What They Don’t Tell You About C-Sections
Analysis by A Midwestern Doctor — March 28, 2025
*** begin quote ***
- For more than a century, there has been a push to medicalize childbirth and transform it from a natural life event to something requiring major interventions so nothing goes amiss
- Many of the standard procedures done during hospital births increase your risk of needing other invasive interventions, eventually cascading into requiring a cesarean section
- Like other major abdominal surgeries, C-sections expose mothers to significant risk, require a prolonged recovery, and leave large scars which can cause a wide range of chronic issues
- C-sections also expose infants to real risks and predispose them to a variety of chronic autoimmune and neurological issues
- This article will discuss the risks of C-sections, the situations where they are necessary, and some approaches that can be used to recover from them
Many traditions throughout history have come to view one’s birth as one of the most important moments in a human’s life as it sets the stage for all that follows. Unfortunately, much in the same way we desecrate the death process by over-medicalizing it (to the point research has found that doctors are less likely to seek end of life care at a medical facility1), the same issue also exists with childbirth.
Many physicians I know who are familiar with the hospital birthing process chose to skip it and give birth at home (along with many more doctors featured in a 2016 documentary2).
Conversely, a minority of childbirths do need advanced medical care. For those mothers, access to a hospital greatly benefits them, particularly if actions are taken to mitigate the most dangerous aspects of hospital birth.
As such, childbirth occupies a similar place as many other medical controversies; neither side of the issue is entirely correct. However, the data clearly shows the risk of routine C-sections outweighs their benefits so this article will attempt to expose what they aren’t tell you about them.
*** end quote ***
I was particularly interested in all the stats that were provided. As well as the anecdotal evidence from the New Zealand Maoris, “getting a spark”, and the old practice of doctors would wack a baby’s soles to trigger a vigorous cry. I thought it was a smack on the butt.
In survival school, one of the mandatory lessons was about emergency child birth. The essence was to do as little as possible until real help arrived. Keep patient level, legs elevated, clean newspapers to keep the area as sterile as possible, get the baby crying (really), on mom’s chest, and don’t touch the cord. And to ignore everything we’d seen on TV. Laugh!
Came close twice, but no cigar. In the closest case, commuting into NYC on a train, after the paramedics took her away, the old gent came up and complimented me on doing everything right. Even mentioning the newspaper bedding and “sheets”. He said he a was the head of obstetrics at Saint Vincents and would have intervened if I was doing anything wrong. His reticence was due to the malpractice law that rendered me immune but made him libel. Dumb law. I was almost pooping MY pants that I might have to deliver. Labor pains were a minute intervals. But Saint Simeon the Holy Fool was with me that day.
Glad I never had to make any of these hard decisions as outlined in the article.
I would hope that the incentive structure for “health care” gets straightened out.
Argh!
—30—
Posted by reinkefj 
Reinke Faces Life 