Two more strikes against Cesarian deliveries
2. Cesarean delivery does not diminish the risk of postpartum depression (which some doctors had previously thought).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but what I interpret this article to say is that although there is no significant difference in Cesarean rates between women with early injection pain relief or early epidural pain relief, there IS a bias in the immediacy and degree of relief, in the time to complete dilation and to delivery, AND in the baby's first health assessment...ALL AGAINST THE EPIDURAL!
The Boston Herald article says the study's findings "could lead to hundreds of thousands more early epidurals in mothers-to-be each year." Great! That's 7,300 more babies with Apgar scores below 7 than if the mothers had had intrathecal injections (and how many more than if the mothers had been supported in an effort to birth without pain relief?).
"You are sitting there to do what you can for her, rub her or put something under her back, trying to rest her back some. That's what you are there for, talk to her. If you like tea, you can make them some hot tea, and that will pick them pains up. Then you can rub the stomach and make the pains start back...
"Sometime they want to get up, and I'd help them up. Walk around in the room. Walk a pain off than get back in the bed. A lof of people get a kick out of walking. Go into different rooms and sit in different chairs, or get down on their knees -- anywhere they think they can get ease. But there's no ease for birth till it's over with. It's good to walk, but you'll have to stop sometime. You can pretty much do what you want till you get down to the nitty-gritty.
"...You just make the best out of it you can, talking kind, giving kind words and rubbing her hands. That means a lot. That means all of it. Kindness whipped the devil. Kind words, that's right, and belief."