re: Birthweight is Declining — Are C-Sections to Blame?

Vladimira — 3/6/2020 4:31:49 PM

Quoting the article: “In 2013, the average weight of a baby born in the U.S. was 67 grams, or 2.363 ounces — significantly lower than the average birth weight in 1990.”

Is this a mistake? How can the average weight of a baby be only 67 grams?

re: Birthweight is Declining — Are C-Sections to Blame?

Almond — 3/6/2020 1:31:19 AM

In many ways, the pregnancy and birthing process has been standardized to the point that it is nearly automated. The patient is seen as a statistic rather than an individual. There is a point at which too much monitoring is actually harmful. For children, too.

A relative with many children tells me she fears and dreads hospital birthing because her wishes are not taken seriously or taken into consideration. I tried to explain that she has options, but her insurance will not cover them. I was horrified to hear one woman say her baby was delivered early because her doctor was leaving on vacation. Many women feel powerless and coerced to comply. Within my lifetime, I have known families that did their own birthing without even a midwife. In some cases, it was simply a necessity in the middle of winter when doctors could not travel roads blocked with snow in isolated areas. The oldest female daughter would be told by her mother what to do and expected to do it. Some families preferred children not have birth certificates, so they were born at home because of belief systems. (I am not sure what they used for identification, but many excelled academically and enrolled in public schools or later in colleges without a birth certificate.) I recall a story of one street kid who asked his friends if he could come home with them one night. He stayed with the family. He had no birth certificate, school records, or known parents. One day, he just walked to the school and enrolled himself. There were no social workers. All he needed was proof of measles vaccination. No other health certificates were required. The phrase we often heard was, "It was taken care of." Meaning, it met community standards and no explanation as to legality, would be offered. These children all grew up to be healthy, happy and excelled in many ways with having minimal (if any) medical intervention from the time of their birth and during their childhood years.

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re: Birthweight is Declining — Are C-Sections to Blame?

Brian1 — 3/6/2020 12:55:33 AM

In one of Weston A. Price Foundation's articles, it mentioned about how poor nutrition affects the pelvis which can make natural birth more difficult. Narrower pelvises make it harder so it sounds reasonable that C-sections can be lifesaving which we should be thankful for. I can't think of how we can enlarge it after the growth plates fuse. There's a reason why in some women, delivery is quick while it takes all day or night in others.