‘Crazy’: How society views mothers planning vaginal breech birth
Previously on the program, we have spoken about the choices women have for birth when their baby is in breech position.
Breech babies are babies that present bottom first instead of headfirst. Breech births are viewed as complicated, and as a result many women are told a caesarean is their only option.
But for women who meet certain criteria, they may still be able to birth naturally. The decision to do so is not always easy, and we’re not talking physically.
Family and friends of a mother attempting a vaginal breech birth can be very vocal about that mother’s decision, causing stress and anxiety.
Karolina Petrovska is a PhD student in the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney. She has been looking at the social discourses surrounding planned vaginal breach birth, and found that women are often viewed as “crazy” from diverting from the norm.
[Extended interview]
Image: Rowan Simpson on Flickr.
