International Cesarean Awareness Network

Education, Support, & Advocacy for Birth Justice & Healing

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Cesarean Awareness Month 2021

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2021


In 1982, Liz Handler and Esther Zorn dreamt of an organization that would spread awareness and education surrounding cesareans. Because of their efforts, and the efforts of all that have come before and after them, we have seen a cultural shift among consumers. Families are now taking more control of their pregnancies and births, and feeling the empowerment that comes along with recognizing your innate capacity to be the lead authority in the birth room.

The COVID pandemic has had many far-reaching effects on healthcare, including essentially banning hospital-based doula care in many regions. This action removes the evidence-based care that has been shown to reduce cesarean rates and improve outcomes.

We’ve also seen pregnant people being coerced into inductions and cesareans in greater numbers. Government policies have given the hospital-based providers more freedom to restrict our human rights in childbirth without fear of repercussions.

We know that awareness campaigns work. They reach far and wide by sharing the personal stories of the world’s birth givers, and by sharing these experiences, they work to change the future of birth for us all. When ICAN created Cesarean Awareness Month nearly 20 years ago, there was one goal in mind – to ensure consumers would hear the full risks of cesareans and other uterine surgeries before the first surgery. Many, if not most, do not hear terms such as “Accreta” until they are being diagnosed with it, even though data shows the vast majority of people that have a cesarean will have a repeat. This means people are not fully informed on the risks of cesareans before their first.


We must work together to ensure all births occur from an informed state of decision making. We must work to save the birth givers oft he world from the coercion and violence associated with biased counseling.


On this first day of April, as we begin the 2021 Cesarean Awareness campaign, we ask you to join with us to share education, support,and advocacy surrounding all cesarean topics, because Birth Rights Are Human Rights.

ICAN Board of Directors
Brianna Barker
Justen Alexander
Janelle Blackmore
Samantha Wall
Briana Smith
Brittany Healy
Tatiana Dudziak

CBAC Awareness Month – Anna’s CBAC Birth Story

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After my traumatic first birth which resulted in cesarean, I was determined to have a VBAC. The providers in my area were more VBAC “tolerant” than “supportive”, so I landed on having my VBAC at home with a midwife. I did endless research and felt confident in our birth plan.

My waters ruptured at 39 weeks and contractions started 12 hours later. My contractions came on hard and back to back, endlessly for another 15 hours. I had not progressed at all during that time and decided it was time for us to transfer to hospital. Some nurses were super supportive while others were a little more judgmental.

After an epidural, the on-call OBGYN came in and “told me” we were doing a cesarean despite me and baby doing great. I told her no, as long as we were doing well, I’d be the one to decide if we wanted to proceed with cesarean. I was required to sign a refuse to consent form and she made it clear she did not agree with my decision. Six hours later I still had not progressed at all and decided myself that I was ready for the cesarean.

Although the birth was not at all how I’d planned, I was informed and empowered and I called the shots. Overall it was a positive experience and my sweet baby boy joined our family!

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Anna!

Share your story with ICAN to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook! All cesarean and birth-after-cesarean stories are welcome: the difficult, the triumphant, the still-processing, and the stories which haven’t yet been shared. Sharing your birth story can be freeing, healing and profoundly powerful. It can bring others hope, comfort, and reassurance that they are not alone on their birth journey.

Submit your story HERE: https://airtable.com/shrJOtXla9O9MVBaj

CBAC Awareness Month – Katelyn’s CBAC Birth Story

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I planned to deliver VBAC, but this is my CBAC story. I went in for my 38 week appointment and my blood pressure was high (a sign of pre-eclampsia). The nurse advised I go straight to L&D just to be sure. I was monitored for hours with not much change and finally admitted and expected to deliver the baby in order to treat the current situation. They told me it was more pre-pre-E and wanted to treat it before it got worse.

My bishop score wasn’t good enough to even talk about a gentle induction. The on call doctor advised a cesarean. I couldn’t even process it, it was that quick. I’m prepped, wheeled down to the operation room, given my spinal block, laid on the table and they begin. I feel everything and my anxiety isn’t helping. I’m trying to keep my mind busy. I don’t like that I’m awake and can feel them tugging and the pressure. I keep trying to focus on my baby being in my arms. It feels like forever. I feel like shutting down. Finally they say they are pulling him out. They pull the curtain down so I can see him. It was fast, I don’t remember seeing him very well, only him being whisked away. I don’t get immediate skin to skin, which makes me sad. I have never gotten the joy of holding my baby first, or getting that special moment of joy. I didn’t get to have immediate bonding with my first either and it ate me up for a while. I lay there patiently while they try to make him cry and check his vitals. My husband goes over to watch. I’m alone with my thoughts. I feel them begin to sew me up. Everyone has been so nice but I’m so hurt I didn’t get the delivery I hoped. It’s taken a long time both times to sew me up, (but it has to be done right)so I try to remain calm.. I try to remember its almost over.

