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ICAN Names Vivien Stembridge the December 2015 Volunteer of the Month

December 10, 2015 by info

Vivien Stembridge December 2015 Volunteer of the Month — Vivien Stembridge
December 2015 Volunteer of the Month

The International Cesarean Awareness Network is powered by the selfless efforts of our numerous volunteers. We cannot thank our dedicated volunteers enough for their cooperation and service in assisting ICAN with accomplishing its mission.

In an effort to acknowledge some of our amazing volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to offer support, education, and advocacy for the mothers in their area, the International Cesarean Awareness Network is pleased to announce Vivien Stembridge as the December 2015 Volunteer of the Month.

Vivien Stembridge, this month’s honoree, is our dedicated social media administrator for our main FB page and has been corresponding with mothers who contact us for almost a year and a half.

Get to know our December 2015 Volunteer of the Month:

How long have you been an ICAN member?

I became involved with ICAN when I was pregnant with my third child in 2013. The Orlando, FL chapter was invaluable during my search for a way to give birth vaginally after one cesarean. I wish we still lived close to a chapter.

How did you first find ICAN?

When I was researching VBACs, I stumbled upon the ICAN website and saw that there were local chapters that held regular meetings. I attended my first meeting soon after and just loved the whole experience.

What motivates you as a volunteer?

Being able to help women on their mothering journey is incredibly rewarding. My main motivation is remembering two births that left me feeling powerless and mistreated.

Do you have a profession or any other passions outside of ICAN?

I am a documentary style photographer. I am also volunteer with La Leche League. In addition, I am a certified birth doula.

What was your proudest moment as an ICAN volunteer? What about your hardest?

Thankfully, there are many proud moments. We receive a multitude of messages from mothers who thank us after they felt empowered and were able to experience a birth they feel positive about, be it a cesarean section or a VBAC.

Unfortunately, there are also often hard moments. The number of messages we receive from mothers whose birth experiences were bad or even traumatic is alarming.

Thank you Vivien for all that you do to support birthing women!

Letter from the President – December 2015 Clarion

December 3, 2015 by info

Screenshot_2015-11-30-23-39-45-1 (1) — Become a member of ICAN to subscribe today!

To our supporters,

For many people, the holiday season is a time of joy and reflection; a time to reminisce with friends and family about memories past while creating new memories upon which to reflect in the coming years. For others, the holidays can be emotionally vexing, for a number of reasons both internal and external.

In this edition of The Clarion, we explore various ways of dealing with the complex emotions that can sometimes accompany the birthing experience.

On Page 5, Stephanie Larson, the founder of Dancing for Birth, shares with us her unique approach to utilizing movement and dance to help mothers both prepare for and recover from birth by modeling how to live in the present moment.

Dr. Alyssa Berlin, an ICAN advisory committee member and prenatal/postpartum clinical psychologist, discusses the importance of having a support network during pregnancy on Page 7. For women who find themselves with limited social support, Dr. Berlin describes a number of professionals, from acupuncturists to psychiatrists, who may be of assistance during the birthing year.

One way that mothers process their birth experiences is through art. On Page 10, Rebecca Honeycutt shares her personal story of how art helped her to gain an understanding of her feelings about her journey through the realm of birth.

We share the insights of Pam England, founder of Birthing from Within, on Page 17. In the article “Healing Your Birth Story,” England discusses how the process of telling and listening to birth stories can lead to a healing beyond the birth experience itself.

In each edition of The Clarion, we feature a local chapter who is working hard to make a difference within their sphere of influence. In this edition on Page 14, we feature one of our international chapters, ICAN of Jakarta Selatan, which is located in Indonesia. We also feature the profiles of some of our amazing volunteers who are making a difference on Pages 11-13.

Lastly, Monica Cruz shares the story of her unmedicated vaginal birth on Page 15.

In closing, we wish you and your family a safe and joyful holiday season and hope that you find new insights and/or support from our edition on emotional healing.

