EON

Hamilton – Mothers in Canada are very happy with their labor and overall birthing experience, but they seem to be having more monitoring and ultrasounds than need be. This was stated from a federal study done by the Public Health Agency of Canada and released on Tuesday.

There are also other procedures and practices being done and used that are not supported by clinical evidence. Some of the practices include episiotomies, inducing labor, speeding up labor. Shaving, enemas and stirrups are some of the practices that are being used. All of these should not be the standard in labor and delivery.
During a normal pregnancy, Canada supports only one ultrasound given between 18 and 19 weeks but with discussion of limitations, safety and benefits. The World Health Organization suggests ultrasound only on need or only one at 18 weeks.

A study was conducted by The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Maternity Experiences Survey. This survey studied 6,421 women. About 80 percent of the mothers were interviewed between five and 14 months after giving birth. They stated their experience was somewhat or very positive. Almost all of the mothers, 99.8 percent exactly, said that they had at least one ultrasound while pregnant; the average among the mothers was three while pregnant.

It was also found that 90 percent of the mothers had some monitoring done while in labor and two-thirds were found to have continuous monitoring. All of this monitoring was done despite evidence that support periodic monitoring for a normal labor.