Stating the case for the pelvis

I was forwarded an article which was written by a midwife based in Canada; where she outlines that we are all here based on our mothers ability to give natural birth – unless you were born in the last 30 years the chances of you being born via caesarian section is limited.

Now if we follow the idea of natural selection and the current state of affairs where we are seeing very few vaginal births would this impact on the future of our children to have the ability to give vaginal birth?

I have pondered this for a while and think that maybe if obstetricians thought that they are playing a detrimental role in our ability as a specie to continue in our existence maybe they would be more keen to stop and rethink their vigour for caesarian section.

The same author also outlines in her blog 4 key points which has played a mayor role in reducing caesarian sections in Canada, which was proven without a doubt. These are the points you should look out for if you are set on having a vaginal birth:
1. Women should not be admitted to hospital before 4 cm dilation has been reached.
2. Foetal surveillance impacts on vaginal birth as it reduces the mothers mobility and therefore can slow birth.
3. The use of epidural at too early stages can contribute to additional interventions being required to speed up the birth which in turn can lead to possible stress to the unborn.
4. Inducing women prior to 41 weeks of gestation without any medical foundation to do so.

Apart from outlining these problems which are common and rive across the whole world it seems, she also outlines some amazing births which in all fairness seems to have fallen into the sorry ma'am but you will not be able to have a vaginal birth because of x, y or z.

She outlines the mechanism of the pelvis and the unborn child's head to allow for a vaginal birth, VBAC (Vaginal birth after caesarian) births that she has been privileged to assist in, as well as outline pygmy births in Africa where there is a specific ritual in the birthing process, regardless of what you think you know about the pelvis this article will be sure to illuminate you with some new found information.

Pelvises I Have Known and Loved by Gloria Lemay
What if there were no pelvis? What if it were as insignificant to how a child is born as how big the nose is on the mother's face? After twenty years of watching birth, this is what I have come to. Pelvises open at three
stretch points—the symphisis pubis and the two sacroiliac joints. These points are full of relaxin hormones—the pelvis literally begins falling apart at about thirty-four weeks of pregnancy. In addition to this mobile,
loose, stretchy pelvis, nature has given human beings the added bonus of having a moldable, pliable, shrinkable baby head.

[Editor's note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today Issue 50, Summer 1999 and is also available on-line in Spanish.] (c) 2003 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.