It was recently announced by The Israeli Movement for Freedom of Information that Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel is a national leader in encouraging natural childbirth and reducing spontaneous Caesarean births, as per data published by them.
Professor Zeev Weiner, director of the Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Rambam, explains, “We support and encourage natural, vaginal childbirth even in more complicated cases: breech deliveries, multiple births, and other complex cases when conditions permit and there is no risk to mother or infant. We are seeing an increasing number of natural births, and the numbers speak for themselves. Our highly-qualified, multi-disciplinary medical staff are also specialists in obstetric complications, and we are prepared for every eventuality.”
In 2022, just over one percent of mothers giving birth at Rambam required a Caesarean section (C-section), according to statistics supplied by the Movement for Freedom of Information in Israel, an Israeli NGO working to establish governmental transparency. From the more than 4,000 births at Rambam last year, C-sections were required in only 50 cases.
Shahaf – a young mother, who delivered her first baby at Rambam recently, describes her experience, “On Saturday evening, I arrived at Rambam after my water broke and my labor started. After being admitted, the doctors and nurses made me feel at home, and the atmosphere was friendly and warm. They encouraged me to proceed with a natural birth and not opt for a C-section, and that’s exactly how it was. The staff were patient, professional, and supportive, and thankfully I gave birth without any surgical intervention. Thanks to the superb doctors and nurses who attended to me, I had a wonderful, comfortable experience that I will never forget. I am very grateful that I gave birth and brought life into the world at Rambam - it doesn’t feel like a hospital at all.”
Rambam is a national leader in the field of epidural anesthesiology, and as part of its services, the Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Rambam also offers epidural anesthesia for pain relief during childbirth. Sixty-four percent of mothers giving birth at Rambam opt for this method. The anesthesiologist assists the patient during the intervention, and waiting times for drug administration are short, all contributing to a good experience for the mother and those supporting her.
“We do our utmost to make the birthing experience pleasant, according to the mother’s wishes, and her medical condition ” Professor Weiner comments. “We are very proud of our work at Rambam. Superior medical professionals provide the utmost support to birthing mothers who come to us for specialized care.”