Talking once again about PCTs intention to ban planned caesareans that have no medical need. TV – a rather nerve-racking but worthwhile experience.
Much of the debate centred around the idea that maternal requests were a selfish choice taking money away from other areas of maternity care. Once again women falling into this category were all assumed to be ‘too posh to push’ but “What we need to think about is the number of women that actually fall into this category, the number is incredibly small. When you actually look at the reasons behind these choices the number that actually make this decision, as a ‘lifestyle’ choice alone, is very, very small.” As discussed in other posts, there is far more to it than lifestyle choice alone.
In answer to whether an elective caesarean is more expensive? In addition to the fact that the figures are based upon flawed data, “The issue of cost is a difficult one because actually the assumption that is being made is that a woman that is refused a planned caesarean is going to go on to have a natural birth. 50% of the women in this country manage to give birth vaginally without any form of intervention…the moment they do [experience intervention] the costs rocket and the actual likelihood of achieving the cost savings that are being talked about is very small.”