Andrew comments,
<<  Being
 born, however natural, is much more traumatic than having your nose
"snogged."
 IMHO
 Andrew MD >>

How do you know?

How do you know that natural birth is traumatic?  When was the last time you
saw a natural birth?  There are VERY FEW in hospitals, if any -- do you attend
home births?  That's about the only place you will see a natural birth any
more -- unless you attend births at out-of-hospital birthing centers (true
birthing centers, not the newest made-up, politically correct name for labor
and delivery.)

Birth was designed to be -- "snogging" the nose wasn't.  It's a MAN made
design which may be needed in some cases -- no one is denying the fact that
occasionally suctioning is needed, and there isn't a one of us that would
rather have a live & healthy orally defensive baby that a dead one.  Who may
be considered orally defensive.  But that does NOT justify suctioning babies
who don't need suctioning.  Besides with all the shoving the bulb syringes in
babies mouths & noses, how much gunk is usually gotten out?  Not much of
anything most of the time.  If the baby is gagging, but getting it up on his
own, how much better to leave him alone and watch him than cram a piece of
equipment down his throat.  If he can't get it up and is turning blue, it's
usually too far down for a bulb syringe anyway.  And sometimes it isn't
anything that a bulb is going to help, but a baby who has forgotten how to
take a breath.

Jan Barger -- who firmly believes that birth does not have to be traumatic for
a baby, but who thinks it definitely is in American hospitals because of the
man-made interventions which are primarily NOT NEEDED.