Childbirth : A Woman's Life

In the United States, the process of childbirth is far more dangerous for African American women than it is for White women. For African American women, the path to a healthy birth is riddled with barriers. There are many health disparities between the two races. African American women face much higher low-birth and infant mortality rates; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published that although infant mortality rates in the U.S. have dropped by over 10% in the past ten years, a large gap continues to exist between the health of the races during the entire childbirth process. (World Health Organization, 2010) In the United States, Black infants are more than twice as likely to die within the first year of life as a White infant, and this disparity has not seen advancements in the last century. Many of these deaths can be attributed to low birth weight, and preterm birth among black infants.

Randomization was used to generate what patient went to which group. The way the patients were chosen eliminated bias because “Randomization was performed according to a computer-generated list by means of sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes which revealed the allocation of the subject to either induction or expectant management”(Nielsen et al. p. 60). This secure randomization added a great strength to the study. The sample size seemed fairly large, 226 patients were split into 116 for elective induction and 110 to expectant management, although the power analysis was disclosed in this study and determined that 600 patients were required. Only 226 patients were used and because it would take 4 years to reach the required amount of patients, the study was discontinued. This was both a strength and weakness because disclosing this information made the study more honest but the quota needed to reach the best answers was not attained. The study for the 226 patients was pretty standard with the 80% power and alpha at 0.05. T-test and chi square tests were used to compare the proportions between the groups of people. The women were chosen based on the inclusion criteria of being 39 weeks gestation or older, maternal age of more than 17, fetal cephalic presentation, singleton gestation, a candidate for vaginal delivery, and a Bishop score of 5 or greater in nulliparous women and 4 or greater for multiparous women. This inclusion criterion was a concern because both nulliparous women and multiparous women were being tested together. This was a weakness because the labor patterns of a nulliparous woman compared to a multiparous woman are very variable and sure to distort study data. It was also disclosed how gestational age was achieved which included the crown rump test measured in 6-12

Does everybody think or feels the same about childbirth around the world? This question above is a question that has always been in my mind. Now that I got the opportunity of choosing a topic to do research. I decided to choose childbirth and culture. This research paper is going to talk about how different cultures and countries look a birth in an entirely different manner. Some look at birth as a battle and others as a struggle. And on some occasions, the pregnant mother could be known as unclean or in other places where the placenta is belief to be a guardian angel. These beliefs could be strange for us but for the culture in which this is being practiced is natural and a tradition. I am going to be introducing natural and c-section childbirth. And, the place of childbirth is going to be a topic in this essay. America is one country included in this research paper.

The intent of this paper is to examine effective solutions for reducing cesarean deliveries. Cesarean deliveries involve more risk to both the mother and baby than vaginal births do. Cesarean deliveries have a higher potential of complications than vaginal births. Cesarean deliveries cost more, require longer hospital stays, and require more resources—both human and systemic—than vaginal births.

Over the years birthing methods have changed a great deal. When technology wasn’t so advanced there was only one method of giving birth, vaginally non-medicated. However, in today’s society there are now more than one method of giving birth. In fact, there are three methods: Non-medicated vaginal delivery, medicated vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery, also known as c-section. In the cesarean delivery there is not much to prepare for before the operation, except maybe the procedure of the operation. A few things that will be discussed are: the process of cesarean delivery, reasons for this birthing method and a few reasons for why this birthing method is used. Also a question that many women have is whether or not they can vaginally

In depth discussion of planned and emergency C/S deliveries were also discussed. Planned C/S births were defined as “breech presentation, multiple pregnancy, preterm birth, small for gestational age, placenta praevia, morbidly adherent placenta, cephalopelvic disproportion in labor, mother-to-child transmission of maternal infection, Hepatitis B and C viruses, Herpes, and maternal request for C/S birth was outlined” (National Guideline Clearinghouse, 2011). An in-depth outline of anesthesia and surgical techniques followed. It seems that this source addressed nearly every type of C/S birth technique, including “method of placental removal, exteriorization of the uterus, closure of the uterus, peritoneum, abdominal wall, and subcutaneous tissue, use of superficial wound drains, closure of skin, and even timing of antibiotic administration and thromboprophylaxis for C/S births. Care of the woman after C/S surgery, routine monitoring, pain management, eating and drinking after surgery, and removing the urinary catheter after C/S surgeries was also discussed(National Guideline Clearinghouse, 2011)”. There is even a benefits/harms section that looks at potential risks and successes of C/S deliveries. The National Guidelines Clearinghouse

Caesarean sections are a common form of birth in the 21st century. Caesarean sections are performed in a variety of situations including complications in birth, emergencies, and high risk pregnancies. Usually, once a mother has one Caesarean section, all babies after will also be delivered by Caesarean section.

