Sometimes older is better

Sigh...another post about births...so if you are anti natural birthing read no further.
Disclaimer---this is based on my experiences only....

I have been thinking a lot about birth and the American modern practices regarding pregnancy and birth since watching 'The Business of Being Born' in an effort to engage my mind and keep me from thinking on more depressing topics.

1- I wish it was still the norm to have other people around you during labor especially and possibly delivery. So many people have said how they want just their partner there with them..then commented on how they cannot handle it/were so scared..etc..

In my experience having another person there really helped me deal...especially with the fear. Maybe this is because my husband is not so great at supporting me or maybe having other people who cared for me who had been through the process took a lot of the fear out of it (I prefer to think the latter)

2- I really wish hospitals and doctors in general were more supportive of women and viewing pregnancy as a life stage and not a condition to be 'treated'.

Now looking at things from the preemie parent standpoint: fear is a huge issue for us...fear not only of the labor/delivery that most women have but also the fear for our babies...any reduction in that is helpful.

3- how come animals who have more babies in one gestation than most people seem to handle what is essentially the same process so much better and with a less mortality rate than humans?? One thing that I came up with is that animals cannot share 'horror stores' they go into it following their nature and let their bodies do their jobs.

(there are clearly instances when humans need medical help - my body cannot seem to stay pregnant for a full gestational period so trusting my body to go full term is moot... when modern medicine is NEEDED clearly NEEDED not for convenience...it is a darn good thing it is there.)

4- I must question the rational in a practice that has not seen an improvement in maternal mortality rate since the early 1980's----why is that? Cancer 5 year survival rates have improved a huge amount?? why the discrepancy?

Maybe trusting the 'old' way of doing things is better...in countries in which midwives are utilized along with doulas...intervention rates are lower as are the maternal and fetal mortality rates. Support women and their bodies. We are designed to do this.