Frankly, I think cultural attitudes towards birth play a huge role. I didn't even want to try a VBAC because I found my previous experience of a 24-hour labor that ended in a c-section anyway to be an upsetting worst-of-both-worlds scenario that I dreaded repeating. In Southwestern tribes being a woman in labor is just about the most prestigious, doted-on thing you could possibly be, so I suspect most Navajo and Hopi women are comparatively eager to try it again even if it didn't work out so well the previous time.
It *definitely* doesn't surprise me that Native Americans fare better in maternity wards that are actually run by Native Americans, in which their traditional midwives, extended families, and particular birth customs are welcome. I sure wouldn't want to give birth in a hospital in some other culture run by people who I felt were hostile to me and wouldn't let my husband in the delivery room, you know?
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It *definitely* doesn't surprise me that Native Americans fare better in maternity wards that are actually run by Native Americans, in which their traditional midwives, extended families, and particular birth customs are welcome. I sure wouldn't want to give birth in a hospital in some other culture run by people who I felt were hostile to me and wouldn't let my husband in the delivery room, you know?
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