Volume 8, Issue 1~*~ 24 October 2008

webmaster — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:46:32 -0500

24 October 2008

ICAN eNews

Volume 08, Issue 1

In This Issue:
News
Research
From the Women of ICAN
Get Active!

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Volume40 ~*~ 30 June 2007

MagickMama — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:32:28 -0500

ICAN<br /> eNews

Volume 40 ~*~ 30 June 2007

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homepage

Midwifery
Maneuver Costs Senator's Chairmanship

Missouri
Senator John Loudon facilitated the legalization of homebirth midwifery
in the recent legislative session in Missouri, but not without
professional costs. In what has been described as a "sneaky"
move by opponents, and applauded as a resounding commitment to
constituents by others, Senator Loudon appended text to a healthcare
bill that effectively recognized the CPM designation for midwives.
After the bill passed and was signed into law by the
governor, Senator Loudon was stripped of his committee chairmanship.
He remains committed to the cause and is not regretful:
"There's not much I wouldn't do to make sure people get this
critical freedom," he said.

Positive
Press for Homebirth Choice

Recently, the Galveston
County (Texas) Daily News highlighted the option of homebirth available
to women in Texas. This article positively portrayed a couple
choosing homebirth for their second pregnancy. The article
also included evidenced-based information from the most recent British
Medical Journal homebirth study and statements such as the one from the
Texas Department of Health, stating "birth with midwives in Texas has
always been a statistically safer option than birth with either a
medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy."

read more »

Volume 40 ~*~ 31 July 2007

MagickMama — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:31:33 -0500

ICAN<br /> eNews

Volume 40 ~*~ 31 July 2007

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homepage

Sarah Buckley: Mothers not just too posh to push

"It is easy to blame women for our high caesarean rates, and the "too posh to push" label is unhelpful. What we need is a cultural respect for the ability of women's bodies in birth, and an understanding of the consequences of surgical birth. Ninety-three per cent of us would also like some decent choices that will enhance our chances of normal birth, such as care from the normal-birth experts: midwives.
Health officials investigating childbirth deaths in Woodbury

State health officials are looking into the deaths of two-first time mothers who gave birth by cesarean section at Underwood-Memorial Hospital.
After C-section, some mothers dare defy trend

Roberts, 32, is pregnant again and desperately wants to avoid a surgical delivery for her second child. But her desire to give birth vaginally this time pushes against a trend in New Jersey. Over the past decade, the number of women having a vaginal birth after a cesarean -- a VBAC -- has plummeted, a Star-Ledger analysis of state health data found. Some doctors refuse to perform VBACs. A handful of hospitals refuse, too.
C is for caution: C-sections on the rise

No one can explain why the United States keeps shattering its own cesarean records. Many experts say there is no "ideal" cesarean rate, but there is also no evidence that a vast, growing segment of the female population wants or needs major abdominal surgery to give birth. And while a dramatic decline in maternal deaths coincided with higher rates of cesarean, that trend ended 20 years ago. Today, ill effects such as life-threatening placental problems are being linked to C-sections.

The Official Plan
to Eliminate the Midwife: 1900 -- 1930

The following historical account comes primarily from documents published in professional journals between 1900 and 1930. The majority of the material was published in the "Transactions for the Study and Prevention of Infant Mortality" 1910 -- 1915. This archival material records the historical blueprint of an official campaign to do away with the independent practice of midwives. Also faithfully recorded in these journals was the efficacy of care by midwives of the era, the history of the school for midwives in New York City and its excellent statistics, and the increase in maternal and infant mortality that occurred as midwives were progressively eliminated from practice. These documents, written at a time when women did not have the right to vote, were intended for "professional eyes only".

