Should women need to 'consent' to a natural birth?

Wendy Shi wanted her husband on the phone for support as she recounted the story of her first and only birth, an event which has left her traumatised., expected she would be well warned about any risks posed to her associated with both vaginal and caesarean delivery. What happened, she said, was so life-changing she prefers to discuss it with emotional support at hand.Credit:After a 48-hour labour which was not progressing, Shi was told she would be having a caesarean section.

"They didn't respect me as a mum, as a woman. It's very hard to believe this would happen in an Australian hospital." "Childbirth has, until very recently, been regarded as a natural phenomenon and not a medical intervention," says Professor Andrew Korda, a senior urogynaecologist, gynaecological surgeon and professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Western Sydney.Women are getting older when they have their first baby, and getting bigger – it’s amazing that our outcomes are still so good.Korda is often called as an expert in birth trauma legal matters.

"With vaginal births, there’s a wide range of outcomes that are considered acceptable in the circumstances," she adds. "In the case of a healthy woman who is expected to have an uncomplicated birth, intervention should be minimised, as every intervention carries a potential risk." The older you are, the longer the pregnancy lasts, which means the baby is likely to get bigger, which means more trouble getting it out."This is a truly difficult issue," says Dr Bernadette White, an obstetrician with two decades’ experience and a spokeswoman for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists .

For Professor Hans Peter Dietz, an obstetrician and gynaecologist from Sydney Medical School, the medical system’s preoccupation with a "natural birth ideology" is not reflective of the reality of most women’s experiences today. And while she doesn’t want to speak about the intricacies of her lawsuit, she says it’s important women know about the consequences of vaginal births.

What it comes down to is respecting the woman’s autonomy – even if it goes against the doctor’s professional advice.

CE_Zielinski The rise of the helicopter patient

CE_Zielinski Of course not. That notion is beyond ridiculous. No woman knows how her birth is going to go until she goes into labour. Only the obstetrician/midwife has the expertise to decide whether a natural birth is a viable option. In my case it wasn't and had an emergency caesarian.

CE_Zielinski No. But once you start talking INTERVENTIONS 2 assist with a delivery that's failing to progress or baby distress eg forceps, episiotomy, vacuum extraction, epidural, c-section then ALL the risks of EACH vs the other options need to be explained & decision by woman respected

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