Pregnancy.
