With a 32 of those still experiencing problems two months after their operation, it's time for women to reclaim their power when it comes to birthing. Thirty-two percent of the time women are told by their obstetricians and doctors that for some reason or another, their bodies are unable to birth through natural methods - that there's some complication where major intervention and abdominal surgery is required. But how many times is that actually true?

When a woman books herself into a hospital, she immediately starts working against the clock. Time within a hospital system is the root of all evil for the labouring mother, as she is under enormous pressure in many ways. For example, she has to work within her obstetrician's personal schedule, she's only allowed a certain amount of time to be overdue, she has to wait until her contractions are serious before she can admit herself into hospital (unless she's booked into a private hospital, and even then there are no guarantees), she's only allowed a certain amount of time to labour before serious intervention occurs, she has to work within the shifts of the midwives during her labour, and she can only remain in the hospital to recoup and recover for a certain period of time.

Now when in history has a baby been born to a time schedule? It has only been happening since the availability of c-sections, and in many ways obstetricians and doctors are abusing the service. With this much pressure, it's any wonder women are finding it difficult to labour and birth naturally.

"When the mother gets anxious, worries, when her body produces adrenalin, then the labour slows down. Then she's told she's not progressing, then she's told they may be worried about the baby - then she gets more anxious, all those sorts of things. Unfortunately, to answer your question… is that hospitals are not the safest place for people that want a natural birth." Rachana Shivam, International College of Spiritual Midwifery

So who's in control of the mother's body and baby? The obstetrician and hospital are, and this is something women need to wake up to and realise. As Rachana Shivam puts it, "I think we need to be very supportive of women. When a woman makes a choice, she has the opportunity to walk through her choice. To really be walked through (regarding a caesarean), with all the implications, they usually don't know about what they are choosing, they don't know that they are going to compromise their babies greatly; they don't know that they are compromising themselves greatly. There is a whole lot of information that they are not given."

It's time for women to reclaim their innate power. With power is knowledge, so I suggest women gather as much information as possible and understand all the birthing outcomes. Ask lots of questions, and seek the answers from various resources and professionals - don't just listen to what your doctor tells you. Find out what caesareans can do to the mother and baby. Discover ways to prevent a caesarean from happening. Look into the effects of drugs, and ways to work through the pain naturally. Research into what can be done to make a c-section safer, slower, and more advantageous for the mother and baby. With this knowledge, mothers will be in control of their body, baby and choices leaving them feeling empowered, and hopefully satisfied with whatever birthing outcome.