Finally my husband brings our baby over for me to hold, sort of. It’s the most awkward way to hold a baby, laying down strapped to a table, but I wanted to. I end up giving him back to my husband to hold and I wait. Finally they say it’s over. I’m still in shock of the day and what it led to. We are taken to recovery where for the first time I get to hold our baby in a normal position. I’m beginning to feel the numbness leaving, which was different since I had an epidural previously and was numb for a longer period. I still can’t get over what happened, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, I’m glad my baby is here, but it was honestly very hard to accept what happened.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Katelyn.

Share your story with ICAN to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook! All cesarean and birth-after-cesarean stories are welcome: the difficult, the triumphant, the still-processing, and the stories which haven’t yet been shared. Sharing your birth story can be freeing, healing and profoundly powerful. It can bring others hope, comfort, and reassurance that they are not alone on their birth journey.

Submit your story HERE: https://airtable.com/shrJOtXla9O9MVBaj

Devan’s RCS Birth Story

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Share your story with ICAN to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook! All cesarean and birth-after-cesarean stories are welcome: the difficult, the triumphant, the still-processing, and the stories which haven’t yet been shared. Sharing your birth story can be freeing, healing and profoundly powerful. It can bring others hope, comfort, and reassurance that they are not alone on their birth journey.

Submit your story HERE: https://airtable.com/shrJOtXla9O9MVBaj

On August 4th I went in for a planned C-section. Although I was nervous, at least I knew what to expect this time around as my first was an emergency. Everything in the operating room went smooth. I was able to do skin to skin which was something I never got to experience with my older son.

After recovery they took me into my room and that is when everything changed. I started to feel very sick I couldn’t keep anything down, including water, and I felt weak and dizzy. The nurse insisted it was probably due to the spinal block and that it would go away. It never did and I continued to feel sick throughout the day and that night. They finally ran some blood work and discovered I was losing a ton of blood.

The next day I received two units of blood. I felt better but I still did not feel right. Later that night we were able to talk with my doctor and gave him our concerns. This is when we had found out that I had a hematoma and that was why I was losing blood. He decided it would be best to do a CT scan and see if I was still losing blood.

An hour after the scan my doctor came in and told me I was going to be rushed into emergency surgery. The hematoma was the size of a basketball and if we didn’t operate I would continue to lose blood. I was so scared and I could tell my husband was as well.

I was in surgery for two hours when I woke up I was alone in recovery and began to have a panic attack. They had put my belly band on too tight and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. On top of that with COVID restrictions I had a mask on. No matter what I said the nurse would not let me remove the mask. That had to be one of the most traumatizing parts of the whole ordeal.

I had to spend a total of 6 days in the hospital. I am almost 7 weeks post-partum now and am still dealing with complications. With all of what my body went through I was not able to breastfeed. My milk didn’t come in until I was almost 3 weeks pp and when it did my supply was so low it wasn’t even worth pumping, although I tried for weeks.

Although this is the hardest thing I have ever gone through it made me really appreciate life and realize how fragile it truly is. I am glad I get to be here today for my kids.

Congratulations, Devan, and thank you for sharing your story with us!

Malina’s CBAC Birth Story

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Share your story with ICAN to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook! All cesarean and birth-after-cesarean stories are welcome: the difficult, the triumphant, the still-processing, and the stories which haven’t yet been shared. Sharing your birth story can be freeing, healing and profoundly powerful. It can bring others hope, comfort, and reassurance that they are not alone on their birth journey.

Submit your story HERE: https://airtable.com/shrJOtXla9O9MVBaj

My doctor signed off for me having a VBA2C, but at the last minute pressured me into a cesarean because of my baby’s size. He convinced me I wouldn’t be able to do it, but didn’t warn me about the dangers of having a 3rd surgery.

I ended up hospitalized & hooked up to a wound vac machine due to complications. I feel having a vaginal birth would have been less riskier & my doctor failed me.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Malina. Congratulations on your new addition!