International Cesarean Awareness Network

C-section rates vary widely in Minnesota
Wahpeton Daily News
(AP) — A new report finds the rate of cesarean section deliveries for new mothers varies widely in Minnesota and depends on the health care provider. Statewide, the C-section rate for first-time mothers is about 26 ... Doctors might recommend a C ...

New OB Care Models Boost Birth Outcomes
MedPage Today
In a separate study, hospitals that provided 24-hour coverage through use of laborists or other means saw a similar reduction in cesarean delivery rates, with a more than twofold increase in attempted vaginal birth after a prior cesarean, said Yvonne ...

Benjamin Percy, GQ Writer, Wears Pregnancy Suit For 9 Weeks (VIDEO)
Huffington Post
Right now, it's the size of the head of a pin. <strong>What's happening to Mom: </strong>You probably won't feel anything, though some women do feel cramps and notice a heavier vaginal discharge. .... This hair may still be visible at birth, but will ...

ScienceBlog.com (blog)
Cesarean no safer than vaginal delivery for twins
ScienceBlog.com (blog)
Delivering twins by planned vaginal birth is just as safe as delivering them by planned cesarean section, according to the newly released findings of a multi-site trial led by University of Toronto researcher, Professor Jon Barrett from the Department ...

C-sections no safer for twin births
Futurity: Research News
(Credit: iStockphoto). U. TORONTO (CAN) — Having twin babies by planned vaginal birth is just as safe as having them by planned cesarean section, a new clinical trial shows. ... Mothers and infants were followed to 28 days after birth. As the number ...

and more »

Trying to make sense of a friend's birth story and epidurals. Can you help?
Mothering
I told DF that I didn't think my epidural worked, either, but... with that being my first vaginal birth, I have no frame of reference. That being ... (Side note: With DD, my first, I had a c-section. ... Could she still feel contractions the same ...

MedPage Today
Diet Plan Helps Obese Moms
MedPage Today
Obese women attending weekly weight management sessions gained 7 pounds less over the course of their pregnancy versus controls and actually dropped below their pre-pregnancy weight by 3 weeks after delivery, Kimberly Vesco, MD, MPH, of Kaiser ...

Dear Russell, this is why we don't always trust OBs
The League of Ordinary Gentlemen
This is reminiscent of The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada's recent policy change on breech birth. In 2000, the SOGC decided that breech birth was unduly risky and that a baby presenting breech demanded a c-section. The decision ...

uuworld.org
What is reproductive justice?
uuworld.org
After I hung up the phone, another counselor peeked over the cubicle divider and looked at me kind of strangely. “Did you just send that woman to a church to .... Maybe you have read one of many articles questioning the rate of Cesarean sections to ...

Germs May Hold the Key to Infant Health
Huffington Post Canada
In terms of mode of delivery, the results were not altogether surprising. There was a noticeable albeit small increase in microbial diversity in those born vaginally compared to elective caesarean sections. In both forms of delivery, the majority of ...

Hoping for a homebirth, blindsided by preeclampsia. Baby Z's birth story.
Mothering
My mother went post dates and had cesarean births with me and my sister; I always sensed she felt like it was a loss or a shortcoming and I didn't want that for my birth experience. I didn't want unnecessary medical interventions. ... After monitoring ...

No Benefit of Planned Cesarean for Twins
Medscape
Women who planned a cesarean delivery delivered earlier, and 89.9% delivered both babies that way. Of those who planned a vaginal delivery, 60.45% delivered at least twin A that way. After the vaginal birth of twin A, the birth of twin B was a cesarean ...

MinnPost.com
Doula support linked to lower C-section rate among Medicaid moms, U study finds
MinnPost.com
In the United States, a C-section costs, on average, about $10,000 more than a vaginal birth ($27,866 versus $18,329 in 2010). Among Medicaid births, the average costs are $9,100 for a vaginal birth and $13,600 for a C-section. A birth doula is ...

and more »

MedPage Today
Fetal Monitoring Often Tips Scales Toward Cesarean
MedPage Today
C-section carries risks for the mother and often keeps women from vaginal delivery on subsequent pregnancies. One million of the 3 million births that occur each year in the U.S. occur via cesarean delivery, she said. ... may be that potentially ...

Doctor's talk teaches reality of childbirth to West students
Mankato Free Press
After giving the kids the back story on Runge, Taylor prepared to perform the ultrasound. As the ultrasound gel splurted out of the tube, girls around the room jockeyed for position. Within seconds ... If Taylor's frank talk about pain and blood and ...

Linda Ackley, Michigan Woman, Gives Birth After Doctors Say 'Hernia' Is ...
Huffington Post
Linda Ackley, 44, gave birth by cesarean section on Feb. 8, ac... A Michigan woman got the surprise of her life after doctors told her what she thought was a hernia was, in fact, a 10-pound baby girl. Linda Ackley, 44, gave birth by cesarean section on ...

and more »

Record number of babies delivered at Lakewood Health
The Lake Country Echo
Lakewood had an 86 percent success rate when it came to Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) attempts. Lakewood is part of a safety initiative created by the Minnesota Hospital Association, the Minnesota Department of Health and the March of Dimes to ...

Emergency c section survey
Mothering
Did the doctor or nurse have to go in vaginally and push your baby's head back up the birth canal to facilitate easier removal of the baby during the surgery? If yes, was the whole hand used or just the fingers? 8. Since your baby was not able to fully ...

The Elective C-Section that Saved My Soul
Huffington Post
My life revolved around vaginal suppositories intended to keep me pregnant and rest for the first 13 weeks. My doctor, my husband and my mother all ... Friend after friend recounted labor and delivery horror stories. Emergency C-Sections, 36 hours of ...

Infant Gut Microbiota Influenced by Cesarean Section and Breastfeeding ...
Science Daily (press release)
... Long-Term Health. Feb. 11, 2013 — Method of birth (vaginal birth s. cesarean delivery) and feeding practices (breastfeeding v. formula-feeding) influence the development of gut bacteria in newborns and thus may affect lifelong health, according to ...

and more »