Chandler, Arizona
Shopping Cart
Your Cart is Empty
Quantity:
Subtotal
Taxes
Shipping
Total
There was an error with PayPalClick here to try again

Sweet Pea ​Births
Sweet Pea ​Births
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
...celebrating every swee​t pea their birth
Blog
Let's talk about Cesareans
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 8:33 AM |
Here is a brief introduction: In this country, the cesarean rate in 2009 was 32.9%. It means that over 1.4 million women and
families welcomed their children into the world via a surgical procedure. It marked the 13 consecutive
year of a rise in cesarean rates in the United States. For a look at cesarean rates by the numbers,
click here. The good news is that for the first time in 14 years, the
preliminary data in the statistical year 2010
shows that the cesarean rate went down by 0.1% (from 32.9% to 32.8% - still means
over 1.3 million cesareans). It doesn’t
sound like very much, yet by the numbers, that means approximately 405,700
more women had vaginal births instead of a surgical procedure to birth their babies. There are lots of different factors that
contributed to the decline; my Pollyanna is hopeful that all the good work of
ICAN, and other educators, is providing information to help mothers avoid what
is termed the “unnecesarean”. For those
moms in whom a true emergency situation warrants a cesarean birth, I continue
to be grateful for the medical knowledge that allows for a Healthy Mom, Healthy
Baby outcome. The World Health Organization recommends that the cesarean
rate should be around 15% (See Reference 1 below). This is what it estimates to be the more
accurate percentage of instances when performing an operation instead of
allowing for a vaginal birth saves a mother and/or child’s life. So are all the cesareans performed in the United States life
saving? Here is a look at how we rank
internationally: the "World Health Statistics 2010 identified 33 countries with
lower maternity mortality ratios than the United States, while 37 countries had
lower neonatal mortality rates, 40 had lower infant mortality rates...” (2) So working strictly off the numbers, our predominantly
medically managed and intervention based hospital model (which includes a high
incidence of cesareans) does not equate to a better outcome for mothers and
babies. It is quite shocking to realize
that some third-world countries have much better outcomes with their approach
to labor and birth in comparison to ours. Dr. Berman, who sits on the board of the American Academy of
Husband-Coached Childbirth®, taught me a healthy respect for what a cesarean
really is as opposed to how it is perceived in today’s society. We had the privilege of hearing him speak at
our Bradley Method® training in Anaheim.
According to him, if you were to sustain the injuries and the trauma
associated with a cesarean surgery outside of the operating room, you would
have a fatal injury that very few people could survive. Cesareans are a surgical procedure and carry
all the risks associated with surgery (see link list below). Causes and Precautions: Here
are six leading causes of cesareans identified by The Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®,
How do you prepare yourself and avoid facing these in your
labor? Inability to relax: attend a childbirth preparation class,
like The Bradley Method® series, that teaches you about the process of labor so
that you are educated. Knowledge eases
fear and has the potential to break the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle that stops
relaxation. The Bradley Method® also prepares
couples with twelve different relaxation techniques – if a couple attends
classes and does their homework, they will have several tools to use until they
find the one that best relaxes the mother and allows her body to work with her
labor. CPD: True CPD is a
real medical complication. It is usually
found when a woman has experienced severe malnutrition. However, it cannot be accurately diagnosed
until a mother has had a trial of labor, which has a very ambiguous definition
(3). Know how long your care provider
will let you labor before coming to this conclusion. In addition, we need to remember and trust that our pelvis
is a comprised of moving parts, and that there are hormones made by our bodies
that relax the tendons so that those parts can stretch and mold with our
babies, and then return back to the proper alignment and shape after we give
birth. We also need to remember that
labor works best with gravity. If a
mother has been lying on her back and fighting gravity, she will be more tired
and her body will be less likely to function as it was designed to do. If you hear this term in relation to your labor, ask for the
time (as long as mom and baby are not at risk) to try different positions and
see what your body is capable of.
