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blog by BETSY CHASSE listed in categories: Family Life

You may or may not know- but I’m having another baby, and he’s due this month!

Most pregnant women get used to the questions and comments from people- mine usually starts with, “Are you having twins?” I’m not sure where a 5’2” woman is supposed to put a baby, although granted, I do make big babies!

I was in my local grocery store the other day and the checker (a man) said to me, “Oh you’re due any day – what hospital are you going to?” At first I thought this was a bit presumptuous. I said to him, “Well, actually I would prefer not to go to a hospital at all.” To which he replied in an ominous tone, “Ohhh, a hommmme birth.”

I said, “Well I wish, unfortunately the medical system in this country seems to think that since I had a c-section the first time I’m incapable of having a natural birth and is all but forcing me into surgery. So I’m going to Canada for the delivery!” Now there are a few other reasons I’m doing that – my husband is Canadian after all. But the main reason is that my insurance company has decided that the birth process of my child is basically a “pre existing condition” – explain that!

Anyway, the checker was even further mortified at my lack of patriotism and informed me that his wife has been a labor and delivery nurse for 15 years in the U.S., and that modern medicine has saved the lives of more babies and helped women have easier births. He failed to mention that we have a 30% c-section rate. Now the World Health Organization recommends that nations have no higher than a 15% c-section rate. Anything higher than 15% outweighs the lifesaving benefits it’s supposed to provide. And statistically the U.S. has the second highest infant mortality rate of industrialized nations worldwide.

I’m not knocking the western medical system – it can, and does, save lives. But more often than not it seems to interfere with the natural process of birth taking the position of having to “save” the mother and baby from the birth process itself! And then look at the rate of induction in this country, where labor is induced by the doctor rather than the baby come on its own. The U.S. induction rate has more than doubled since 1989, rising from one woman in ten to over one woman in five in 2002 – and it’s still rising. And over 25% of births in United States are c-sections (cesarean sections).

In the case of my first child – I’m not so sure a c-section was really necessary. At the time I didn’t know what my alternatives were, but and when you’re in labor that is definitely not the time to investigate them! Having learned from that experience I now know that decision was my own responsibility as much as it was my mid-wife’s and medical doctor’s. I’ve definitely taken a more pro-active role this time around. It’s not that I don’t trust my caregivers, it’s just I want to know for myself what’s available and what’s practical and all the potentials.

The first time I was in labor for over 24 hours before I went to the hospital. My water had been broken for 20 hours. It seemed this baby wasn’t going to budge. It was immediately recommended that an epidural would “help.” But aren’t babies and mom s designed to work together in labor? In an interview for my new film Pregnant in America, a woman asked how can mother and child work together if they are “drugged up.” In my case I think the epidural just made everything worse – I couldn’t feel anything and had no idea what was happening below my waist! This time around too, everywhere I go people are still telling me to have that epidural because it will be “better for me.” I’m definitely not so sure that’s so. This time I hope I’m ready to walk through the door, deal with the pain, and go for it.

Producing this new film is one way I’ve been educating myself on the birth process. Pregnant in America examines the betrayal of humanity’s greatest gift – birth – by the greed of U.S. corporations. Hospitals, insurance companies and other members of the healthcare industry have all pushed aside the best care of our infants and mothers to play the power game of raking in huge profits. I am thrilled to be working with first-time filmmaker Steve Buonaugurio who was inspired by his wife’s first pregnancy to create a film that exposes the underside of the U.S. childbirth industry and its neglectful exploitation of pregnancy and birth.

An important film for everyone who is pregnant or plans to become pregnant, Pregnant in America is the controversial story of life’s greatest miracle in the hands of a nation’s most powerful interests. You can visit www.pregnantinamerica.com to find out more.

Posted in August, 2007