Too Posh to Push; and Counting the Cost of Kids

Too Posh To Push

Last week The Telegraph reported that, at some London hospitals, the rate of caesarean section has climbed to 33%. In other parts of the UK, the rate is as low as 8%. The overall national average of C-section is around 25%, and the NHS focuses on this issue in its statistics, not least because carrying out the procedure is several times more expensive than a vaginal delivery. But the picture is ultimately more complex than that. It is too crude to say that in some parts of the country there are women who are 'too posh to push'. Some of the women within these figures will be choosing to undergo the procedure in the light of complex medical circumstances, while others will be hastily signing consent forms after an arduous labour that has stalled. Some mums feel that Nature is leaving them no choice; others don't want to let Her decide. Whichever path you choose - or have chosen for you - your feelings and wishes are, alongside the good health of you and your unborn baby, of paramount importance.

In the run up to International Women's Day I read a huge range of statistics relating to the varying plights of women around the globe. One of them, that half a million women in the developing world die during labour and childbirth each year, really struck me. We are privileged indeed to be able to even consider the manner of our baby's delivery, or to have the 'safety net' of an emergency C-section if things are not going well. What we possess in the developed world, above all things, is the power that comes from being well-informed. Here on www.pregnancy.co.uk we have articles that cover the pros and cons of caesareans in detail, here and here. Well before your baby comes, have a read, and consider the contents of your birth plan with this information in mind. You can't know in advance how your baby will make his or her entrance into the world, but you can ensure that you feel confident in the face of whatever arises during the course of your labour.

Or Too Poor to Start With?

Research carried out by Legal and General found that women do 71 hours of unpaid work around the home each week, saving families over £31,000 in hired help each year. Men's contribution came in at around £24,000, and overall, families are spending over £8000 per year raising each child in their family. That's a lot of economics to absorb, and I'm intrigued as to why we are compelled to carry out studies of this nature.

Since the 1970s, when sociologist Ann Oakley wrote her seminal tome on housework, the feminist movement has been preoccupied with the value of what women do in the home, that, they feel, goes largely unrecognised by society. Ultimately, the only way to grab the headlines is to express that value in monetary terms, because, as the saying goes, 'money makes the world go round'; all of us can make sense of this kind of statistic. I have a feeling though that women, and their partners, aren't really measuring their own contributions in this way. This isn't to say that we don't all strive for balance, in terms of workload, within our families. The strict division of tasks that characterised each parent's 'to do list' three or four generations ago has probably now disappeared. It is much more a matter of juggling between mums and dads to make sure everything that needs to be done, gets done.

Similarly, I'm not sure we are all getting to the end of the tax year and rueing the fiscal outlay on each of our little cherubs. Yes, we need to consider our ability to meet the needs of our children, and yes, deciding whether to have more children should probably involve a consideration of the extra strain on the family finances. But, what our children most want from us is love and time, not ever more expensive items, and there are a lot of ways to entertain your kids that don't have to cost the earth; we took a look at this issue; have a read and let us know what you think about what really matters, when it comes to measuring the value of everyone in your household!

This article is a feature from the MUM.com Trusted Bloggers Club.

About the author

Leoarna Mathias

A writer who's beginning to write, claims my twitter bio. My specialist subjects include the parenting 'juggle', the 'help' we get from the policy makers, and what it means to be a mum in the 21st century. Nothing too adventurous then... Proud to lead the Trusted Blogger Club!

Click here to read my full biography.

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