To be honest, after I saw a vaginal birth for the first time, I more or less decided I would demand a caesarian myself. I've seen a few more births since then, and while they've been no less horrible, I've revised my position somewhat. :) (Now I'll just be demanding the epidural, thank you very much.)
Here in Australia, I really haven't seen caesars happen because of doctors' preference. I've seen a few women get induction of labour when it probably wasn't essential... but that's because there's not enough data on the risks of certain things.
Doctors don't really get involved in normal births, unless the mum is a private patient who has opted to have her obstetrician deliver the baby. Generally, it's all done by midwives. The doctors only get called in if there's a problem, or a particular procedure needs to be done, which the midwives aren't trained for.
What little I know of the US health system doesn't sound very attractive. I get the impression that medicine is treated like a business - hopsitals are trying to make a profit. I'm glad that's not how it works here. I mean, there are doctors who are in private practice, and there are patients who opt to go "private". But that isn't necessary - most people get their necessary healthcare covered by Medicare. It's not 100% - we still pay a lot for our health care, especially if hospital stay is involved - but it's nothing like the US.
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Date: 2008-06-22 08:26 am (UTC)Here in Australia, I really haven't seen caesars happen because of doctors' preference. I've seen a few women get induction of labour when it probably wasn't essential... but that's because there's not enough data on the risks of certain things.
Doctors don't really get involved in normal births, unless the mum is a private patient who has opted to have her obstetrician deliver the baby. Generally, it's all done by midwives. The doctors only get called in if there's a problem, or a particular procedure needs to be done, which the midwives aren't trained for.
What little I know of the US health system doesn't sound very attractive. I get the impression that medicine is treated like a business - hopsitals are trying to make a profit. I'm glad that's not how it works here. I mean, there are doctors who are in private practice, and there are patients who opt to go "private". But that isn't necessary - most people get their necessary healthcare covered by Medicare. It's not 100% - we still pay a lot for our health care, especially if hospital stay is involved - but it's nothing like the US.