Ever wondered why most Brazilian women get C-sections rather than having natural births? Well, it's not because they request it and it's usually not due to labor complications either.
In fact, most of these women are obligated to get them done and have little to no say about it and the reason is pretty messed up.
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Women all around the world are having Cesareans that are medically unnecessary, but not like in Brazil. They're practically bullied into it. According to reports, 82 percent of babies born in Brazil are born by C-section. That's insane! How are doctors even benefiting from this? Apparently C-sections are easier to schedule and take less time than natural labors. With C-sections, doctors can see as many as eight patients a day rather than just one or two natural births. Basically, it's all about money!
Wait, it gets worse. Money is just one reason why the doctors and healthcare system in Brazil try to push for more C-sections. Apparently the country's culture also has a lot to do with it. Natural labors are seen like a negative thing now. "Childbirth is something that is primitive, ugly, nasty, inconvenient," Simone Diniz, associate professor in the department of maternal and child health at the University of Sao Paulo told the Atlantic. "It takes long, and the idea is we have to make it fast. It's impolite for doctors to leave cases for the doctors on the next shift–there's a sense that you need to either accelerate it or do a C-section."
It's gotten so bad that even women who would prefer natural births wind up giving in to C-sections out of fear that they won't be seen. Also, the natural birth experience in Brazil is pretty traumatic. Women who do have natural births are usually given heavy-duty drugs to help accelerate contractions, some are given episiotomies. Diniz claims that some doctors even push against pregnant women's stomachs to help speed up the labor process. That's so freaking disturbing!
I'm absolutely disgusted by all this and I can't understand what kind of doctors would be willing to perform a C-section on a woman who doesn't need it for medical reasons. That's sick! Every woman should have the right to chose how she'd like to give birth and she certaintly shouldn't be treated like some sort of second class citizen. Ugh! Let's hope some changes are made to this system soon!
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