I just returned from the hospital from seeing my friend’s new baby! I was really concerned about her labor and delivery because of circumstances occurring at her routine check-up a few days earlier. After an ultrasound, the doctor without detailed information, said the baby would be 6lbs at birth and would thrive better outside the womb. My friend, defaulting to the doctor, assumed this was best for her and the baby. The inducement was scheduled for a few days later. Matthew was born a healthy 7lbs 13oz. This was nearly 10 oz more than their daughter who was born 8 years ago. This calls into question if the ultrasound, or technology in general, is a nuisance or a beneficial tool.
During my own labor, my son’s heart rate kept plummeting to an alarming rate with each contraction. This is quite normal and he recovered fully each time. We knew his exact heart rate because of the monitors that were on my body and his. In the midst of delivery, my doctor being cautious, decided on a c-section. I do believe that my son would have sustained a natural delivery without harm, since he was near being out with only a few pushes. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he had any long-term effects of oxygen deprivation. My recovery from the c-section was quite difficult, but wouldn’t have changed it considering my son is quite healthy! I think that overall, technology is very helpful, but sometimes it shouldn’t intrude with a process that has gone on for thousands of years.
