c-section viewed as not natural?

I'll preface this by saying I work in healthcare. I am in the process of writing a report and came across the term "natural" when reviewing a patient's records and then it hit me that vaginal births are always referred to as natural whereas c-sections are what???!?! - unnatural, artificial !?!?

I hate the use of that word natural!!! And thus I will never refer to a vaginal birth that way in my reports, EVER!!!!

Just venting. (full disclosure: I had a c-section after 20 hours of labor)

ETA: Ok, i think this went in a whole other direction than what I was thinking when I posted. It wasn't meant to be any kind of debate about one being better, more natural, nor about anyone defending how they gave birth and definitely not about implying that a c-section is natural.
It was only me venting about the use of the word natural in a report instead of the word vaginal and my perception that natural = good and thus implies that a c-section is somehow bad/inferior. Medical terminology is quite archaic at times.

Message edited 6/22/2010 9:31:47 PM.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

yea i hate the word "natural" also..
some people like myself have no choice but to have C sections.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

See I look at "natural" as in vaginal birth, NO drugs.

What I did with my 1st

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I thought natural was no drugs, and therefore has to be vaginal.

Both of mine were v-births but I had drugs, so I don't consider them natural.

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I ended up with a c-section too! The 25 hours of labor before that sure felt natural to me LOL.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I don't view c-sections as a natural way of giving birth.... But I don't view most of vaginal births natural either.


ETS: I had a c-section.

Message edited 6/22/2010 12:33:34 PM.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

Posted by Smileyd17

See I look at "natural" as in vaginal birth, NO drugs.

What I did with my 1st

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I am always of the opinion that unless you gave birth in your bed (or a taxi or the woods) with some ripped up sheets and a pot of warm water, you did NOT do it naturally.

and thank God for it. medical intervention is why so many of us survive child birth now!!

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

Posted by Ophelia

I am always of the opinion that unless you gave birth in your bed (or a taxi or the woods) with some ripped up sheets and a pot of warm water, you did NOT do it naturally.

and thank God for it. medical intervention is why so many of us survive child birth now!!

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

By virture of the definition of natural, I'd say it makes perfect sense.

It's not natural to cut someone open to deliver a baby. It may be more of the norm now but no...I wouldn't consider it natural either.

I know people that don't consider ANY intervention by someone else natural for delivering a baby - that means episiotomies too.

In the end, delivering a healthy baby supercedes all so it doesn't make a difference, does it?

Message edited 6/22/2010 12:41:08 PM.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I consider natural to be vaginal with no drugs. However, I don't think the term should be used on someone's medical records. It should say either vaginal or c-section.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

wow.. you are really riled up...

I am glad you were able to vent

in the end does it matter?

Message edited 6/22/2010 12:45:29 PM.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I don't think of a c-section as "natural".

Natural is vaginal and no drugs.

That has nothing to do with whether you had to have an emergency c-sections, you had to have drugs or your DH would not be alive, or because you had an elective c-section.

The term is called for what it is. Not whether we wanted to/ had to do it "another way".

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I don't think saying a c-section is not natural automatically equals judgment.

It's NOT natural...it's surgery, there's really no way around that. No surgery is natural, whether it's life-saving or cosmetic.

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I had a c-section and I'm not bothered by people saying it's not natural.

It was far from it. it was completely surreal if you ask me.

I came in. They put in my spinal, performed my c-section, and literally 37 minutes later, handed me my baby.

Far from natural.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I had an emergency c-section and there was nothing natural about the way I gave birth. It was a cold, sterile, frightening experience; nothing natural about it.

However, I am very thankful that it exists and because of it DS and I are here happy and healthy.

For me it doesn't matter much what anyone else calls my delivery, I am the only one who can judge what the experience was for me because I am the one to experience it. I wouldn't guess at what the experience of me having to have an Emergency C was to DH, or what a CS, vaginal with drugs, vaginal without drugs or elevator delivery with a 911 call was to anyone else.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

I just think that using the term natural means that any deviation from it implies something not natural which usually = bad. Think all natural foods vs artificial, all natural vs cosmetic surgery, etc as the list goes on.

Why not just always write vaginal? I guess natural should be reserved for giving birth with absolutely no drugs, no IV, no pitocin, nothing. As Ophelia said, in a bed, car, I'll add a remote location somewhere. So even a vaginal birth in a hospital with an IV for any reason is in essence unnatural since some women give birth without even that relatively minor intervention.

Back to my report writing. On to developmental milestones and delays....

ETA: but then again I have an issue with other medical terms as well. I'm just overworked and stressed.

Message edited 6/22/2010 12:59:55 PM.

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

i think natural is only vaginal birth. regardless of drugs or not. let's not get all technical with it being at home, in a taxi, etc. it is NATURAL for you to push a child out, regardless if you have medicine or not. it's not natural if they're cutting you open and taking a child out. doesn't mean one way is better than the other. although i do think it shouldn't even be an argument. if your child is healthy and happy, who cares how it came into this world!!

Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

Actually, not ALL v-births are considered natural

I had a v-birth, but with drugs, I wouldn't say I had a "natural" birth

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As my lamaze coach said...Natural is squatting in a field and "dropping" a baby out

Sorry she made me laugh with that.

Anyway I tend to view natural as w/o drugs as well

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Re: c-section viewed as not natural?

In a social setting, I think some people say natural because they don't want to say vaginal.