Warning about the risks of giving birth "naturally"

On the afternoon of March 14, social networks quickly shared information about a woman giving birth at home using the method ofnatural childbirthcausing mother and child death.

The person who shared the story is a woman with a Facebook account named Minh Phuong living in Ho Chi Minh City. She said that her friend had given birth to her first child, spent 15 million to take a natural childbirth course as shared on social networks and gave birth at home alone. When her husband returned, both mother and child were beyond saving.

Immediately after the information was reported on social networks, on the evening of March 14, the Department of Maternal and Child Health (Ministry of Health) sent an official dispatch to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health and Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City requesting verification, inspection of information and coordination with relevant agencies to handle violations, if any, according to current regulations. The Ministry of Health also requested the two units to submit a report to the Ministry of Health before 3:00 p.m. on March 15, 2018.

Talking about the above case, talking to reporters, Dr. Vu Ba Quyet - Director of the Central Obstetrics Hospital said that if this information is true, it is very unfortunate for both the mother and the baby. "In the past, when conditions were still difficult, women often gave birth at home, the rate of maternal and child mortality was very high, so there was the saying "pregnancy is like the door to the grave".

Over the years, the obstetrics sector has strived to reduce maternal and child mortality rates by monitoring and caring for the process from pregnancy, regular prenatal check-ups, and then giving newborn tetanus vaccinations after birth. Previously, the mortality rate due to infection was high, but now it has decreased significantly," said Dr. Quyet.

“Moreover, giving birth at home is not the only natural way. When a mother comes to the hospital, the doctor always follows the natural way of giving birth. That is to let the mother reach the full term, and when she goes into labor, she is monitored for a normal birth. If a mother wants to have an early cesarean section, we will not allow it.

“Following nature and having the supervision and care of medical staff and village midwives to guide breathing skills, giving instructions, and safe delivery… is not following nature and monitoring the birth at home without supervision, which is full of risks. Being natural means having the baby skin-to-skin after birth, breastfeeding immediately, and cutting the umbilical cord slowly… That is respecting nature with a scientific nature,” Dr. Quyet advised.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Infonet, Dr. Nguyen Huu Trung - Director of the Royal Obstetrics Clinic (HCMC), said that the above natural birth method has the potential for many obstetric complications for both the mother and the newborn. In cases where the mother is just lucky, such as the daily "dropping birth" (dropping birth) can still occasionally happen somewhere, so this cannot be used as an advice for the entire community to apply and consider natural pregnancy.

Opposing the unscientific "natural birth" trend, Dr. Tran Vu Quang - Central Obstetrics Hospital said: "The concept of "natural birth" does not exist in medical literature yet? Yet many people take advantage of it to spread false information, endangering many pregnant women.

“The trend of "interbreeding" and giving birth "naturally" has just been spread and is causing much outrage in the community due to its unscientific nature, posing many potential risks to the health of mothers and newborns... Why are there still unscientific schools of thought in this day and age? Who organizes the classes? Who reports and where are they located? Authorities should clarify this,” a reader named Quan suggested.

Previously, on March 6, 2018, when there was information that a young mother in Hung Yen also refused to go to the hospital to give birth at home "naturally", the Ministry of Health also issued a document advising pregnant women not to give birth at home. Specifically, according to the Ministry of Health, giving birth at home can lead to serious risks and complications such as hemorrhage, uterine rupture, infection, fetal heart failure, neonatal tetanus, and even death of mother and child...

The Department of Maternal and Child Health recommends that women should go to a medical facility when giving birth. “Although childbirth is a normal physiological process, to ensure safety, when pregnant and giving birth, women must go to a medical facility to receive pregnancy management, prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care for mother and child according to professional procedures.”