VAGINAS

I just read a nytimes.com blog titled, "Twins Don't Need C-Sections."  I knew after reading the title, this was nothing more than a white picket fence message.  I truly believe a woman should have the right to accurate, unbiased information about childbirth and the freedom to choose how she gives birth.   As women strive to be the perfect mother in the white picket fence, they are pressured to give birth vaginally.  This is one ideal I was fortunate to easily escape.  Logic prevailed, and I made a firm and confident decision to give birth to my twin babies by Caesarean section.  I did not need an award for heroics, just healthy babies and a healthy vagina.  I ended-up requiring an emergency C-section, so I was ready for the game plan when the time came to deliver my babies.   I had the best Obstetrician in the world, and he executed the delivery with perfection.

I know vaginal birth is what some women want, and I respect their choice.   I do, however, get upset when I see a woman who wanted vaginal childbirth feel incomplete when she had to have a C-section; or a woman feel embarrassed because she wanted a natural childbirth, but needed an epidural or some other medical intervention.  Why is it so important to give birth in a particular way, regardless of circumstance?  Why is there so much expectation and pressure from everyone about something so personal and individual as childbirth?