NZ Cesarean Rate Rises Toward Thirty Percent

Dear New Zealand Expectant DIYFather:

When the New Zealand Government instituted a Midwifery Model in 1990 the Cesarean rate was 12.9%. By 2005 the rate was above 25% and rising. Presently the national average is approaching 30%. That means 1 in 3 pregnancy will end in a surgical birth.

Have midwives failed? Does this mean NZ women have something wrong with them? Are NZ babies more at risk from being born? None of these is even part of the reason why. The maternity services have simply missed a major component … the lack of skills by both expectant mothers and fathers. Birth is treated as something that happens to a woman rather than an activity she does. Pregnancy and birth is certainly not treated as something you, as an expectant father, also do. Big mistake.

Childbirth is dynamic.

How many births have most NZ men and women been involved with not counting the 20 minute videos you might see? Without lots of previous experience and clearly defined and practiced skills how could expectant parents know what to do? They can’t. Midwives and obstetrical specialists attend hundreds and sometimes thousands of births and have had many years of learning their skills.

This means you expect your midwife or obstetrical specialist to be skilled but no one has that expectation of you! New Zealand maternity care is a ‘delivered service’ to the pregnant woman. There is absolutely no expectation in NZ society or by birth professionals that pregnant families learn skills. They have ‘choice’ on their Birth Plan but birth is not a wish list or menu items. Childbirth is a dynamic activity that has to be done.

This lack of skills was a gap in the past maternity care system when women followed doctor’s orders. Women got through birth but that certainly doesn’t mean they felt in control or knew what they were doing. This is why women wanted their partner with them. They wanted help. One hundred percent of pregnant women will give birth. But having an activity happen to you is not the same as knowing how to do the activity.

The focus of midwives obstetrical specialists and the government is on the ‘intervention statistics’ rather than on how well women birth or fathers help. Midwives focus on a part of woman’s experience. All birth professionals want to know if they delivered their service to you well. No one asks whether the woman birthed well or you helped well.

Men SO get this:

You know one thing for certain whether you’re a rugby or cricket fan. A sport can have great refs, great coaches, good rules, nice playing fields and equipment but without highly skilled players the game is crap for the participants and observers. You know there are both the observers and the doers.

Go one step further. Make someone play a game they may never have seen, don’t know the appropriate skills and have never practiced …pretty hopeless. That’s childbirth right now.

From a player’s viewpoint he can either feel good or so-so about his skill level in general or how he used his skills in any particular game. A player’s personal perception of them self is really important. Too many women have not felt good about how they did the activity of giving birth. Birth happened to them. They are just glad it’s over. They got through it.

Too many expectant fathers are ‘just being there.’ But that certainly doesn’t mean they knew how to help. Many men have felt useless and helpless.

Giving birth is a highly dynamic and intense activity for women

A woman’s skills can make a huge difference as to whether she will have a Caesarean or not. Many are performed to prevent ‘suffering’ from pain and to ‘get the birth over with’ because it’s been going on and on. Birth is very hard work. All the work is coping with the pain. Pain causes women to intuitively and instinctively to tense up. Tension hinders the baby from coming down, through and out the pregnant body.

Women do not cope with pain the same way men do. They more often react to pain rather than accept it. This is why men play contact sports and women don’t as much. This means skills help the woman turn her focus to what she can do to manage and cope with pain. You are important in helping her do this.

The cost of Caesarean births

Just consider the increased cost to the taxpayers and the Health system of 20,000 Caesareans/year and subsequent hospital stay!

Thankfully you only have to worry about your own birth. You are pregnant right now. This is what you need to do right now.

• Use the 5 phases of pregnancy to grow some very specific fatherhood skills. Your baby and mother have a biological mandate to grow. You have to keep up.
• Help your pregnant partner prepare her body to let out a very big object during the birthing process.
• Learn and then use birth ‘support/coaching’ skills during the birthing process.

Two thirds of pregnant women will labour. With skills labour will be handled better by both of you. You and your partner might still have a Caesarean however you will have totally enjoyed preparing for birth together, learning, practicing skills then using them during surgery and recovery. Either way, you can always work with your baby’s efforts to be born and feel really good about doing this.

Your baby’s birthday is your game. Play it well. You’ll feel great and powerful, she’ll feel grateful to you and pleased with her own efforts and your birth providers (as observers) will praise you both.

So DIYFather you can change childbirth in New Zealand through your actions in your birth.

If you want to grow your great fatherhood qualities during the 5 phases pregnancy visit Expectant Fathers Blogspot. For the essential pregnancy and birth skills for both expectant parents go to www.birthingbetter.com and get The Pink Kit Package. The author of this article is Wintergreen, a Trustee to the New Zealand registered charitable Trust called Common Knowledge that produces The Pink Kit Method For Birthing Better®.