TMC conference ignites C-section debate

Bodelson has had three Caesarean sections, all of them necessary, she says, because of medical problems during her pregnancies. "Neither one of my first two labors progressed, and I ended up having unscheduled Caesarean sections. I chose my third doctor mainly because I knew he was a strong proponent of VBAC and I knew he would do everything possible to help me have a vaginal birth. When it was evident that the problem I was having would reoccur during my third labor, I chose to go ahead and schedule the surgery."

Bodelson says she didn't experience any of the negative feelings she has heard described by some women who have had C-sections. "I think a lot of it has to do with having faith and confidence in your physician. I had full faith in my doctor's decisions and had no question as to why I needed to have C-sections," she says.

Woods contends that placing blind faith in the medical community is what leads most women to depression and to question themselves after a C-section. "Generally, women who go in and are advised that they need a C-section are just told, 'This is what will happen,' and they are given a form to sign. They aren't being adequately informed of the risks. If their labor is failing to proceed, they aren't told that they can choose to try to continue. They lose complete control over their bodies, and it's as if the baby isn't even yours anymore -- it belongs to the doctors," she says.

Woods then quotes a passage from the book Silent Knife, by Nancy Wainer Cohen, who coined the term VBAC. The book strongly advocates natural childbirth and VBAC as routine for most women. "Fear prevents them (obstetricians) from being able to see things clearly. They don't understand the sacredness of birth; they don't understand (that) when they maim women they lose out -- the system loses out as well," she writes.

Bodelson admits that she may have had an advantage during her surgeries because she is a nurse and in all three cases knew and trusted all of the people around her during her labor. "The first two times I was hesitant to ask for things in the operating room," she says. "The third time, I was asked by a nurse what I would like to make me happy. I told her a mirror so I could see the baby being born, which in itself had a very calming effect on me. I don't think a lot of women ask questions or know that they have options."

Bodelson adds that a woman should research all of the birth options, even if her pregnancy is progressing normally. "When I was pregnant for my third child, an acquaintance gave me a copy of the book Silent Knife, and I think if I had not been an informed person, that book could have put me into real turmoil about the decision I was making. But I knew in my situation that the decision to have a C-section was the right decision and that VBAC was not worth the risk. I don't think pregnancies and labor should be generalized in that way."

Woods says that her organization advocates free choice for women. "As long as the woman does her own research and understands all of the risks associated with Caesarean section, of course, it is the woman's right to choose how she is going to have her baby," she says.

"It may not be generally known that there is an increasing initiative of many women to request a primary Caesarean section even though (it's) not medically indicated. This is not only an issue of women's rights but also an ethical issue on the part of the physician. One objective of this conference is to rationally discuss this issue with no real attempt to arrive at a conclusion. Only society will determine the eventual evolution of this issue and not the medical profession," Youngblood wrote in his e-mail response to opponents of the conference.

Even Bodelson doesn't understand why a woman would choose a C-section. "Given the option, I would have rather had all of my children by vaginal birth. Caesarean is major surgery, and I had to deal with all of the risks and recovery associated with surgery," she says. "But at least I had the option to do the best thing for myself and my babies. Women in the past didn't have that option. I don't think that the method of birth is what is most important. The end result is that I have three beautiful, healthy children."