TIME is On Our Side

Check out the article in Time Magazine!
... and be sure to read the "story behind the story" at The Huffington Post

Does this effect women in WNY? Yes it does!

According to the New York State Department of Health, as well as a survey taken by ICAN volunteers says that women in Niagara and OrleansCounties show that three out of the four hospitals with maternity units do NOT offer VBAC as an option for their mothers. These three hospitals are Niagara Falls Memorial, Medina Memorial and Inter-Community Hospital in Newfane. One other hospital, Mount St. Mary's in Lewiston does claim to offer VBAC as an option, but only 3.4% of women who've had a previous c-section are having them there. These hospitals only handled a total of 1,000 births in 2007, but of that, but it means around 160 women may have been sectioned unnecessarily, subjecting them to unnecessary risk.

What about the women of Erie County? While there are no bans at Women and Children's hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban, Sisters or Mercy hospital, the rates of women who are having VBACs is on the decline from an overall percentage of 12% in 2006 to 9% in 2007. The most disturbing is Mercy, who is according to the DOH site has a 5.6% VBAC rate, but none of our hospitals are performing up to par.

Cesarean rates at all of these hospitals are high, though this year some have shown minor declines. Overall in Erie county, about 34% percent of women will have the surgery that Consumer Reports has listed as one of the top surgeries you're better off without, and this is up from 33.4% from 2006.

Is this because women are asking for cesareans? Or, could it be that women aren't being well-informed of their choices? Women don't want to talk about the risks because it is too "scary", but we need to start facing what the real possibilities are before making such important decisions.

Journey to Breech VBA2C

Here is one of our ICAN mama's journeys to having a breech VBAC after two cesareans:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

ICAN’s Response to ACOG AND AABC Statements on VBAC and Homebirth

Redondo Beach, CA, February 7, 2008: The International Cesarean Awareness Network (www.ican-online.org) would like to publicly condemn both the AABC (American Association of Birth Centers) and the ACOG (The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) for their statements* this week that limit not only women’s choices in birth but imply that birth is a fashion trend rather than a safety concern.

Since VBAC is the biological normal outcome of a pregnancy after cesarean, ICAN encourages women to get all of the facts about vaginal birth and elective repeat cesarean before making a choice. This decision should not include weighing the choices of your doctor’s malpractice payments but only be a concern of the mother, her baby and their health and safety.

Since some mothers will make the choice to give birth outside of the hospital, we encourage the AABC to not cave into ACOG’s demands that all women give birth in a hospital facility with a surgical specialist, but instead allow women to make their own choices about care providers, birth settings and risk factors. ICAN respects the intelligence of modern women and accepts that the amount of information available about VBAC and elective cesarean should serve as informed consent.



ICAN further encourages the governments of individual states to look closely at their cesarean rates (31.1% national cesarean rate as of 2006) and the informed consent laws that apply and help women to reach a standard of care that lowers the risks of major surgery and the risks of elective or coerced cesarean without medical indication. Women and children should not bear the brunt of malpractice risks being conveyed into physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health risks in order to protect their physicians.

Mission statement: ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are more than 94 ICAN Chapters across North America, which hold educational and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.
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* AABC statement: http://www.birthcenters.org/files/file.php?id=2&file=file&file_type=file_type

ACOG statement: http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-06-08-2.cfm

ICAN of Buffalo in Tonawanda News

A story about ICAN of Buffalo! Click here.

Most of my friends and family assume that, since I had a C-section when Cameran was born, I already have a repeat Cesarean scheduled for Little Wahler No. 2’s impending birth.

Sure, it seems convenient. Go in at 7 a.m., start the meds, have the operation, and be back in the mother-baby unit before “The Today Show” is over. I could pick the day even: Do I want a St. Patrick’s Day baby? A first-day-of-Spring baby? Don’t pick March 15 — you know, the whole “Ides of March” thing can’t bode well for babies born on that day.

Am I crazy for thinking that takes the fun out of the whole experience?

History of Midwives

The fear of copyright infringement precludes me from publishing this article in it's entirity. If you choose to follow just one link from this blog ever, this is a really good one to choose. Some highlights:

History of midwives
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/19/2008

In the 1930s, maternal mortality rates began to decline in hospitals in the U.S. thanks to the use of more sterile surgical conditions and techniques. Medical advances in antibiotics and blood transfusions accelerated declines. Around this time, medical doctors began campaigning against midwives in the media, courts and legislature. They cited poor outcomes, though some research suggests they were ridding their competition.

Technologically intensive childbirth, however, has become the norm. The rate of labor induction has doubled since 1990, which studies show increases the chances of having a Cesarean section. The C-section rate has jumped within the past 10 years to over 30 percent, the highest ever. The major abdominal surgery involves risk to the mother and also increases risk of complications in subsequent pregnancies.

A comprehensive survey of women’s childbearing experiences released last year shows most mothers experienced each of the following during labor and delivery — continuous electronic fetal monitoring, one or more vaginal exams, intravenous fluids, epidural or spinal analgesia and a catheter. Most had little understanding of the side effects of these interventions. The survey also showed that many received interventions, such as episiotomies, without their consent.

National health statistics show that while over 4 million women give birth a year, obstetric procedures number nearly 7 million.

Today, more than 7,000 nurse midwives practice in all 50 states and attend almost 10 percent of all births, mostly in hospitals.

But natural birth advocates decry the loss of non-nurse midwives. As a result, they say women have lost the knowledge and confidence in giving birth. Advocates are pushing for the legalization of non-nurse midwives with specific training in home births. These "direct-entry" midwives learn midwifery through apprenticeship or a midwifery school that is distinct from nursing.

C-Section Concerns in the Big Apple

Rise in C-Sections Is Stirring Worry
By E.B. SOLOMONT
New York Sun

"There is alarming concern throughout the country that there are too many cesarean sections," said Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, who in 2006 released a report based on 2005 data detailing individual hospitals' cesarean section rates. "It's additional cost and it's additional risk," Ms. Gotbaum said, adding, "I hate to impart motives on hospitals and doctors … I can just tell you the numbers speak for themselves."

The Business of Being Born

Ricki Lake talks about why she produced The Business of Being Born on the Today Show

Study Shows Increase In Pregnancy-Related Deaths, Are Cesarean Sections To Blame?

NBC in Augusta, GA reports:

Dr. Helfgott blames the increase [of cesareans] on a new breed of mothers, he's coined it the 'now generation.'

"They want what they want when they want it. They want to be able to plan their delivery. They want to have the baby on a day that's convenient for them," said Dr. Helfgott.

Is that 'now' mentality leading to more deaths? Figures released by the National Center for Health Statistics show an increase in pregnancy related deaths. There were 13 deaths per 100,000 in 2003 and 14 deaths per 100,000 in 2004.

But, is it ethical for doctors to allow elective "on demand" cesareans if there are no medical indications? Are doctors really informing their patients of the potential, lifethreatening risks?