The Medicalization of Birth

Up until the early part of the 1900s, before the medical system really took hold, birth was exclusively done at home. Local care givers, such as neighbors had assisted. Today, about 98% of birth is given in hospitals. Around the same time frame, incentives were given to stop giving birth at home and start giving birth in the hospital. It was also outlawed for midwives to practice. Doctors were paid not by quality of outcome, but on how many procedures they did. Today, the U.S. has the highest infant mortality rate in the developed world. We have been giving birth for hundreds of thousands of year with out medical intervention. Though medical intervention has its place and can be life saving in certain instances, most of the time it is not necessary. It’s treated as an emergency, rather that a natural process of life that we inherently know how to do.

The Problems With Medicalized Birth

Dorsal lithotomy position-

This is the modern day birthing position done in hospitals. It was developed by Louie the 14th because he liked to watch women give birth. The women had to pull a sheet up so they couldn’t see him. This is the worst possible position in terms of pelvic position. Squatting opens the anterior and posterior pelvis the most, and is the way our ancestors did it.

Baby monitors-

The C-section rate had sky rocketed after these were introduced. The maternal mortality rate has also doubled in the last few decades. No research has done to show these are effective. As a matter of fact, it’s the opposite. They also produce a ton of EMF that is going right through the baby.

Epidural-

25% of the time, these cause a fever in the mother. Then the baby would have to get a work up for sepsis because they don’t know if it has an infection or not.

Inductions-

Artificially inducing birth is usually not a good idea. The baby is supposed to come out when it’s done. The longer it’s in, the more the brain grows. You wouldn’t want to take bread out of the oven before it’s done. The baby needs to finish in the womb not outside.

C- sections-

When a baby is born vaginally, it gets seeded with the mothers microbes, which serves as the foundation of its immune system for the rest of its life. These have their place for emergency situations, but should not be used for convenience.

Cord clampping-

When a baby is born, it’s going through profound changes in the heart and the lungs. To go through these changes, the baby needs an accessory oxygen supply from the umbilical cord, which is a live organ. Waiting 3-5 minutes will allow all the blood from the placenta to transfer to the baby.

Circumcision–

John Harvey Kellogg, the inventor of Kelloggs cereal, had another strange invention. He was very bullish on reducing sexual pleasure because he believed it to be the root cause of disease. He was the main reason why circumcision started in the United States. The purpose of the foreskin is increased sensitivity, protection, less friction during sex, and immunity. We have had an intact penis for 100,000 of years. All of the sudden, it’s a mistake that the creator made?

The Importance of Breast Feeding

This is very important for the immune, jaw, physical development. Milk is the first food foe humans, as well as other mammals. Breast milk also changes with the environment. For example, if there is a virus going around, the mother will create antibodies for the baby, and give it to them through breast milk. Nothing can top breast milk, despite what marketers want you to believe.