C-Sections, Wary Docs Push Birth Costs Up

Also: Joanna Krzysztonek did this lying upside down

(NEWSER) - It's hard to pick what to emphasize: That Joanna Krzysztonek endured labor for 75 days to save her twins or that she did so lying virtually upside down. Reuters explains: Krzysztonek was supposed to have triplets, but she went into labor in her fifth month. After one baby died, doctors in Poland suggested the awkward lying position to keep contractions in check. It worked, for two and a half months, which didn't faze Krzysztonek a bit. More»

One man's procedure cost $300K, but it could push the field

(NEWSER) - After 43 hours of on-and-off “ex vivo resection”—organs removed, operated on, and replaced—a Wisconsin man is free of the 10-pound tumor strangling his liver. Along with it went parts of his stomach and intestine, and his abdomen contains not only Gore-Tex tubing but parts of his carotid artery. Still, “he’s doing great,” the lead surgeon tells the New York Times . The paper takes a look at such marathon operations, which typically are the patient's only hope—but can involve a dozen surgeons and cost $300,000. More»

He says male presence leads to more stress and more C-sections

(NEWSER) - Men should make themselves scarce when women are giving birth, says a French obstetrician who will argue his case at a midwives summit this week. Michel Odent says men make women so stressed they stop producing the oxytocin hormone, which eases deliveries, reports the BBC . This results in more C-sections. More»

(NEWSER) - For Katie Roiphe, the connection with her newborn child is like an “addiction," she writes on DoubleX. "There is an opium-den quality to maternity leave. The high of a love that obliterates everything.” Why, then, can’t feminists accept that motherhood is more than a “vocation?” Sure, “the act of caring for a baby is demanding, and arduous, of course, but it is wilder and more narcotic than any kind of work I have ever done.” More»

Hospitals profit from unnecessary cesareans

(NEWSER) - American women are risking their health and driving up medical costs by having too many cesarean sections, the Los Angeles Times reports. The most common operation in the US, the C-section is used in 31% of births and accounts for 45% of rising birth costs. It can also lead to infections, blood clots, and premature births. And it often isn't necessary, medical experts say. More»