Chances are good of a vaginal birth if you get a mother off of her back
and into positions that open the pelvis and work with gravity, i.e. walking,
upright and squatting positions. With
these, her pelvis will be more likely to open and expand to welcome her child
vaginally. I recently learned that a possible indicator for CPD might
also be a swollen cervix. You can read a
conversation between midwives here . I
thank my lucky stars that I am not a medical professional when I read their
dialogue. I am always open to sharing
information – so please take the time to read this so you can consider possible
options you want to ask for if you face CPD in your labor. FTP: This is a clear instance where knowing what your care
provider and birthplace consider “normal” is of utmost importance. If one or both of them expect all moms to
deliver by a certain timeline, find another care provider or birthplace. All bodies are unique and all babies are
unique. Each labor will be exactly as
long as it needs to be – and if you are expected to fit into a particular
timeframe or else face the knife, trust your instinct that is telling you that
this is an unrealistic expectation. Fetal Distress: This
is another situation that could be a real medical complication. Fetal monitors were designed to be used
intermittently, and specifically in instances when distress was suspected. Instead, monitors are used as a continuous
procedure unless you make a specific request in your birth plan to have it
otherwise. The word “labor” applies to both the mother and the baby –
and as we all know, hard work causes stress.
Most babies will handle the stress of labor beautifully when the mom has
stayed low-risk and eaten a well-balanced diet throughout her pregnancy. It is
important to read and educate yourself on what true fetal distress is and what
the causes are so you can make an informed decision if you start to hear that
term during your labor. If fetal distress is indicated solely due to the tape the
machine is spitting out, the first thing to do is ask if you have time. If the clear and urgent answer is no, then
you decide what you want to do for a Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby outcome. If there is time, then you can ask for a
second opinion, and/or ask for them to listen to the baby by other means, such
as a fetoscope or a Doppler. The
monitors can give false readings by the simple fact that they are just a
machine interpreting the signs from the baby instead of a trained set of hands
and a human ear that feels and listens to the baby. Prolonged Labor: This is a situation when knowing what your
care provider or birthplace considers “prolonged”, and also when having a
supportive coach and a support team makes a huge difference. The mother and coaches attitude about having
a prolonged labor will affect how a choice for or against a cesarean. The questions to consider here are: Is the mother
okay? Is the baby okay? Do we believe that our labor is what our baby needs? Are we willing to give baby the time he or
she needs to be born? What else could we do/try before we agree to a cesarean? Every couple will make their own choice under these
circumstances. Their list of things to
do or try before they accept a cesarean will depend on their training and the
experience of coach or any assistant coaches the couple has with them. If the mom and baby are not in distress after
a prolonged labor, there is no right or wrong answer in this case – it is
entirely up to the parents to decide which path they want to choose. If either the mom or baby is showing signs of
distress, the path forward is clearer when you are central goals are a Healthy
Mom, Healthy Baby outcome. Pain: I would be lying to you if I told you that childbirth
is painless. However, the pain is
bearable and welcomed when you focus on the result of the work you are doing
and when you are surrounded by the love and care of your coach and any
assistant coaches. There are times when
the pain changes, and an excruciating pain that doesn’t break and/or that is
accompanied by bright red blood and/or large blood clots is a true
complication. It could be a life-threatening complication like placental
abruption or a uterine rupture. These
clearly indicate a cesarean to attempt to save the life of the mother and the
child. If the pain increases in intensity, but it continues to ebb
and flow with the strength of the contractions, then the team needs to evaluate
if maybe the baby is malpositioned and needs to be encouraged to move
again. The other cause of intense yet
manageable pain could indicate an emotional component of labor that the mom
needs to address before labor can resume its normal course. The bottom line is that you, as a consumer of medical
services, need to educate yourself, ask questions of your care provider, and
advocate for the choices you want. If
your requests are reasonable, chances are high that you will be able to find a
care provider who supports your choices and only uses cesarean surgery in the
emergency situations for which it was intended. ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ICAN: ICAN of Phoenix will be
offering a Cesarean Prevention Class on Saturday May 19th from 2-4pm. Location
is TBA but will be in the East Valley this time. Cost will be $25 per couple,
your other half is strongly encouraged to attend (your doula may attend too, no
cost for bringing her). There will be a sign up form on the website as soon as
the location is set, but you may rsvp if you already know you will attend. If
you need more details please email Stephanie Stanley at
[email protected] Link List Things you can do to avoid an unnecessary cesarean: Risks associated with cesarean: More information on cesareans and related topics: ICAN Facebook page: ICAN Phoenix Facebook page References (1) World
Health Organization. Appropriate technology for birth. Lancet 1985; 2: 436-7. (2) http://transform.childbirthconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/factsandfiguresapril2011.pdf I
used the provisional 2010 number and multiplied it by 0.01% For the number
geeks: Number of births in the US Preliminary Data (11/17/11) 2010 was 4,000,279 Feb 2012 update: 4,057,000 for the 12-month period ending
June 2010 4,057,000 - 32.8% = 1,330,696 cesareans Final 2009 Data (11/03/11): Number of births:
4,130,665 4,130,665 – 32.9% = 1,358,989 cesareans Comparing 2010 to 2009 2010 Birth rate: 2% lower 2010 Cesarean rate: 0.1% lower Disclaimer: The
material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. Bradley Method® natural childbirth classes offered in
Arizona: Chandler, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale |
Categories: Birth plans, Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion, Cesarean Birth, Cesarean Surgery, CPD, Failure to Progress, Fetal Distress, FTP, Information Center, Pain, Prolonged Labor, The Bradley Method®
Post a Comment
Oops!
