Thursday, April 15, 2010

I would love to have a major surgery, please!

I was reading my news feed page on facebook just a minute ago, you know, just to see what's up with people and that. Then i read the status of an ex-coworker and what people had commented on it and i immediately felt outraged.
I don't tend to judge people minds or decisions, i actually consider myself pretty tolerant and respectful, but there's a situation happening right now in Mexico that just pisses me off. So this is not about individuals but a growing culture of stupidity and ignorance in my country.
My contact on facebook, which is a girl, listed a couple of private hospitals in Monterrey, Mexico, asking her friends which one they recommended for the delivery of her baby. There were a lot of comments, all made by women telling her their experiences and opinions. What really bugged me (and believe me, i knew what was coming because this situation has been going on for a little while now) was the fact that besides rating the doctors, nurses, rooms, service and neonatal care, almost every comment rated the operating room of every hospital. Does this already sound weird to you?
If not, maybe is because you're from Mexico as well and see this as normal as i used to see it (before i was "forced" by the canadian health system to have my baby the "natural way").
Right now, Mexico occupies one of the top spots of c-section rates in the world with 38% of the births. Monterrey, Mexico, the city where i went to college, was called on this page, the c-section capital of the W-O-R-L-D, with 50% of the births being by c-sction. And in the private hospitals of the city, an astonishing 73% of the births are performed by this method.
No, women are not suffering from preeclampsia , or gestational diabetes, they are just choosing to have it that way.
I believe every woman who carries a baby on her womb for all those months, taking care of herself and her unborn child is a great mom, no matter the way she decided to bring that child into this world. And thank god we have the right to choose!
But when you make this decision because of lack of information, or because your shaddy doctor make you believe your baby was in danger and he "needed" to get you to the operating room immediately, or you were just too afraid (As i sure was too, terrified!), or nobody explained you what was exactly all this childbirth thing about (Oh believe me that case sure does happen in Mexico) or the private hospital just sold you the idea, or just because the doctor doesn't want to receive unexpected calls in the middle of the night and also wants to make more money out of it, hmm there's when i get a bit frustrated and just can't help myself but have an opinion out of it! .
I wish i could tell all the pregos in Mexico that they should take the time and interest to make their reseach and be informed before making this decision.
It is also sad and frustrating the way many, many women see childbirth. Like, in Mexico you have to have this baby at the most expensive hospital you can afford so people will see how prosperous you are. And if all you're friends are having the baby in X hospital because is the trend right now, how come you're not having baby there too? I called it the need to show and it's not cool. And unfortunately it's a freaking disease rooted deeply on the latinamerican mind.
Listen to me pregos! a baby is a precious thing, much more important than all that bullshit! It does not matter where you have him as long as the people helping you are well prepared, you and your partner are prepared and informed and ready to love this new human being unconditionally.
Your bodies are meant for this, you can do it. And be informed of what is going on inside you during the pregnancy, read a lot! take prenatal classes, check your options, and stand up for the right every woman has of being able to decide how does she wants to have her child, don't let that shaddy doctor put a date on you because he wants more money out of you and his perfect schedule to remain intact.
And please, please don't get me wrong here, it's awesome that c-section exist, how many lives have been saved thanks to this procedure? how many happy babies and moms are in this world that would have been lost or severely traumatized if not for a c-section? I see the importance of it and it's unquestionable. "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." Quote from here.
Just saying...

9 comments:

  1. rosangela de la moraApril 15, 2010 at 9:45 PM

    I totally agree with you. Having a baby the old fashioned way is a blessing and the best experience for any mom to be. Thanks God, I was blessed with that and right now I considered the best day of my life =)

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  2. Thanks Rosangela, i think it's a blessing too. But at the end it does not matter how the baby is born is just that c-section shouln't be like fashion. People in Mexico should be more informed, baby is not equal to surgery.
    Gracias por comentar!

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  3. I think some women also choose C-Section so they can arrange a little tummy tuck while they're at it.

    As a mama of three, (2 hospital, 1 home birth, all natural) I find it sad that so many uninformed women don't realize that in addition to the joy of the experience itself, there are many medical benefits of vaginal childbirth, for both baby and mama.

