The Many Ignored Risks of C-Sections

If you know a young mother who doesn't fully appreciate the health risks that can harm her and her baby when she opts for a cesarean section, please send her these two studies as they may convince her of the dangers.

Just remember that, as cesarean births go up, so do infant mortality rates. No surprise, since C-section babies miss out on a great many things, including the natural stimulation that comes from moving down the birth canal, and the hormones released during a vaginal birth.

Granted, there are instances in which a cesarean can't be avoided, but there are plenty of things a mother can do to reduce her risks of enduring one:

• Consider a home birth, with help from a midwife or doula.
• Eat a nutritious diet based on your body's unique nutritional type.
• Take a high-quality fish oil or krill oil daily.

If you are expecting, you may face some pressure to do things the "standard" way, so please check out the discussion on Vital Votes. Elisha from Canyon Country, California, says:

"This is one of the reasons I have opted for a midwife ... my family thinks I'm crazy to risk my life and child's that way! If only they knew how much safer it is. I want the lowest possible chance of having a c-section. I also don't want the epidural ... you wouldn't believe how many people are asking me to reconsider.

"I wish people were a little more educated on the matter. If you do some research you can see the risks are far greater in the hospital. Yet, I don't go questioning them when they decide to deliver there.

" Funny how so many people think we are so ahead when it comes to health-care. This is just ONE that shows just how brainwashed we can be ... cesareans have become so routine these days that people don't question it."

Other responses to this article can be viewed at Vital Votes, and you can add your own thoughts or vote on comments by first registering at Vital Votes.