Nursing Birth

I was recently forwarded an article entitled “C-section births fall” published in The Berkshire Eagle (a newspaper based out of Pittsfield, MA) that restored my confidence in good reporting J.  The article begins by citing the cesarean rate statistics for North Adams Regional Hospital in Massachusetts and highlights the fact that they perform significantly fewer c-sections than other hospitals around the state — an average of 18 percent of all births at the hospital compared to the state average of 34 percent. 

But what I really like about the article overall is that its tone is positive regarding the midwifery model of care and the whole article is not overly sensationalized just to score a headline.  My favorite quotes include:

“I think what is being reflected in our numbers is that we are taking a more ‘midwifery’ approach with our practice then before,” Robin Rivinus, a certified nurse midwife with Northern Berkshire Obstetrics & Gynecology at the hospital, said last week. “It means that we do fewer unnecessary interventions — inductions, Cesarean sections, episiotomies. We treat childbirth as the normal, natural thing that it is. We only step in when it’s medically necessary, which is much better for both the mother and the baby.”

And

“Recently there have been several high-profile studies done that conclude there is overuse of high-tech interventions,” Rivinus said. “The conclusions have been that all women should be offered a midwifery model, or a ‘back-to-basics’ approach to childbirth, where spontaneous, natural birth is the focus.”

An article like this is a breath of fresh air after reading some of the recent garbage that is being reported as “news” recently.  See: Why The Today Show Hurts America (or, Battling The Case Against Breastfeeding) 

Thanks Berkshire Eagle J