USA has 2nd highest infant death rate???

Question

I have a friend who was telling me that the US has the 2nd highest death rate, is this true? She said the countries with the lowest rate used way more midwifes instead of doctors. I'm thinking about getting pregnant, is this midwife thing a good idea?

The question was about midwifes, not the state of health care in America. The government is already pushing enough down our throats, last thing I want is what they think is best for my health.

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate here is a link for infant mortality rate not total mortality rate, looking at this statistic doesn't scare me in the least, and you are going to have to research for your self whether or not to use a midwife, I had a doctor that did a great job for three of my pregnancies, but I am more emotional with this pregnancy so I decided to go with a midwife. good luck. I also found a midwife that delivers at a hospital with a neonatal unit and works with a doctor if there are any complications.

Answer 2

Of industrialized nations, we rank #28 (out of 29) when it comes to infant death rates (#1 is the best, 29 is the worst) And we are not improving, in fact, our ratings have become worse since 2000.
Many people believe that the interventions involved with the way we birth in the US is the largest contributing factor. C-sections are seen by the general public and OBs as "safer," but in fact are not - as children born by c/s are at a much higher risk for serious respiratory problems. Then there are the early inductions, etc., etc.
The World Health Organization is actually petitioning the US to get those rates down by adopting a midwife system for the low-risk births, and OB care only for the truly high risk.

Answer 3

What she prolly means is that the US has the highest infant mortality rate in the DEVELOPED world. Compared to other highly developed countries we have a terrible mortality rate.
Other countries like Germany use midwives 70% of the time compared to our rate of 8%.
Our c-section rates are 1 in 3 on average. And 80% of those are done at 4pm and 10pm. At 4 so the Doc can be home for dinner, and at 10 so he can get some rest. Has nothing to do with what is best for you or your baby.

Don't just let the numbers speak for themselves. A midwife is a great idea. Make an apt and give her a try, if you don't love her, I'd be really surprised!
Oh and check out www.businessofbeingborn.com

and midwives ARE medical professionals!

Answer 4

While I am not sure about the actual rating - I am sure it is more to it then who uses dr.s verse mid wifes.
Mid wifes can be a good thing as they re more personalized and you can feel more at ease being in the environment you want.., however if there are complications at the end of your preg.. or during birth.., I would personally want to be in a hospital surrounded by nurses, doctors and the needed equiment.

The infant death rate could be due to SIDS, complicated pregnancies, or shaken baby syndrome.., I do not believe that doctors verse mid wives have anything to do with that.

Generally the only reason why mother's choose mid wives is due to religion or for the option to have their child in a more comfortable setting such as their own home.

Good luck either route you take :)

Answer 5

It's actually true but only of all the first world countries. We are ranked very low in the world as well but just not that low.

And for all of you who think that America is all that great...our health care is one of the worst of all the first world countries as well. Canada, England, France...just to name a few all offer FREE medical, longer paid maternity leave and free house calls...also for free. IN France the government will even send a helper home with new mothers to help out with the care of the babies as well as housework AND THEY PAY FOR SCHOOL THROUGH COLLEGE!!!! So go ahead and tell your self that the USA is #1 but all the other countries are laughing at us. And what about for those people who cannot pay for health care and get dumped out in the street to die???? It's the same here in China...but now I see how bad it is if we can't even do better then CHINA!

Answer 6

no flipping way. this midwife thing really pisses me off. a lot of them seem to be on this "holier than" kick and think that they are better than MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS when it comes to medical issues. i have no problem with wanting to try to go all natural for a birth if there are no complications. a midwife should be willing to work with doctors. they need to understand that they are not a substitute for a doctor. do you know how many women used to die in child birth? since all this advancement in medicine up until today, that has been reduced drastically... i'll tell you what, it makes me feel a hell of a lot better having an actual doctor standing right there when it comes to the health and safety of my child. lots of things can go wrong. and don't listen to that brainwashing crap about not being in control of your birth experience if you're dealing with a doctor in a hospital. my doctor pretty much stood back and let me birth my own child. he only gave direction when he needed to. he let me push when i felt like i needed to and, unless your health or the baby's health is in jeopardy, you can pretty much tell the nurses and doctors where to stick it if there's something you don't like.

Answer 7

I'm using a midwife, and I would never opt to use a doctor at a hospital, when you get there and start to dilate that just start pouring drugs into you, and make everything that should be natural, so un-natural! It eerks me! Midwifes just let nature take its course, which is how it should be. If anything goes wrong, like baby being breeched or anything like that, they know how to turn the baby, and get it out. That is what they are trained to do. Hospitals always get over anxious and want to go right into a c-section. As far as statistics go, for infant death rate, who knows. If you do get pregnant, or even before, I would highly recommend checking out a birthing center with midwives. I can't say enough good things about them.

Answer 8

She probably means amongst first world countries. The truth is our odds are not that great compared to many other countries, but certainly better than ones without healthcare such as Africa, like the previous poster pointed out. (Duh lol) Anyway, I'm getting a midwife and I suggest you do the same dear one. I wouldn't let anyone near me with a sharp instrument during birth unless it was a life or death scenario, and in that instance yes, I would leave my house and go to the hospital. Here's to a happy (and non worried) pregnancy!

Answer 9

We have one of the highest rates of infant mortality of all the industrialized nations. Ours is actually higher than places in the middle east, like Saudi Arabia.

But its because of C-sections, harsh medical inductions and mothers who dont breast feed.

You can google the statistic for yourself. Its pretty scary. Breast feeding is the biggest culprit, in other nations breast milk is the only option, because of it babies thrive and are healthier.

A bottle fed baby is 33% more likely to die in the first year and 60% more likely to need hospitalization in the first three years, all because of illnesses that could have been avoided by the antibodies and immunities in breast milk.

Just breast feed your baby and stay healthy yourself while pregnant and dont let them talk you into pitocins or other medications for inductions.

Why the hell am I getting thumbs down? Go read the studies for yourselves you idiots. God Almighty.

Answer 10

I don't believe that statistic. How about countries in Africa that don't even have health care? That statistic is so false...