To cut or not to cut -Sophie W

First off, I would like to acknowledge how amazing it was to read Get Me Out and think alongside some of the most prominent people in obstetrics throughout time. I thought it was really neat to be able to track the thought process of people trying to pave the way for women to have safe and pain free (as much as possible) labors.

Something that I found very interesting was the large reluctancy among mothers and the evolution of the cesarean section. It has come quite a long way to become such a popular, and necessary, procedure.

“Today the cesarean section is the most common operation in America among women of reproductive age.”(134)

This is true now but back in the late 1800’s the c-section was essentially a death ritual, and a painful one at that since many of the women were awake and without anesthesia. I was amazed with how well it has evolved from the first recorded cut back in 1508. Once doctors recognized the correlation between their hands (the germs on them) and infections they were able to have much more successful c-sections as well as many other surgical procedures.

 

Another topic I found to be quite intriguing was the power of a sperm bank. I never realized the vast number of people looking towards a sperm bank in order to have a child  and just how many men are willing to donate their sperm. I learned about how picky the selection of sperm donors is especially at California Cryobank.

“Less than 1 percent of men who apply to California Cryobank are accepted.” (221)

It is such a tedious process which is to be expected since people do not typically want their child to end up with any medical issues or even worse… ugly. In the end I can understand the parents thought process of only wanting the best for their child especially if its going to be sperm from a complete stranger.

In the end, my views on child bearing have changed drastically. Before reading, I had only really known the bare minimum about labor, c-sections, conception, etc. Now that I have a more in-depth knowledge of child birth from the beginning I realize how much more of a difficult process it is to have a child and the many factors that go into how a baby is made. I have a better understanding of the history of childbirth and all of the pain, ideas and failures that are under acknowledged and yet so crucial to the development of modern day childbirth. I really enjoyed reading Get Me Out. I have learned many things and I cannot wait to learn many more this coming year in Biomed!