Thank you for supporting the mission of ICAN!

In Solidarity,

LaQuitha Glass

ICAN Board President

2015-2016

Lucy’s Cesarean Birth After Cesarean

November 25, 2015 by info

by Lucy O’Connor

This birth story is shared by Lucy O’Connor, and appeared originally on csectionmums.com.

I found out I was pregnant in July 2008. I had a miscarriage only a matter of weeks earlier and hadn’t even got my period back! A scan (in the absence of a LMP) set my due date as St Patrick’s Day 2009 – 17th March. Having had a whirlwind cesarean with my first I wanted a normal delivery – to attempt a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). My obstetrician was fully supportive. I had my last antenatal appointment on 15th March and was set for another one on the 20th March before we would decide how to progress after that – induction was not recommended due to my previous section.

On 19th March my waters broke. I was on my own with my then 2-year-old. I called my mum and textedmy husband to let them know and called the hospital. They advised to make my way in for a check. I organised myself and eventually headed in to meet my husband after work. I was assessed and advised that my waters had indeed gone but I was not in labour as yet. The doctor on duty called my obstetrician who asked that I be admitted. I was brought to my bed and my husband had to leave me. I tossed and turned all night but nothing major happened. At 7 am my obstetrician came to see me. A fetal trace was done and an internal and barring a few minor contractions there was nothing happening and my cervix was tight shut! I was given the option of a repeat cesarean that morning or wait it out and see what progressed during the day. Given my VBAC wish I decided to wait it out but mindful that my waters had gone 14 hours previously and I could not wait indefinitely. I reckoned another 12-24 hours would be fine.

I was brought to a private room and checked over by a midwife. She checked baby’s position and reckoned he was posterior and told me I had a lot of work to do and got me a birth ball. I spent the next number of hours bouncing on the ball and walking the corridors and stairs of the hospital. I had a number of contractions but every time they seemed to kick off they stopped just as quickly.

By 6 pm that evening my OBs came to check on me. No progress. He gave me the option of waiting another 12-24 hours but his view was that nothing would change and with the waters gone we needed to pick a point where we agree to throw in the towel. I was tired and emotional and without wanting to risk anything went off to theatre that evening where my son was born by repeat cesarean. The obstetrician commented that he was wedged in a very awkward position and I could have been days waiting on him to budge (and I can tell you that despite the spinal block the tugging and pressure I felt as he tried to pull him out was immense – my obstetrician was practically on top of me pulling him out!!). I had sore ribs for weeks afterwards.

After it was all over I found it very hard to emotionally deal with the VBAC attempt. I guess I felt like I threw in the towel too early – it wasn’t as if I was being forced into theatre – he was perfectly happy to wait it out with me another few hours. It is my one regret about my son’s birth. That said he is here, he is healthy and he is an amazing little boy – albeit at times wreaks the place!!

This story was shared by Lucy O’Connor, Founder of C-section Mums and owner and blogger at www.learnermama.com. She has three children, all born by cesarean and lives in North County Dublin, Ireland with her husband Niall.

The Birth of Baby B

November 23, 2015 by info

By Melissa Debach

This birth story is a reprint from the Spring 2015 edition of The Clarion, the official publication of ICAN. Become a member today to support ICAN and to subscribe! Photos courtesy of Erin Monroe Photography.

Photo courtesy of Erin Monroe Photography.

After the birth of my daughter ended in an unnecessary cesarean, I was determined that my second (and last) baby would be a vaginal birth. I began researching homebirth midwives and doulas years before I became pregnant with my son. He was cephalic throughout the entire pregnancy and it seemed my homebirth would actually happen.

At my 39 week midwife appointment, she said “something’s different,” and she sent me for an ultrasound. My stubborn little guy decided to go two feet down (double footling breech) at 39 weeks. I tried everything to get him to flip. Spinning babies. Chiropractic (Webster’s). Essential oils. Massage. Acupuncture. Moxibustion. Handstands. You name it, I tried it.

