Don't open the oven, you'll deflate the souffle

A new study shows just how crazy high rates of pre-term births are. Not good, y'all. Not good.

Long before I was married or pregnant, I was in the "please, schedule the c-section" camp.  Then I decided to pay attention to medical advice and mother nature.  We may have clobbered evolution with medicine and IVF, but we still did spend a few millenia perfecting the birthing process.  Kids need to get squeezed out and they need to get squeezed out at the right time.

Of course, when it came time for me to deliver, I ended up being induced and having a c-section - neither of which I wanted (Ed.'s note: When I say I didn't want them, this isn't a story of "forced" medical intervention. Those stories bother me. Frequently because I don't always trust the victimized mother narrative that comes with them.)  A potentially deadly-for-the-baby condition dictated early induction - though I was already 38 or 39 weeks - and who knows what led to my inability to push the kid out. God know's I tried.

But having gone through a medical induction, all I can say is, ladies, please, don't do this. I know pregnancy sucks. I hated it. And I know, thanks to our fabulously shit-ass parental leave policies that leaving things up to nature means risking leave time with the baby and various employment bads.  But if you'r body was as shut up and unready as mine - holy cow - don't try to force it.  Seriously, don't.