Emily Oster Quotes

We see very, very high rates of C-sections, Cesarean sections, in India. Lots of reasons for it, high levels of malnutrition have meant that women have very small pelvic areas often, so if they have larger babies, it's very hard to deliver.

I had a really scary pregnancy and a very difficult delivery. My daughter and I are lucky to be alive.

I was 17 pounds when I was born. My mother couldn't walk for three weeks.

Prenatal care is one of the most effective ways to reduce maternal mortality because it identifies complications or high risks before emergency situations.

Mimicking childbirth on 'Grey's' has taken the mystery out of it.

I had a very long home birth. She was almost 10 pounds and did not want to come out.

With River's birth, nothing went according to plan. My water broke three weeks early, and after 12 hours of labor and Pitocin, I was in incredible pain and still only one-centimeter dilated.

After about five hours of pushing, my midwife and my birthing assistant said, 'You know, we have a few suggestions.' And I was like, 'Really? After five hours of pushing you have a few suggestions? You couldn't have told me five minutes in?'

Because I was very big and she was very small, my mother had a horrible birth when I was born. So she always said: 'I'm never having any more kids!'

These wretched babies don't come until they are ready.

In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of the burden is on the female partner. She's got a construction zone going on in her belly.

I learned a long time ago that it doesn't make me less of a woman because my babies come out of a different place. My C-sections have been fine.

I wasn't scared of childbirth. I educated myself and did my fair share of research, and that made me feel a little more prepared.

There are unwanted emotions and pain that goes along with any birth.

As a father and grandfather, I have witnessed firsthand the joy of new life entering the world. I know the pain and apprehension that goes along with premature births and birth defects.

If birth matters, midwives matter. In Europe, there are hospitals where the cesarean rate is less than 10%, and you'll find midwives in these hospitals, you'll see a lot less re-admissions with infections and complications, and you'll see a lot less injury to mothers.

My mother-in-law was with me during all four of my births and when she was sitting next to me holding my hand during the cesareans, well, I craved that.

There is nothing that anyone can say to prepare you for childbirth. Each woman's experience is so different; you never know how it will be for you!

Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in when complications arise.

My mother gave birth to me on the floor of our apartment in Mecca with only my toddler sister to help her because my father was at work and no male guardian was available to take her to a hospital.

We tried every single way of giving birth. It didn't work. I wasn't too crazy about having to do a C-section and take all the drugs. Finally, I just had to be like, 'Let it go.'

My entire pregnancy with Major, I was nervous about enduring another long labor.

In all of life, I've never heard of a C-section where a scalpel goes too deep and actually slices into the baby's forehead. Or even touches the baby's forehead.

It turns out childbirth is really... messy.

It's true what they say, and I am now a firm believer in the fact that every pregnancy is different for every woman!