More natural births at Baffin Regional Hospital

A National Post survey of 35 hospitals in 12 Canadian cities shows women who give birth at Iqaluit’s Baffin Regional Hospital undergo fewer medical interventions during childbirth than women at other hospitals.

In Iqaluit, 92 per cent of women give birth vaginally, that is, without undergoing a surgical cesarean section. In most other places in Canada, only 80 per cent women deliver vaginally, and the rate for C-sections is as high as 26 per cent at the Toronto’s Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Iqaluit also has a very low rate of vaginal deliveries that involve the use of forceps or vacuum suction.

Only two per cent of women receive episiotomies, or a deliberate cutting of the vaginal perineum, which is supposed to allow babies to be born more easily.

The rate for episiotomies in other hospitals in Canada is between 10 per cent and 60 per cent.

Increased rates of medical intervention during childbirth have been linked to the social status and income of women.

A study by the World Health Organization found higher rates of C-sections were linked to higher income and social class among women in Latin American countries.