The number of medical interventions during childbirth is rising in Canada, prompting new calls from medical societies to promote normal childbirth and to reduce the practice of "routine" medical intervention during low-risk pregnancies.
"Health professionals want to provide support for women to make an informed choice regarding childbirth," said Dr. André Lalonde, Executive Vice-President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. "For each woman and her healthcare provider, this decision must be scientifically sound and ensure maximum safety for the woman and her pregnancy."
A new policy statement on normal childbirth has been released by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) and endorsed by the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses of Canada (AWHONN Canada), the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM), The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC).
The new "Joint Policy Statement on Normal Childbirth", recently published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, stresses the following tenets:
- Birthing as a natural process should be promoted by all health-care professionals who provide antenatal care.
- Health-care professionals should be committed to protecting, promoting, and supporting normal childbirth according to evidence-based practice.
- Normal birth should be accessible and encouraged in all hospital settings.
- There should be a valid reason (evidence-based practice) to intervene in the natural process when labour and birth are progressing normally.
- All pregnant and birthing women and their families should be able to make informed choices. Pregnant women who are at low risk of complications should be encouraged to pursue a normal birth.
- Women should have access to local maternity resources and adequate support for normal delivery in a hospital setting.
The SOGC and its partners believe in working to restore confidence in the normal birth process in childbearing women, maternity care providers, and society at large. The availability of medical intervention is one of the reasons Canada is among the safest places in the world to give birth; however, there is concern that health professionals are turning too quickly to interventions such as C-sections, induction of labour prior to the 41st week of pregnancy, and the use of forceps or vacuum assistance to assist delivery.
"We are seeing a significant increase of medical intervention during childbirth, but there is a real concern that unnecessary interventions introduce risks for mother and baby that could be prevented," said Gisela Becker, President of the Canadian Association of Midwives. "We want to be sure that women who are at low risk for complications receive adequate information and support to have a normal birth."
For More Information
Joint Policy Statement on Normal Childbirth
About the SOGC
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is one of Canada's oldest national specialty organizations. Established in 1944, the Society's mission is to promote excellence in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology and to advance the health of women through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, outreach and education. The SOGC represents obstetricians/gynaecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals working in the field of sexual reproductive health.
Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada