Monday, June 30, 2008

Child Birth

This subject is still very fresh in my mind with the birth of my son on February 6, 2008. At the time of our prenatal classes, my wife was one of only two women (out of thirteen) who were planning on at least trying a natural childbirth. At the end of the session, one other couple (after finding out that the epidural had an effect on the infant) thought that they might try a natural birth.

Now, new statistics show that cesarean section birth is the highest in history at almost one in four according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (2008). Furthermore, a new documentary called, The Business of Being Born states that, "The United States has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world."

The technology to intervene in childbirth, when medically necessary, is undoubtedly of utmost importance to saving lives. However, when our interventions of convenience lead to harm, this presents a public health issue. For a contemporary naturopathic perspective on childbirth visit, http://www.barefootdoctor.org

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