Johannesburg – Ann-Marie du Preez likes to plan ahead.
That’s why she opted to have an elective Caesarean section. It suited her practical personality to have the date and time of the procedure planned down to the last minute.
Mostly, though, she was scared of the unknown. And terrified of the pain she believed she would endure.
But when Du Preez went into early labour, she was far too dilated to have a C-section and so, the decision was taken out of her hands. It turned out that giving birth naturally was nothing like the horror stories she had heard.
“If I knew then what I know now, I definitely would have opted for a natural birth in the first place,” says Du Preez, a Joburg-based teacher, of the delivery of her now 19-month-old son, Alexander.
Du Preez is somewhat of an anomaly: research shows that South Africa’s more affluent women are opting to give birth by C-section.
Doctors say there is a worrying trend that South African women are misinformed about natural birth and continue to believe C-sections are safer.
“This trend of C-sections is on the rise in South Africa. Data from two medical schemes under Agility’s administration shows that in the more affluent areas, over 80 percent of women are opting to give birth this way,” says Dr Jacques Snyman, managing director of integrated care solutions at Agility. “In less affluent areas, this drops to about 33 to 34 percent.”
Altogether, about 40 percent of women from these two schemes, chose to have a C-section in the past year. This is most concerning because the international rate of C-sections is about 18 percent, making South Africa a large outlier in terms of international standards.”
Agility’s research corresponds with data released by the Council for Medical Schemes last year, that showed most births covered by a medical scheme were C-sections.
Snyman says C-section births are popular because they are perceived as being less risky. Doctors are also less likely to be sued for a natural delivery and the procedure “offers a greater degree of convenience for all parties”.
He adds: “C-sections have become elective procedures based on ‘convenience’ rather than medical necessity.”
A “culture of misinformation” has grown around the idea of natural childbirth, in favour of elective C-sections.
Women are under the false illusion that C-sections are safer and quicker. However, the procedure is still abdominal surgery and carries the same risks as with any surgical procedure, he says.
Durban-based Patti Good, who heads the My Birth My Choice campaign, which aims to empower women with the information they need to make their own birth choices, says most women are terrified of giving birth.
She says: “Most women make a decision based on where they feel pain will be the greatest. Pain is a big deal in decisions around giving birth. Fear of the unknown is also a big fear for first-time moms.
“Many women in South Africa have a false sense that having a C-section is safer than natural birth. In fact, you are four times likely to die as result of a C-section than natural birth.”
Natural birth benefits
* Women feel more empowered after a vaginal birth.
* Shorter hospital stay of between 24 to 48 hours after delivery.
* The recovery time for a vaginal delivery is much shorter than with a C-section. Within hours you can stand, go to the bathroom and shower.
* Less respiratory risk for baby.
* Less risk for you.
* Your baby is less likely to develop allergies. Natural-born babies are also less likely to develop asthma, food allergies, and lactose intolerance later in life, which may be due to them being exposed to beneficial bacteria in the birth canal.
* Your labour may be shorter and quicker in future pregnancies.