The
New South Wales Health Maternal and Perinatal Committee issued a
directive against maternal-request cesareans in public hospitals,
stating "maternal request on its own is not an indication for elective
cesarean section."
In
2005, direct-entry midwives gained licensure in the state of Utah.
Included in the act was a provision requiring the Licensed
Direct-Entry Midwife Board to present an annual report to the
legislature. This first report, released at the end of
November, covers the eight-month period between January, 2006-August,
2006. Some highlights include:
an
overall 10.6% transfer rate, with 9 out of 10 transfers having positive
outcomes.
a c-section rate of 2.1%. By
comparison, the national average is 30.2%.
The International Museum of Women announces the launch of the Motherhood Exhibit and
Project, running from March 8 through the end of June at http://imaginingourselves.imow.org.
This online interactive exhibit includes film, photography, literature and art.
Explore the whole online International Museum of Women if you have
time --
there is a lot about childbirth from around the world.
This
exhibit in Washington D.C. describes the contributions of midwives such as Mary Francis
Hill Coley, a Georgia midwife who is featured in an award-winning
documentary 'All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story,' and Maude Callen, a
certified nurse-midwife whose life's work in rural South Carolina is
documented in a 1951 Life magazine photo essay.
Gestational age at ultrasound detection of placenta previa may
be used to predict likelihood of previa persistence. After
midpregnancy, risk of persistence appears to be higher than previously
reported. Type of placentation and prior cesarean delivery are
important factors that modify the risk that previa will complicate
delivery.
In this study published late last year, researchers looked in to the
outcomes of women with both a cesarean and a prior vaginal delivery
choosing VBAC or Elective Repeat Cesarean in subsequent pregnancies.
Results pointed clearly to "decreased risk [in women choosing
VBAC] for overall major maternal morbidities, as well as maternal fever
and transfusion requirement compared with women who elect repeat
cesarean delivery" The study went on to recommend that
"physicians should make this more favorable benefit-risk ratio explicit
when counseling this patient subpopulation on a trial of labor."
ICAN Advocacy Committee
Are you fed up with the state of birth in America?
Do you find yourself fantasizing about "doing something" about it?
Have I got a proposition for YOU!
I am the new Advocacy Director for ICAN. I am recruiting people to be
on my committee -- to discuss, refine and make recommendations to the
Board and then follow through on those recommendations. Many hands
make for light work so the more people who are willing to do a little
bit, there less we each have to do and the more we get done.
If you are interested, please advocacyican-online.org">email me to let me know and I'll send
you an invite to the list.
And, just to spread the interest around, Advocacy will be working
quite closely with Development and PR -- so if either of those areas
are a bit more in your interest, please contact those directors -- prican-online.org">PR or developmentican-online.org">Development .
September 27 to 30, 2007
Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
Barbara Harper, Waterbirth International, is putting together an
international conference that is sure to inspire and educate (go to the
link above for full information and list of speakers). Mark your
calendars now! Early bird discount registration lasts until May. I hope to
see you there. Gloria Lemay, Vancouver
When you are searching online, go to www.goodsearch.com
and type in "International Cesarean Awareness Network" as the
organization to support. ICAN's main address is Redondo Beach, which
should pop up automatically (typing "ICAN" won't get it to come up).
Each search gives .01 to ICAN. Doesn't sound like much, but the pennies
add up!
ICAN's mission is to improve
maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through
education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). This newsletter is for
informational purposes only and does not replace the advice of a
qualified birth professional.
ican-online.org