Vaginal delivery in the grand multipara following previous lower segment cesarian section

Vaginal birth after cesarian section can be achieved in some grand multiparas with a previous scar in the uterus. There is an increased risk of serious complications. The labor should be very closely supervised and early intervention arranged if there is not smooth rapid progress. read more »

Volume 41 ~*~ 15 August 2007

MagickMama — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:30:32 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume
41 ~*~ 15 August 2007

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homepage

Misourri
Midwives: One Step Forward, One Step Back

Licensure
for Missouri Midwives appears to have suffered a blow recently.
A hard-won provision in a bill allowing for CPM licensure was
found to be unconstitutional in the state's court system.
This tale, which includes the story of a politician risking
his career for what he believes is right and a equally vocal
opposition, is clearly not over.
Sarah
Buckley's Article Elicits a Loud Response

Sarah
Buckley's article,
Mothers Not Just Too Posh to Push, featured in the last eNews edition
elicited quite a response. Published online, these letters --
from both sides of the opinion fence -- go a long way toward raising
awareness in the general public of this important issue.
Charges
Against California Midwife Dropped

Arrested at
gun-point, while at work, and in front of her patients, California
Nurse Midwife Marcia McCulley is one of the few remaining health care
providers in Southern California to support women seeking VBAC.
Her arrest appeared to be the product of a "witch hunt"
initiated by a physician. In May, the charges were dropped,
including a statement of surprise by the Assistant DA that the
accusations had gone so far and had been handled so poorly.

World
Health Organization Reproductive Health Indicators Database On-Line

Providing
world-wide, regional and country data, this on-line database is an
excellent resource for up-to-date information regarding, among other
statistics, perinatal mortality, low birthweight, and maternal
mortality.

Postterm
Delivery Predicts Subsequent Late Birth

"Women with a history of post-term birth have a nearly two
fold risk of a subsequent post-term birth, suggesting that genetic or
other common factors may influence the likelihood of abnormal
parturition timing." Abnormal?
Or just another setting on the clock that times the duration
of gestation? Interesting reading, either way. read more »

Volume 41 ~*~ 31 August 2007

MagickMama — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:29:11 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume
41 ~*~ 31 August 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
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homepage

The folly of 1 percent policy

By focusing maximum resources on preventing an extremely rare but potentially disastrous outcome over necessary preventive care, this model has shaped healthcare decision-making in areas ranging from hysterectomies to coronary bypasses. One shift -- the rapidly rising caesarean rate -- exemplifies this problem.
Five ways to avoid a C-section

When Barbara Stratton of Baltimore, Maryland, looks back at the birth of her son, Charlie, now 7, she's angry -- angry she had a surgery she believes she didn't need.
Inducing labor for convenience gets a second look

"There is renewed interest in these seemingly benign medical
interventions," says Dr. William Grobman, an assistant professor of
maternal-fetal medicine at Northwestern University. "But the topic is
somewhat hazy. We don't have all the information we'd like to have about
risks and benefits."

100-g Glucose Test Finds More Gestational Diabetes

The 100-g test also diagnosed significantly more cases of gestational diabetes. The rate of identified cases was 24% using the 100-g test, and 14% with the 75-g test, a 42% lower rate of diagnosis with the 75-g test. The women who were randomized into the two testing groups were closely matched in their demographic and clinical features, suggesting that the difference in diagnosis rates was primarily the result of a difference in the diagnostic sensitivity between the two tests.

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Section (VBAC) Bibliography 2005-2009

This bibliography has been made publicly accessible in order to faciltate research by medical professionals. No claim is made for accuracy of the contents, nor is any guarantee made to update it over time, although we have updated it quarterly since 1996. Use at your own discretion. read more »

Volume 43 ~*~ September 15 2007

MagickMama — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:27:58 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume
43 ~*~ 15 September 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Albany, NY Woman Dies from Complications from Cesarean

An
infant and a toddler are without a mother, and a father is without his
wife in the wake of Diane Rizk McCabe's death from complications from
her Cesarean.
Rising Maternal Death Rate: Rise in C-Sections Can't be Ignored

The
CDC recently released statistics showing that in 2004, the maternal
death rate increased for the first time since 1977. Though the reasons
for this increase are many, the rise in the Cesarean rate simply can't
be ignored.
The New Normal?

In this provocative piece, the author looks at what "normal" birth means these days.

Friedman's Curve Gets a Second (and Third) Look

In
the "no-news-to-us" category, these study conclude that "active labor
in healthy women last[s] longer than is widely appreciated" and that
"labor should be allowed to progress past the ... limit[s] artifically
imposed on women in some birth settings."

