Category Archives: Cesarean Birth

“Choosy Mothers Choose Cesareans”

Sometimes, briefly, you feel like you’re making progress, that midwifery outreach is making a difference, that people are becoming more educated and informed, and then you read an article like this one, over at Time Magazine, and you realize that you exist in a small bubble where your philosophy on birth is far different than [...]

Also posted in Complications, Hospitals, Research | 5 Comments

Unecessary Cesareans

So, not the most pleasant way to start out our new year, but our national Cesarean Section rate is somewhere around 29%, possibly even higher now, given that this data was from 2004, and we’re still awaiting the final tallies from 2005 at this point. To quote Marion Toepke McLean from her article Cesarean on [...]

Also posted in Issues, Labor and Birth, Litigation, Midwifery | 3 Comments

In the news: cesarean rate rises and VBAC rate declines

Well, huh, this isn’t really news, but better late than never: a very well balanced article from the New York Times examines many of the issues which contribute to the declining rate of VBACs in this country, including doctors’ rising fear of uterine rupture, hospitals’ difficultly in staffing the necessary number of qualified doctors to [...]

Also posted in Choice, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, VBAC | 1 Comment

C-sections: Not so benign after all, eh?

Two studies have recently come out which highlight the risks of cesarean birth for both mothers and babies, particularly primary cesareans with no medical indication. A recent study printed in Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care found that neonatal mortality rates were higher in babies born by cesarean, even after the statistics had been adjusted for [...]

Also posted in Complications, Research | 2 Comments

Coercive C-sections

This is a fantastic article from Parenting.com, which was brought to my attention in one of the natural birth online communities I frequent. I am posting it in its entirety here, so that everyone can read it, even if you’re not subscribed to Parenting (although it’s well worth subscribing to). Can you imagine being prosecuted [...]

Also posted in Labor and Birth, Litigation | 1 Comment

One hell of a night

Last night at work was the night of six minute bradycardias. Scary scary night.

Also posted in Complications, Hospitals, Labor and Birth | Leave a comment

Way to go, Britney

I’ll grant you a terse congratulations, but that’s it. Britney Spears had a healthy baby boy today, via primary cesarean section. To quote the Reuters article: “Spears…had been previously reported as saying she planned to have the baby by Caesarean section to avoid the pain of a natural birth.” In other words, too posh to [...]

Also posted in Labor and Birth | 2 Comments

Gotbaum report highlights “alarmingly high” C-section rates

Public Advocate and outraged citizen Betsy Gotbaum released a report on Wednesday (7.13.05) about the soaring Cesarean Section (CS) rate in New York City, which she called “alarmingly high”, noting that in some hospitals the number was nearly twice the rate recommended by the World Heath Organization and the CDC. She also noted that only [...]

Also posted in Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Politics | Leave a comment

VBACs only slightly less safe than repeat cesarean

Whenever news abour labor and birth hits the mainstream media, I sit up and take notice. The fold-out section on Women’s Health in this sunday’s New York Times certainly caught my attention, and while perusing it, I read the following tidbit in Eric Nagourney’s article about shifting health guidelines for women: Caesarean Birth There was [...]

Also posted in Labor and Birth, VBAC | Leave a comment

Surely we can do better than this

It’s summertime! The weather is warm, the t-shirts and skirts have been dragged out of the depths of my closet, and school is officially on hold for the next three months, which means I have a lot more time to play around on the internet, and go for walks, and eat ice cream, and most [...]

Also posted in Hospitals, Labor and Birth | Leave a comment