The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) welcomes the significant rise in the number of women in the UK giving birth at home, according to official new data provided by the Office of National Statistics, The General Register Office for Scotland and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and analyzed by BirthChoiceUK (available at www.BirthChoiceUK.com). Across the UK in 2006, 18,953 of all births (741,952) took place at home, compared with 17,277 in 2005. This is an encouraging rise of 9.7% overall, but still only represents 2.5% of all UK births.
Wilson, 35, a graphic designer, and her husband had been looking forward to the birth of their first child after years spent traveling the world and building their careers. Instead she spent three agonizing hours at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital last year "screaming the place down" after the birth went wrong, and has deep-seated anxiety about having another child, and her ability to cope. Labour is stressful, and women often find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings facing an unpredictable situation - but can a noisy, frightening environment affect the outcome, and is it to blame for the rising caesarean rate?
The consequences of routine elective cesarean delivery for a second birth are significant, with an additional 117,748 cesarean deliveries, 5500 maternal morbid events, and $179 million incurred during the reproductive life of 100,000 women. The prevention of one major adverse neonatal outcome requires 1591 cesarean deliveries and $2.4 million. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the analysis.
Inductions of labor have increased substantially — 25% between 1989 and 2002. With increased inductions of labor, cesarean rates, longer hospital stays, iatrogenic prematurity, and associated neonatal outcomes such as cord prolapse, sepsis, and neonatal pulmonary insufficiency have followed. This paper evaluates the effects of age, gestational age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity on the likelihood of cesarean births among women receiving induction.
Do You Correct Women Who Claim Their Birth Was "Natural"?
ICAN member Teresa Stire does some evangelizing, about the situation one list member found herself in, where a woman with a completely medicalized and drugged birth used the term "natural" instead of "vaginal", when talking to a group.
If a woman is happy about her experience, that is wonderful, that is great, but that IS NOT ALL THAT MATTERS! On a personal level, perhaps (although I’m not even sure about that), but on a global societal level, NO WAY! I think we have an obligation at such a core level to educate, to inform, to even correct at times, our sisters when they are in error. How on earth do you think birth ended up in the state that it is today?
Natural, according to Webster’s, means "based on the state of things in nature."
It IS NOT a judgment call here, it is either natural or it isn’t. Is this something that is biologically normal? Would the African bushwoman be doing this while she was birthing? Or is this introduced by artificial or man-made means? An epidural…obviously NOT natural. I.V.? Of course not. Nipple stimulation is done by other animals in nature. Vaginal exams, as far as I know, are not. So I would say if anyone had their hands in your vagina during your birth, then it was not a natural birth. What is natural about someone’s hands (other than yours, as seen in other animals) being inside your vagina? I think often when I read birth stories, "Why do they know how far dilated they were every step of the way? Why weren’t they (care providers) able to sit on their hands and trust the natural process and this woman’s body enough to do what it was designed to do?"
How would things be different if we stopped being so careful of stepping on people’s toes on these issues and started speaking truth? Oh, how it would change things! Language is so powerful. Word choice can change everything! How does "It just takes some women a bit more time to get to the pushing stage" differ from being told "You are just failing to progress, I’m sorry."? What sounds better, "Your contractions are non-productive, inadequate" or "Your contractions are doing so many important things inside your body, some of which we aren’t even aware of, but your body knows what it is doing."? What about "Your pelvic arch is extremely narrow and it will be difficult to get a baby through there" vs. "There is no need for me to judge your pelvis. Fortunately for us, we live in a time and space where true pelvic deformities and inadequacies are so rare, that there’s really no reason to believe you won’t be able to birth your baby."? And finally "Oh, that’s great that you loved your natural birth and you’re happy" or "You had a vaginal birth & it sounds like you’re really happy about it. Congratulations! I would like point out that there is a difference though between VAGINAL birth and NATURAL birth. I’d love to talk about it sometime, if you are ever interested." and leave it at that, unless the woman wants to know more.
And as Jer’s signature says, maybe never as succinctly as now, "Speak your truth, even when your voice shakes."
Teresa
3 UNnatural surgeries & 1 NATURAL HBA3C (which I will concede followed an UNnatural pregnancy, as I used dopplers, pregnancy tests, acupuncture, chiropractic, and an ultrasound)!!!
Attention Volunteers-in-Waiting! ICAN is growing again! Do you live in CA, NV, UT, or AZ (SouthWest)?
We are looking for a Regional Coordinator to support and
co-ordinate our chapters in this region. A qualified
candidate would enjoy getting to know multiple chapter leaders,
motivating others in ICAN’s mission, and working independently to
further the goals of ICAN in your region. You do not need to have
been a part of a local chapter, but familiarity with ICAN is a must.
Please contact the Chapter Director ASAP at chaptersican-online.org">chaptersican-online.org
to receive the full job description and application.
This is the year we take ICAN global! My goal for this year is to reach our Spanish speaking sisters around the world, not just in the USA. Eventually ICAN should be recognized all over the world, but we need to make sure that when people from other cultures come to ICAN, be it the website, the Yahoo list or via email and phone inquiries, they can identify with what they find. ICAN is the safe place for women who seek support, knowledge and strength. So we are working hard to provide information and resources that are not simply a translation of our English materials. The eNoticias is coming back strong this January with its 4th. edition, and the Spanish Yahoo list has seen much more movement in the last few weeks. I am proud to see all the hard work going into reaching out to women of all backgrounds. Spread the word to family and friends about the resources in Spanish. We have a Yahoo support list in Spanish, a newsletter (eNoticias), a translated eNews, white papers and soon a Spanish ICAN brochure. There is much more to come… so if you speak Spanish and want to contribute, there is always a need for helpful hands. Do not hesitate to contact me and become a part of those who work for change.
ICAN is working on establishing cause marketing agreements with businesses wishing to donate a portion of their proceeds to ICAN. Cause related marketing is when a company and a non-profit organization come together for mutual benefit. Companies provide financial resources to promote a cause and benefits through an
association with the non-profit. The non-profit gains by receiving
exposure and/or financial support for its cause. Cause marketing may
be in the form of receiving a percentage of all sales of a particular
product or service for a limited time. To find out more contact our developmentican-online.org">Development Director.
It’s first being screened in communities across the country, including a special benefit screening in Ventura on Saturday to support the Ventura County Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network….
It began at my postpartum appointment in 2005 following my cesarean section. She told me I risk experiencing an uterine rupture in future trials of labor. It continued in 2006 as my husband and I contemplated adding to our family in a new town with new care providers. Should I find a certified nurse-midwife? Does the risk of rupture mean I’ll be safer with an OB-attended hospital birth? Are vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC) even allowed in Missoula?
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
