Beyonce had a baby girl named Blue Ivy Carter as I'm sure you've heard. I'm really happy for her and Jay-Z -- truly I am. But I am not happy about how things went down at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC where she gave birth. I almost feel like I can't blame Beyonce and Jay-Z though. All they did was ask the hospital if they could rent out an entire floor while Beyonce had her scheduled c-section. The hospital could have said no. But a lot of money was paid and well, hospitals do need money, and so it was allowed.
And yes, scheduled cesarean. Maybe she had a preexisting condition that made a c-section inevitable. But maybe it was because of her celebrity status that her birth had to be planned in order for them to be able to rent out an entire floor at Lenox Hill. That just makes me sad. It's a bad example for moms. And I'm upset for the families and moms who were birthing there that were very disrupted as a result of all of this. Parents who were denied seeing their newborns.
New dad Neil Nash-Coulon said that he was denied access to the NICU to see his baby because of the security lockdown going on while Beyonce and family were there. He said that this was the case for many as the NICU was on same floor rented out by the singer.
It's been reported that Jay-Z paid 1.3 million dollars for the entire floor, but the hospital has so far kept quiet on the confidential matter.
More on Beyonce's Delivery: Beyonce Addresses Baby Drama & Denies a Diva Delivery
I remember when I tried to get a private room after I had my twins because I wanted my husband to be able to spend the night to help me in-room with my two newborns. We were willing to pay the added fee, but were told that there was only one room and it was already taken. Which is fine. I get that. But then I hear of things like this ... renting an entire floor for a one-baby birth and I feel like more should be done for the everyday average Joe and Jane who have multiples and actually NEED to have more space or be able to have the dad stay to help mom. I'm talking about a room too, not a floor.
I also feel that because Beyonce had a scheduled c-section (for whatever reason) it makes so many other women who admire her think that is the glamorous way to birth. It's not. If it's necessary, then it's necessary and that is a different story, but too many of these diva births will have us ending up like China, where the c-section rate is 50 percent. And they have a one-child policy. So a mom is denying herself the rite of passage that is vaginal birth. But China says it's about risks because of the one child policy. So if anything seems less than perfect, then they choose cesarean.
Birth advocates know this is a bad decision. It's bad news for moms. Just look at the story of a mom who had twins, both breech, vaginally without any pain meds. This is trusting birth. Something we all need to do. Doctors need to give women more credit when birthing. Women need to give women more credit when birthing. And like many believe, I too think it's become a women's rights issue. If a doctor tells a woman she can't birth vaginally, she believes and trusts that doctor. But we need to start believing in ourselves. In our abilities. We can't believe in the Beyonce diva way of birth. We can't expect floors to shut down for our baby's arrival. I wish Beyonce didn't feel that she needed that. I get extra security, but how that hospital behaved was wrong. And I'm glad parents are speaking out about it.
We have to stop being passive spectators of our births and be active participators. We have to be very present and patient and active when we are parents, so it should start with the birth of our children.
What do you think of these diva births? Are we generally too passive when it comes to birth? Do you think we need to trust our bodies more?
UPDATE: At the press time of this article, all major news outlets were reporting a 'scheduled c-section' (sourced). The couple has since spoken out and called the birth natural. With or without Beyonce in the mix, the mentality of being 'too posh to push' in childbirth exists.
Image via Dave Q/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Comments 256
Agree with TorranceMom!!
You hit it on the head... this is why EVERY WOMAN should be arguing for natural birth in healthy pregnancies.
The fact is that medical establishment has sold women a line of bull about c-sections. Women talk about them like it is nothing... There are huge risks involved to opening up the abdomen for any type of surgery - which is why doctors try to avoid doing so when possible for other abdominal surgeries.
Part of being a woman is going through childbirth; and people like Beyonce who chose a c-section do "glamorize" a procedure that should only be reserved for life or death situations. If she did chose a c-section, then shame on her for using her celebrity to be crappy role model (as if there aren't enough of those out there).
"...when a high profile celebrity like Beyonce gives birth this way, all is does is negatively influence impressionable mothers into thinking that C-sections are the "easy" way to give birth."
I think you are a ridiculous santimommy for saying c-sections are a diva way of birthing. Maybe she actually had no other choice, hmm? Sometimes, c-sections are necessary! On another note, I think that guy should actually sue the hospital for not being allowed to see his children. They had adequate time to set up and have the right security measures taken so that everyone could see their children without disturbing Mr and Mrs High Almighty. . It infuriates me that a father couldn't see his child. Absolutely ridiculous. I would have caused a scene.
The level of associated "judgeyness" depends on the agenda of the person hearing the information, not the person giving it. If someone finds criticism in statistics, they're obviously feeling defensive about their choices. The medical community has an obligation to tell us what they know, and that is the obvious - Cesarean births can be dangerous, this is why in almost all cases, vaginal births are the preferred method. As parents don't we have a duty to engage with such information?