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June 14, 2002
More natural births at
Baffin Regional Hospital
A National Post survey
of 35 hospitals in 12 Canadian cities shows women who give birth at Iqaluits
Baffin Regional Hospital undergo fewer medical interventions during childbirth
than women at other hospitals.
In Iqaluit, 92 per cent
of women give birth vaginally, that is, without undergoing a surgical cesarean
section. In most other places in Canada, only 80 per cent women deliver vaginally,
and the rate for C-sections is as high as 26 per cent at the Torontos
Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Iqaluit also has a very
low rate of vaginal deliveries that involve the use of forceps or vacuum suction.
Only two per cent of women
receive episiotomies, or a deliberate cutting of the vaginal perineum, which
is supposed to allow babies to be born more easily.
The rate for episiotomies
in other hospitals in Canada is between 10 per cent and 60 per cent.
Increased rates of medical
intervention during childbirth have been linked to the social status and income
of women.
A study by the World Health
Organization found higher rates of C-sections were linked to higher income and
social class among women in Latin American countries.
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