Hmm. I have stayed out of here but I do want to say my piece. Not all intervention is bad - no-one is saying that. But the fact is that some, maybe even a lot, of intervention is unnecessary. This is a costly burden to our health systems. And mostly when unnecessary intervention is started, it begins a cascade which causes complications.

I know this from experience. Both my labours should have been quick and easy. The second one, with no intervention, was. The first one was to begin with. Then the ob broke my waters without consultation. I was lying on my back and felt very strong contractions after the waters broke. No-one told me that I could ease them by getting into a better position (or in fact would let me get into a better position, because the waters suggested their MAY have been meconium, so a fetal monitor went on immediately. Then while I was lying flat on my back with exaggerated contractions, they told me the anaesthetist was about to leave for the evening so I need to have an epidural immediately, or I'd not have the option again. So of course I gave in to pressure and said yes. As a result my bp dropped and I couldn't even have my head raised to push. The labour slowed and DS went into foetal distress. I couldn't feel the pushing properly, and forceps were used. So I ended up tearing, needing an episotomy and getting haemorrhoids. I was in pain for weeks afterwards. And guess what - there was no meconium after all!!

After my 3 hour, almost intervention free second birth, I had no pain and no complications. I know that my first birth would have been the same if they hadn't started the cascade with the ARM. I know that the intervention was unnecessary and was the cause of all the subsequent interventions.

This is what people mean by unnecessary interventions. They do happen and often.