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Mothers-to-be often get showered with rather unhelpful stories of childbirth: “It was the most magical of moments”; “little Suzy was an angel from the very beginning”; “he came out spouting his a-b-c’s”; “it only hurt for a little while.” And years afterward, maybe that is how these mothers remember their experience.

But let’s get real. Giving birth is one of the most dangerous things a woman may do in her life. And while most of us will agree that bringing our children into the world was without a doubt worth the risk, it was a risk nonetheless. And for those of us who delivered by Caesarean section, having more children is even riskier.

I don’t intend to have more children. If I didn’t already feel that way after my weeklong horror in the hospital, I certainly would after reading the commentary in Sunday’s Skagit Valley Herald by Jennifer Block. She is the author of “Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care,” and she cited some unnerving statistics about Caesarean sections:

* “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released 2004 data showing a rate of 13.1 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births;
* “The C-section is now used to deliver 30 percent of U.S. babies;
* “Across the nation 1 in 4 low-risk first-time mothers will give birth via Caesarean, and if they have more children, 95 percent will be born by repeat surgery;
* “Caesareans are inherently riskier than normal, vaginal birth. They also lead to repeat Caesareans. And repeat Caesareans carry even greater risks. Placenta accreta is one of them. The placenta embeds into the uterine scar from a previous surgery, causing a catastrophic hemorrhage at the time of delivery. Most women with placenta accreta lose their uteri; as many as 1 in 15 bleed to death.”

For the majority of women, modern medicine brings us through just fine. Only 13 out of 100,000 of us die, but how many of us end up with other serious complications? I’m not suggesting not having children. I am suggesting making sure that you are in good physical health when you decide to get pregnant and that you study and research exactly what is happening to your body and what you can expect during your doctor visits and time in the hospital.