Induction and C/S aren't always bad

[sushee]

I think the whole point is that (as a PP said, sorry I can't remember who) generally the obs and midwives have to use their judgement when suggesting interventions (or not). The fact is that often no-one knows what is the right thing to do, and most medical professionals will probably err on the side of caution. The thing to remember is that generally they do have the mother and baby's best interests in mind. And yes, perhaps some of those interventions will turn out not to be necessary, but some of them will be.

I don't necessarily agree with this. In my experience intervention can, and is, offered for convenience. In my antenatal class, I was the only woman out of 10 who didn't have a planned c/s coming. They all had reasons - the baby was too big, their dr didn't want them to 'go over, which was common in first babies', their hips were too small and that little nugget, which my ob tried on me 'you tried so hard to have this baby, would you want to risk it with a natural birth?'.

That class is one of the reasons I now speak out against what I consider to be unnecessary intervention. There is a place for NECESSARY intervention, absolutely, and women should not have to second-guess which category they fall under. Our births would be less of a minefield if we knew were were being assessed for our actual risk instead of the medical profession's perceived risk, because their risk isn't just considering us, but other factors such as other patients (I was offered a epidural because they had another lady giving birth and they couldn't attend to me), their own lives (my ob didn't want to come in on a Sunday when my labour stalled because it was Easter Sunday and his family were 'doing lunch') and because intervention with a medical solution is what they're trained to do.

Do I doubt his intentions? No, I believe that they were mostly good. But he's not God and I needed to be part of those decisions too. And my motivations and his weren't necessarily the same. Because I'm the one giving birth, and I was only one of many he was being paid to help.

kateo, I'm sorry for you loss, and that things had been different for you. Life can be very cruel.