Response to Hanna's Post: 11/11/10

I was a bit uncomfortable reading Gawande's article because I felt her descriptions of childbirth were too graphic for me; I consider myself a very open person who is not grossed out very easily, but I actually had to stop reading for a while because I got a little queasy which I think is because I have no interest in being a mother. I have never wanted kids for as long as I can remember, probably in part because I find them annoying and I don't think I would be a good mother. Plus I think the stories of various family members who popped out babies like nothing - my maternal grandma was the oldest of thirteen - somewhat traumatized me because I could never imagine going through the pain of childbirth voluntarily that many times. I know that bearing children is a huge part of being a woman and that many women do become mothers, but I didn't feel any personal connection to this article or felt as though it would be relevant to me as a woman. However, I agreed Gawande's stance that obstetrics have been steamlined to the Cesarean section and her seemingly disagreement with mothers' and doctors' reliance on this practice even though it decreases infant and mother mortality. I believe that when a woman becomes pregnant, she has to deal with the consequences of deciding to become a mother; if she wanted to have children, consciously tried to get pregnant, then succeeded, having a difficult pregnancy that might have risks is a consequence that she has to deal with. Risks are the norm in motherhood and mothers need to be prepared to deal with them. Getting pregnant and then deciding to get a Cesarean section even though you don't need one seems like a cop-out to me - you should show that you are willing to put yourself through pain for your child to bring him or her into the world all through your will. I feel like any woman who becomes pregnant immediately signs a contract where she accepts the risks that her pregnancy and delivery may entail, including the threatening of her own life. To effectively cop out by having scheduled, unnecessary C-sections undermines a mother's importance and her connection with her baby.