The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.
0 Comments
Loading...
Categories
- Why we chose the Bradley Method� childbirth classes (14)
- Birth center (34)
- Birth Centers Phoenix AZ area (8)
- Birth place options (36)
- Bradley Method� outcome (44)
- Managing or coping with natural labor (33)
- natural labor coping mechanisms (35)
- Natural labor coping techniques (35)
- Pain management (23)
- Pain management natural labor (18)
- The Bradley Method� pain management (19)
- First stage labor (29)
- Birth plans (72)
- The Bradley Method® (68)
- Birth Story (33)
- Bradley Method® birth story (16)
- Birth Circle (9)
- Midwife (36)
- Midwifery Care (32)
- Cesarean Birth (35)
- Cesarean Surgery (27)
- Doulas (50)
- Second Stage Labor (21)
- Acupuncture (5)
- Parenting (63)
- Use of vacuum extraction (1)
- Breastfeeding (232)
- Chiropractic Care (10)
- Webster Protocol (3)
- Breastfeeding support (154)
- Information Center (101)
- The Bradley Method® classes (57)
- Placenta Encapsulation (11)
- Postpartum Depression (31)
- Breech presentation (8)
- Breech turning techniques (6)
- ECV (6)
- External Cephalic Version (6)
- Infections and Pregnancy (7)
- Bradley� Coaches (47)
- Coach's Corner (14)
- Coaches (47)
- Coaching (39)
- Exercise (18)
- Modern Mommy Boutique (10)
- Nursing and Maternity Bras (4)
- Transition (11)
- Postpartum Plan (29)
- Grief Counseling and Support Services (3)
- Miscarriage or Stillbirth (8)
- Pregnancy Loss (4)
- Variations and Complications (17)
- Going to your birthplace (9)
- Homebirth (58)
- Hospital Birth (57)
- Informed Consent (29)
- Patient Bill of Rights (2)
- Dehydration and Pregnancy (5)
- Fluid Retention (3)
- Heat Comfort Measures (7)
- Hyperthermia and Pregnancy (2)
- Pre-term Labor (4)
- Swelling in Pregnancy (2)
- Full term (9)
- Past due date (6)
- Postdate (7)
- Postmature baby (2)
- Crying (8)
- Newborn Care (23)
- Fussy baby (11)
- Support Groups (17)
- Pregnancy (69)
- Avoiding harmful substances (32)
- Toxins, pesticides, chemicals and pregnancy (18)
- Starting Solids (14)
- Drinking during labor (11)
- Eating during labor (12)
- NPO (2)
- Nutrition (37)
- Due Date (9)
- Planning for Baby (34)
- Child Spacing (3)
- Sibling Preparation for Newborn Arrival (9)
- Breastfeeding 101 (24)
- Debbie Gillespie, IBCLC, RLC (8)
- Circumcision (2)
- Lactivist (3)
- In Their Own Words (36)
- NIP (25)
- Nursing In Public (28)
- Childcare (17)
- Infant Classes (5)
- Photographer (5)
- Epidural (15)
- Depression (12)
- Allergies (3)
- Dairy Allergy (2)
- Breast Pumps (19)
- Postpartum Doula (11)
- Jaundice (2)
- Newborn jaundice (1)
- RSV (4)
- Postpartum (55)
- Labor Marathon (20)
- Labor Sprint (17)
- Belly Cast (2)
- Maternity Keepsake (1)
- Natural birth (34)
- Obstetrical Care (16)
- Engorgement (2)
- Uterine Rupture (3)
- Berman's Law (1)
- Back Labor (3)
- Healing (8)
- Hearing Screen (1)
- Perineum (4)
- Herbalist (2)
- Tandem Nursing (5)
- Breastfeeding Challenges (91)
- Tongue Tie (2)
- Tongue Tie Procedure (2)
- Bradley Day Family Picnic (5)
- Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion (3)
- CPD (3)
- Failure to Progress (10)
- Fetal Distress (2)
- FTP (5)
- Pain (4)
- Prolonged Labor (3)
- Baby games (4)
- Playing with baby (5)
- Sensory games (2)
