Birth is messy. Hospitals in the U.S. have done little to make the business of birth easier for expectant mothers. Individuals who reject any aspect of Western birth are actively questioned, and sometimes persecuted.
It is not uncommon to reject drugs during birth: while they are often pushed on mothers in labor, their rejection of an epidural is not always persecuted.
There are many stories - both online and in print - of caesareans being forced on mothers for myriad reasons. Ranging from weight to potential health concerns, the rate of medically advised c-section births have been increasing slowly over the past few decades. (Happily, the rate of elective c-sections has slowly declined.)
Who is in charge of birth? It's rarely the mother, often far less educated than the medical professionals she thinks she needs to give birth. Frighteningly, once a woman gives birth to one child with a c-section she is more likely to "require" c-sections for subsequent births.
Fortunately for expectant mothers, U.S. hospitals are finally listening to women and their concerns. New guidelines for subsequent births via c-section have become more relaxed, allowing women who previously had c-section births to give vaginal birth.
The original guidelines, published in 1999, were worded in a manner that frowned upon vaginal births after c-sections, requiring hospitals to have a surgical team on hand should "trial labor" not be successful. This resulted in many smaller hospitals actively banning vaginal birth after a c-section had been used for prior delivery.
For expectant mothers, this means they're in charge of their own births and don't require a physician to make all of the decisions for them. Some hospitals, however, argue that the updated guidelines are not "firm" enough and that many hospitals will maintain their old policies.
Image via Future Street's Flickr