Hi, this is Dr.Rob with your weekly health blog. This week we’re going to talk about the business of being born. I want to thank Stephanie for bringing in the movie called The Business of Being Born; if you get a chance, watch it! The movie discusses midwives and our birthing system today.
The United States has one of the highest infant mortality rates of industrialized countries. Many countries in Europe, as well as Japan, have lower mortality rates. Coincidentally, 70% of all babies in the aforementioned countries are delivered by midwives whereas only 8% of babies in the U.S. are delivered by midwives.
A little history on births in the U.S: In the 1900s, 95% of all births were home births. By 1955, less than 1% of births were home births. C-section rates increased from 5% in 1970 to 45% in 1995. It’s amazing how we’ve turned a natural procedure into a major medical operation. In fact, one of the most common operations done on women in the United States are c-sections.
If you get a chance, take a look at that movie; it’s amazing. You should at least get the facts so you can make intelligent decisions about your health.
If you have any questions about this, call me at Bates Chiropractic (310) 545-4188 or visit me online at www.chiropractormanhattanbeach.com
Keep Spreading The Word. Look forward to seeing you at your next visit.