Risks
More evidence that less is more
Evidence continues to mount that increased use of interventions in childbirth, such as induction and cesarean, are not necessarily beneficial to mothers OR babies. In a study published this month in the Journal Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, researchers found no evidence that higher rates of cesarean benefit babies. According to the study’s author Dr. Christopher
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CAM Birth Story: Katharine's necessary cesarean
This birth story, in honor of Cesarean Awareness Month (CAM), comes from Katharine Evaul. Katharine says, “I was suggested to send this to you because while many c-sections are unneeded, sometimes they are. At the same time complications because it is major surgery arise.” To have your birth story posted on this blog, email it
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Birthrights Video
Have you seen Al Jazeera’s new documentary – “Birthrights” – about cesarean and VBAC in the United States? It features ICAN of Atlanta and others in our birthing community. Check it out!
No One Truly Benefits from Defensive Medicine
This is a cross-post from The Unnecesarean, which is in the midst of a fantastic series on defensive medicine. If you haven’t been reading the posts in this series, you can get caught up here. By Desirre Andrews, President of ICAN A woman’s pregnancy should be a positive time as she prepares for the birth
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Cesareans 17% more likely at for-profit hospitals
California Watch, a nonpartisan investigative reporting initiative, has released a study showing that for-profit hospitals in California are performing cesareans at higher rates than non-profits, even in low-risk pregnancies. A database compiled from state birthing records revealed that, all factors considered, women are at least 17 percent more likely to have a cesarean section at
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Scare tactics & women of size in childbirth
The New York Times recently published an article titled “Growing Obesity Increases Perils of Childbirth.” The article’s lead states: As Americans have grown fatter over the last generation, inviting more heart disease, diabetes and premature deaths, all that extra weight has also become a burden in the maternity ward, where babies take their first breath
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Dr. Friedman on "The peril of multiple c-sections"
Dr. Alex Friedman from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania published an article in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer detailing his own experience with the serious risks of multiple cesareans: The worst surgical case of my residency came when we delivered my patient’s baby by cesarean – her ninth cesarean birth. The baby came out fine,
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Best of the Birth Blogs – Memorial Day Edition
Your weekly one-stop for highlights from the birth blogosphere. Visit weekly for the latest on childbirth, especially related to cesarean prevention, recovery, and VBAC. To nominate a blog post to be featured here, email me at blog@ican-online.org. Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day weekend (in the U.S.)! Two great posts this week highlight
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Erin's Cesarean
Erin sent in this birth story to share. Would you like to have yours posted here? Send it to: blog@ican-online.org. If you are looking for more birth stories, click here. I had a perfect pregnancy. I had no heartburn, no hemorrhoids, no morning sickness, no back pain, nothing. I sailed through pregnancy with such ease