A New York Times reporter did the unthinkable and exposed the “worst test in medicine” — the one that five decades of evidence says doesn’t work.
The research is damning: continuous fetal monitoring raises C-sections by 66% and instrumental deliveries by 16%, with no drop in infant deaths or disability.
It flags a problem that usually isn’t one, and doctors rush to cut the baby out.
It’s not just a false flag problem; it’s a money incentive. Sarah Kliff says the quiet part out loud:
“Nobody gets sued for doing the C-section. You only get sued for not doing the C-section.”
Doctors are so terrified of legal consequences that they’ll push unnecessary surgery on their patients, not for the baby’s health, but to protect their pocketbooks.
That’s how the cascade starts. In a hospital delivery, one intervention triggers the next. It’s like an avalanche that can’t be stopped.
Next thing you know, you’re recovering for weeks from a major surgery you never needed.
If someone you love is about to have their first baby, share this before they ever set foot in a labor and delivery unit.
@MidwesternDoc investigated what hospitals don’t tell you about birth outcomes, and it only gets worse from here. 🧵
evil annie