- Cesarean Support Group (16)
- Baby blues (8)
- NAP (5)
- Natural Alignment Plateau (6)
- Baby-led weaning (2)
- BLW (2)
- Comfort Measures (15)
- Flower Essences (4)
- Relaxation practice (4)
- First Foods for baby (2)
- Babywearing (21)
- Nursing (31)
- Sling (2)
- Soft-structured carrier (1)
- Wrap (2)
- Weaning (2)
- Co Sleeping (6)
- Family Bed (6)
- Relaxation (6)
- Meet the Doula (24)
- Bradley Method® (37)
- Bradley Method® for next baby (4)
- Bradley Method® for second pregnancy (5)
- Bradley™ classes and the next baby (4)
- Bradley™ classes for next pregnancy (3)
- Bradley™ classes for second pregnancy (3)
- Next baby (5)
- Next pregnancy (7)
- Repeat Bradley™ classes (1)
- Bedtime Routine (5)
- Children's Books (3)
- Breast Pumps and Workplace (10)
- Breastfeeding in Public (37)
- Communication (8)
- Labor Support (25)
- Amniotomy (5)
- AROM (6)
- Artifical Rupture of Membranes (5)
- Bag of Waters (5)
- Premature Ruptture of Membranes (4)
- PROM (4)
- ROM (4)
- Rupture of Membranes (4)
- La Leche League (8)
- Nursing Strike (2)
- Galactogogues (1)
- Increase Breastmilk (2)
- Milk Supply (2)
- CIO (4)
- Cry It Out (4)
- Teething (1)
- Hyperemesis Gravidarum (1)
- Morning Sickness (3)
- Nausea (2)
- Eclampsia (1)
- Healthy, Low-Risk (16)
- Pre-eclampsia (5)
- Rights for Homebirth (6)
- Traditions (2)
- Midwifery Scope of Practice Committee (5)
- Scavenger Hunt (1)
- Sweet Pea Births (5)
- Cassandra Okamoto (6)
- Mommy-Con (9)
- Phoenix Mommy-Con Mini (2)
- Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (18)
- Vaginal Birth After Multiple Cesareans (10)
- VBAC (21)
- Monitrice (1)
- Baby Concierge (4)
- First Birthday (1)
- Oxytocin (2)
- Warning Labels (3)
- Inside Look (19)
- Induction (12)
- Induction of Labor (8)
- Labor Induction (11)
- Episiotomy (3)
- Info Sheet (22)
- Information Sheet (22)
- Augmentation (4)
- Labor Augmentation (9)
- Cord Clamping (2)
- Delayed Cord Clamping (2)
- Immediate Cord Clamping (2)
- Birth Mantra (19)
- Rally to Improve Birth (4)
- Eye Drops (1)
- Eye Ointment (1)
- Eye Prophylaxis (1)
- Neonatal Eye Drops (1)
- Neonatal Eye Ointment (1)
- Neonatal Eye Prophylaxis (1)
- Wordless Wednesday (37)
- Big Latch On (1)
- Blog Carnival (3)
- IBCLC (11)
- Lactation Consult (3)
- Lactation Consultation (3)
- WBW2013 (1)
- World Breastfeeding Week (51)
- Thoughtful Thursday (3)
- Family Fun (18)
- Weekend Activities (1)
- Upcoming Events (81)
- Breastfeeding Awareness Month (76)
- Sleep Sharing (1)
- Newborn (12)
- Newborn Procedures (3)
- Preemies (4)
- Twins (1)
- Vitamin K (1)
- Vaccines (3)
- Fertility (10)
- Premature Baby (4)
- Babymoon (4)
- Green Nursery (4)
- Gowning (1)
- Affirmation (20)
- Birth News (5)
- First Trimester (1)
- Membranes (3)
- Stripping Membranes (2)
- Sweeping Membranes (2)
- Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle (2)
- Third Trimester (2)
- Baby (26)
- Infant Care (9)
- Contest (1)
- Family Fest (9)
- Giveaway (1)
- Birth (33)
- Nursery (3)
- Bradley® Dads (3)
- Mantra (8)
- Waterbirth (3)
- Essential Oils (1)
- Gestational Diabetes (1)
- Q&A with SPB (23)
- NICU (3)
- Placenta (4)
- Birth Story Listening (1)
- Meditation (3)
- Birthing From Within (3)
- Ask the Doula (1)
- Monday Mantra (4)
/
Oops!
Oops, you forgot something.