Shah then goes on to state how cesarean surgeries may be beneficial, or may not be beneficial to the mother, but are most likely unbeneficial to the newborn, unless there is a serious threat. Shah states, “ … that those born by cesarean were significantly more likely to develop chronic immune disorders.” of which he acquired from a Danish study from two million children born at full term. In contrast Dr.Shah states how many of his patients benefit from his surgeries, even though he stated previously how dangerous they were, and how he gets to save lives and bring new ones into the world. Finally, Shahs closing remarks are on how to fix the overuse of C-sections. Shah states how natural birth is the preferred way to go and that cesarean surgeries should be only for emergency use only and not for choice. In addition, Dr.Shah goes on to say how a perfect way to fix the overuse is to take the “British way” and to “...stay away from obstetricians altogether - at least until you need

The history of childbirth is long, spanning across the entire history of every creature. The physical act has stayed the same with the exclusion of c-sections but the social aspect has changed drastically. Through exploring Nancy Dye’s History of Childbirth in America, Wenda Trevathan’s The Evolutionary History of Childbirth, and Barbra Rothman’s Childbirth as a Negotiated Reality, one will receive a glimpse into the social history of childbirth.

In today’s era, new moms to be have developed different opinions about birthing techniques. Some strongly demand for a vaginal delivery, some wish to opt for C-sec just to avoid labor pains and many more. All these opinions are based on several myths and facts associated with delivery patterns. Doctors guide the patients the correct delivery pattern based on several factors most important being the maternal and fetal health. Following are some myths associated with caesarian section and their reality:

The authors clearly stated within the title the study is a randomized controlled trial and is both a qualitative and qualitative study. The purpose of the study was to find decision aids for mode of delivery among women that have previously had a caesarean section; which as well was stated in the research title (Montgomery, et al. 2007). The abstract was very informative and effective for explaining and giving an overview of the entire study, explaining design, objectives, setting, participants, interventions, measures, and results. The study was funded by the BUPA Foundation and the AAM was partially supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the UK Department of Health National Coordinating Centre for Research Capacity Development (Montgomery, et al. 2007). There were no

It's now 3 weeks into her pregnancy. Jessica was having a hard time fitting into her jean, and her focus in class was slipping. She even excuse herself more often then normal from class, and rushes to the nearest restroom to vomit. Her cheer leading practices wasn't doing well either, she getting nauseous doing flips. Her friends was talking behind her back, saying she might be pregnant. For her right now, her social life was going down hill. She was getting excited, it always been one of her fetish to ruin her life, this was it..but then she reconsider the consequences of her actions. It all started when she seduce her bother and now it's too late.

With the cesarean section it is typical to use regional anesthesia but in an emergency it may be necessary to use general anesthesia which means the mother won’t be able to see, feel, or hear. This method has become increasingly common over the last decade increasing by seven-fold with a rate of thirty-two percent in 2014 (Hamilton, B.E., Martin, J.A., Osterman, M.J.K., & Curtin, S.C., 2015). Typically, the cesarean section is used when there is a complication with the baby that would make vaginal delivery risky. This method can be advantageous because if there is a known complication the cesarean section can be planned ahead of time in order to avoid serious danger for both mother and child. One of the most common complications resulting in a cesarean section is stalled labor when the labor stops progressing because the cervix isn’t opening or the baby’s head is too big. When the baby isn’t getting enough oxygen or there is an issue with the umbilical cord the cesarean section can again be the result. Another type of complication is when the baby is in an abnormal position that makes vaginal delivery dangerous. The baby may be in a breech position where the feet or buttocks is positioned to go first through the birthing canal instead of the desired head first. Another way is the transverse position where the baby is turned shoulder or side first. The placenta can also cause issues for mother

What I liked about this topic was how eye opening it was. This topic really showcase the struggles that come with being pregnant, whether they are physical or mental. I liked this episode of the podcast because of the wide range of topics that was covered, which made it very enlightening. And there was nothing on this topic that I didn’t like or enjoy.

Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) is the name used for identifying the method of giving birth vaginally after previously delivering at least one baby through a caesarean section (CS). A trial of labour (TOL) is the term used to describe the process of attempting a VBAC. An elected repeat caesarean (ERC) is the other option for women who have had a caesarean in the past. The rates of women choosing to deliver by means of an ERC has been increasing in many countries, this is typically due to the common assumption that there are too many risks for the baby and mother (Knight, Gurol-Urganci, Van Der Meulen, Mahmood, Richmond, Dougall, & Cromwell, 2013). The success rate of VBAC lies in the range of 56 - 80%, a reasonably high success rate, however, the repeat caesarean birth rate has increased to 83% in Australia (Knight et al., 2013). It is essential to inform women of the contraindications, success criteria, risks, benefits, information on uterine rupture and the role of the midwife in relation to considering attempting a VBAC (Hayman, 2014). This information forms the basis of an antenatal class (Appendix 1) that provides the necessary information to women who are considering attempting a VBAC and can therefore enable them to make their own decision regarding the mode of birth.