Nearly one in three U.S. births are cesarean and the rate of medical intervention in maternity care continues to rise. Is this a good thing? A recent article in the Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Neonatal Nursing explores the evolution and implications of modern high- tech birthing practices and offers recommendations to reintroduce older practices.
According to the article, there are six evidence-based care practices adopted from the World Health Organization that nurses can implement to promote more "normal", physiological births:
1. Labor should begin on its own.
2. Allow freedom of movement during labor.
3. Continuous labor support.
4. No routine interventions.
5. Spontaneous pushing in non-supine positions.
6. No separation of mother and baby.
The article reviews evidence surrounding each of these care practices and determines that interventions that are not medically necessary can increase the risk of complications for mother and baby during birth. A perinatal nurse consultant with the Hill-Rom Company, explains that "normal births" according to WHO parameters may be difficult to achieve in the United States due to routine high-tech interventions. She states, "As the primary caregivers for women during labor, nurses often find themselves walking a fine line between the wishes of the consumers and the preferences of the women's medical care providers." She recommends that nurses strive to balance high-tech with high-touch.