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  4. Estoy totalmente de acuedo con tigo...Iveth, tenemos tantas cosas en comun!! jajaja
    Hablando de mi propia experiencia, al momento de enterarme que yo estaba esperando a mi primer bebe; me senti totalmente "desarmada", en el sentido de que no sabia nada del tema hasta con decirte que nunca me habia tocado siquiera sostener un bebe pequeño en toda mi vida, y mucho menos habia estado a cargo de uno...En ese momento senti la enorme necesidad de investigar....por que yo no iva a dejar que nadie decidiera por mi "Nada" en esos momentos tan especiales para mi, para mi pareja y para mi tan esperado primer hijo!!...
    No se cuanto mas pueda escribir aki pero bueno seguire hasta donde me deje....me informe de todos los procedimientos normales de un hospital incluyendo a los procedimientos de los doctores, enfermeras...me infotme de mis derechos y de todo lo que yo podia pedir durante el nacimiento de mi bebe.
    Me toco un ginecologo maravilloso...que me dijo que yo era la unica que pedia tantas cosas y que preguntaba tantos detalles cada mes que iva a la cita mensual...Rodrigo, mi ginecologo, me cumplio todos mis caprichos y me espero todo el tiempo que yo necesitaba...hasta con decirte que accedio a yo llevara una alberquita inflable al cuarto del hospital, para ayudarme a relajarme durante las contracciones!! jajajaja
    Estuve 7 horas en labor de parto y mi bebe nunca pudo avocarse!!...tenia el cordon umbilical amarrado al rededor de su tobillo y eso no lo dejaba descender, asi es que yo pujaba y el se regresaba....indudablemente cesarea...
    El bebe elijio nacer de esta manera, no yo, no mi esposo, no mi Medico, que ese dia era su cumpleaños y nunca tuvo la necesidad de apresurar las cosas...
    Con esto quiero compartir mi experiencia, mi sentir acerca de el nacimiento de mi primer hijo...intente todos los metodos para que mi bebe pudiera nacer "natural" estaba un poco como aferrada a la idea...el elijio otra manera y yo ya no podia esperar el momento de conocerlo....
    todo fue y se dio de la manera perfecta y el primer llanto de mi bebe fue un llanto y a la vez un grito diciendo claramente "mama"...en ese momento supe que todo lo que habia vivido fue algo divino y Magico...

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  5. Wow Wera, que bonita historia y la cuentas con mucha emosion, gracias por compartirla conmigo en este blog!
    En serio que hasta se me queria salir la lagrimita :)
    Veo que te preparaste bastante y me da mucho gusto por que pudiste vivir la experiencia de estar embarazada sabiendo qué es lo que estaba pasando con tu cuerpo y con tu bebe! A mi me paso lo mismo, cuando me embarecé no tenia mucha idea de lo que estaba pasando pero al igual, una necesidad muy grande de saber y estar informada se desperto en mi y me la pase leyendo e investigando todo lo que pude. al final, cuando estaba en trabajo de parto, tanto Alex como yo, sabiamos exactamente que estaba pasando y por que, entendimos perfectamente todo lo que el doctor hizo y nos dijo. Nos volvimos todos unos expertos :) Todos tenemos nuestra propia manera de vivir la experiencia de tener un hijo, pero cuando sabes que esta pasando y tienes el control de tu cuerpo o de tus decisiones, pienso que se vuelve una experiencia mas maravillosa y significativa :)

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  6. Jenn, you won't believe it, but it is a widespread believe among women in Mexico (a believe sure fueled by doctors who are trying to sell the selective c-section idea)that the baby who is born via the birth canal, is baby who will be psychologically traumatized due to this experience. And the baby who was born via c-section is going to be a happier and healthier baby...nonsense.
    I know...

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  7. I agree with you Iveth... I don't like how c-sections are practiced back it my town either. As you said it seems the doctor wants to keep his/her schedule as easy and comfortable as he/she wants. Also some moms want's the baby to be born in an "special" date and they arrange the date.

    Showing off! that's maybe what I miss the less from MTY.

    Anyway, keep writing! keep doing rings and taking care of lovely Amelia.

    By the way I was a c-section because the doctor said I had not enough oxygen, at the end I also had the cord around my neck so I was lucky! Four years later my mom gave birth to my sis in the natural way!!

    I dont want to be one of those vegan yogis eating locally grown organic food just because it is fashionable. I want to take my own choices... I find weird to say Can I have a major surgery please!

    un abrazo!

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  8. Amelia had the umbilical cord around her neck... my Iveth pushed for almost 4 hours... the doctors pulled off the epidural so she could push harder... she yelled at me (horrible, horrible things)... she was in real pain... and she did it! She had a ginormous gorgeous baby girl. We could not believe how beautiful she was. We were just amazed. 14:46hrs 7-Nov-2008 3.915kg

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