VBAC Decision-Making: An Evidence Based Approach

This article advocates for an evidence-based approach to the
"complex counseling, decision-making and management issues when
considering VBAC delivery." read more »

Volume 43 ~*~ 30 September 2007

MagickMama — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:25:19 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume
43 ~*~ 30 September 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

The Obstetric-Industrial Complex

If you go to a hospital in the United States to deliver your child, you will probably do so flat on your back -- thought by many to be the worst possible position in which to give birth short of being hung by the feet. You have a one-in-three chance of having major abdominal surgery. If you don't, you've got another one-in-three chance of having your vagina slashed with a knife. And you will have a better chance of dying, or having your baby die, than do women in almost any other industrialized country.
The C-section epidemic

More women are dying in childbirth thanks to the high numbers of doctors and mothers who opt out of normal delivery, writes Jennifer Block.
Parents of teen 'surgeon' charged

Police in southern India said Tuesday they had charged a husband and wife doctor team with attempted murder for encouraging their schoolboy son to a carry out a Cesarean section.
Federal Public Prosecutor supports Parto do Princípio and sponsors hearing on c-section abuse

In July 2006, Parto do Princípio denounced the abuse of c-sections in the private health sector in Brazil to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office in São Paulo through a 35 page long dossier citing more than 30 scientific studies. The document, amongst others, describes: the medical lobby; the National Health Agency’s inefficiency in inspecting and regulating the private health sector; the means by which women are lured to accept unnecessary c-sections; the disrespect to the majority of Brazilian women who want to give birth normally (80%) and don’t succeed; the interventionist education medical students receive; and the doctors´ lack of ethic by defending planned c-sections.

Prolapsed Cord

Excellent summary site of risks and research about cord prolapse.

Single vs. Double-Layer Suturing; A Collection

Dana of ICAN of Somerset assembled this exhaustive list of research on the single vs. double debate. Be sure to read part 1 and part 2 as well as the bottom line. read more »

Volume 34~15 December '06

doulaguide — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:42:57 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume 34 ~*~ 17 December 2006

The Mommy Uprising

From ICAN of Massachusetts comes an article in Boston Magazine about homebirth. It features some of our very own ICANers and It's directed at a mainstream readership. The piece uses many good quotes and statistics that might make some women think, especially ones who wouldn't normally consider homebirth. read more »

Volume 35~15 January '07

doulaguide — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:41:21 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume 35 ~*~ 15 January 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
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Induced Labor a Growing Trend

Nurses and tax advisors will tell you that birthing a child before year's end to get a tax break was once a running joke to lighten the mood with expectant clients near the holidays. But now, it's no joke. read more »

Volume 35~31 January '07

doulaguide — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:38:36 -0500

ICAN eNews

Volume 35 ~*~ 31 January 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN homepage

Giving Birth: Part I

Back when doctors made house calls – before hospitals and Emergency Rooms and Birthing Centers and Neonatal Intensive Care Units – women gave birth at home, usually assisted by their mothers, female family members, neighbors or friends. read more »

ICAN eNews Archives

Volume 8, Issue 1~*~ 24 October 2008

Volume40 ~*~ 30 June 2007

Volume 40 ~*~ 30 June 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Volume 40 ~*~ 31 July 2007

Volume 40 ~*~ 31 July 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Volume 41 ~*~ 15 August 2007

Volume 41 ~*~ 15 August 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Volume 41 ~*~ 31 August 2007

Volume 41 ~*~ 31 August 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Volume 43 ~*~ September 15 2007

Volume 43 ~*~ 15 September 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Friedman's Curve Gets a Second (and Third) Look

Volume 43 ~*~ 30 September 2007

Volume 43 ~*~ 30 September 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Volume 34~15 December '06

Volume 34 ~*~ 17 December 2006

Volume 35~15 January '07

Volume 35 ~*~ 15 January 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Volume 35~31 January '07

Volume 35 ~*~ 31 January 2007

Read this issue in the Archives Check out the ICAN homepage

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Volume
41 ~*~ 15 August 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Volume
41 ~*~ 31 August 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Volume
43 ~*~ 15 September 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Volume
43 ~*~ 30 September 2007

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN
homepage

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN homepage

Read this issue in the Archives
Check out the ICAN homepage