In light of this weekend's absolutely insane Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna drama — or impeccably timed hoax, if you're cynical — the Rob & Chyna Baby Special that aired Sunday night is getting an awful lot of attention. But whether or not we're being played here, the special is inadvertently bringing up a serious issue when it comes to women and how they give birth.
During the episode, we see dad-to-be Rob and Scott Disick dispensing unwanted and uninformed medical advice to Chyna. The men urge Chyna to have a vaginal birth instead of a C-section. Why? They claim that having another C-section would hurt Chyna's chances of delivering another child. (Chyna delivered her first child, King, via cesarean.) Disick convinces Kardashian that Chyna must deliver vaginally, and, in turn, Kardashian pressures Chyna. Kardashian even hired a birthing specialist to come help Chyna practice, per The Cut's recap. How thoughtful!
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There are a few issues here. First, Kardashian and Disick are not OB/GYNs, unless we missed the part where they went to med school. And boy, are they misinformed. C-sections and vaginal birth after cesarean, or VBAC, are sensitive topics. Studies indicate that C-sections do not impact fertility of the mother, and that the health risks to the child are lesser than once thought. Plus, the Mayo Clinic has found that 60-80% of women who attempt VBACs succeed at delivering vaginally. As with most pregnancy concerns, this one is definitely complex, and every woman should work with her doctor to determine the best birth plan for her. But generalizations and judgements like these are never correct.
But all of this is nearly besides the point because neither Kardashian or Disick are the ones giving birth. In fact, Chyna is the only one in the room with any actual experience delivering a baby. Just back the fuck off, dudes. Watching the episode, it's clear that Chyna, like any woman, is already incredibly stressed about delivering her baby. For them to come in and dictate her birth plan is so inconsiderate and emotionally tone-deaf — it's just beyond.
At one point, Chyna finds out that she has no choice but to deliver Dream via C-section because the baby hasn't dropped. And you know what? I bet that by now, Disick and Kardashian are feeling pretty bad about causing Chyna all that unnecessary anxiety.