When it became clear he wasn’t going to move, I reached out to my local ICAN leader and friend (Angela Ziegler) for some support and education. She suggested I research incidence and prevalence of cord prolapse in a double footling breech. I dove in and read everything I could get my hands on and discussed the risks with my midwife. We both felt that a transfer of care was in order.

I immediately reached out to the hospital where I would be delivering via cesarean. The first email essentially said: “A surgical delivery is absolutely the last thing I wanted to have happen. Please help me make it suck less.”

I asked for: delayed cord clamping, skin to skin immediately, I wanted my photographer in the operating room and I wanted to keep my placenta for encapsulation. I was immediately put in touch with the COO/Chief Surgical Services Officer and the nurse manager for the L&D OR. At 5:44pm on the evening before my surgery, I received an email that said “I think you’ll be pleased with what we can accomplish from your wish list,” but there was no detail. On February 20, 2014 once I was checked in, scrubbed up and prepped for surgery, they came to tell me that they were able to give me everything I asked for. It was such a relief!

Once he was out, they gave him to me, where I had him skin to skin for about 45 minutes while they stitched me up. It was pure bliss and I am grateful for the gentle, family-centered cesarean I was able to have and the photo that illustrates all the feelings of the moment: elation, unconditional love and relief. I truly hope that family-centered cesareans become the standard of care.

ICAN Names Pamela Vireday the November 2015 Volunteer of the Month

November 16, 2015 by info

In an effort to acknowledge some of our amazing volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to offer support, education, and advocacy for the mothers in their area, the International Cesarean Awareness Network is pleased to announce Pamela Vireday as the November 2015 Volunteer of the Month.

Pamela Vireday, this month’s honoree, helped to form ICAN of Portland, and has been a member of ICAN for almost 20 years. Most recently, she coordinated the outreach efforts to support CBAC mothers through the creation of a CBAC support site, a brochure titled “When VBAC Doesn’t Happen,” and a three part series on Science and Sensibility titled “Supporting Women When VBAC Doesn’t Happen.”

Get to know our November 2015 Volunteer of the Month:

How long have you been an ICAN member?

I have been an ICAN member for about 20 years.

How did you first find ICAN?

I first found ICAN online. There was no chapter in my town, so the online group was a huge help. They listened when no one else did. Eventually, I was part of a start-up team for a chapter in my town, and that chapter is still going strong today.

What motivates you as a volunteer?

My children are growing up now, and as I’ve gotten busier, I’ve taken a step back from my local chapter so that others can grow into that leadership role. But I still care very much about birth. My birth advocacy now centers instead around my own research and writing at www.wellroundedmama.blogspot.com and my older website at www.plus-size-pregnancy.org. I am passionate about lowering the cesarean rate in women of size, improving care for higher-BMI women, promoting VBAC, supporting women emotionally after cesarean, raising awareness and improving support for CBAC mothers, and helping women recover after birth trauma. There’s still a lot of work to be done!

What was your proudest moment as an ICAN volunteer? What about your hardest?

My hardest moments as an ICAN volunteer have been when there are difficult outcomes. When I had my CBAC and had to come back to the ICAN list and announce that….that was hard. Worst of all was when people I knew and loved from ICAN had a difficult outcome, like a stillbirth, a rupture, an accreta, or other issue. Those people are always, *always* in my heart, and so are their babies.

My proudest moments have been seeing the organization come back to life after some lean years. I’ve been to every conference since 2001 and those always make me proud. I’m proud of the work we have done to support CBAC mothers, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done for VBAMC (VBAC after multiple cesareans). I’m proud of the advocacy work others within ICAN have done, and I’m proud of ICAN for contributing a voice to birth politics discussions. We’ve done some amazing work, and we’ve kept VBAC alive as an option during a difficult time.

Thank you Pamela for all that you do to support birthing women!