Giving birth in Serbia: 'You leave your dignity at the door'
A months-long DW investigation into childbirth in Serbia revealed a striking pattern in women's negative experiences, the widespread use of practices not universally recommended by the WHO and a system under pressure.
In Serbia, the act of giving birth is often accompanied by a loss of dignity, according to the experiences of numerous women. One woman, reflecting on her time at a maternity hospital in Novi Sad, compared the care she received to that of a cow. Another expressed regret over sharing her first photo with her baby, as it depicted her in poor health. Despite their varied experiences, these three women shared common themes: inhumane treatment and the use of outdated procedures.
Over the course of several months, Deutsche Welle (DW) interviewed over 20 women across various Serbian cities. Their testimonies revealed a disturbing pattern of mistreatment during childbirth. Upon admission to Serbian maternity wards, women are routinely subjected to the same sequence of procedures, including shaving, enemas, and administration of oxytocin. The World Health Organization (WHO) only recommends these practices when medically necessary or at the woman's request.
Stefani S., who gave birth in Novi Sad, recalled the intense and aggressive nature of her first oxytocin stimulation, which caused her to dilate quickly but prevented the onset of pushing contractions. Doctors applied the Kristeller maneuver, a manual technique to manually deliver the baby, which left her with bruises under her breasts and caused her to experience panic due to the doctor's insistence on pushing the baby in an unnatural manner.
Natasha S. from Ruma also endured oxytocin and later experienced a swollen head in her newborn following vacuum extraction, resulting in subsequent health concerns.
The pressure to expedite labor often led to another common intervention in Serbia: episiotomy. Although the WHO does not advocate for routine or liberal use of episiotomy for spontaneous vaginal births, nearly half of the women interviewed by DW who gave birth in Serbia underwent this surgical procedure. Episiotomy wounds can complicate recovery and newborn care, and many women reported receiving the procedure without consent or anesthesia.
Furthermore, women interviewed by DW reported being subjected to verbal abuse and humiliation during labor. They were called names such as "spoiled," "weak," "rude," and "disobedient" by medical staff. One woman recounted being threatened with physical punishment if she fainted. The interviews also highlighted the prevalence of the so-called "husband stitch," an alleged extra stitch used to restore the vagina's former size after childbirth, which many women experienced without explanation or consent.
These testimonies underscore the need for reform within Serbia's healthcare system. The 2022 Report on the Treatment of Women in Gynecological and Obstetric Institutions in Serbia identified verbal abuse as a common form of mistreatment during childbirth. Additionally, the strain on the healthcare system, with a significant number of births concentrated in a few major hospitals, contributes to the lack of personalized care that women receive.
Addressing these issues is crucial to ensuring dignified care for women during one of life's most significant experiences.
Written by urgent.news from Deutsche Welle Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
