April is

Cesarean Awareness Month

#CesareanAwarenessMonth

#EducateSupportAdvocate

#ICANadvocate

WEBINARS GET T-SHIRT ICAN MEMBERSHIP 20% OFF! DONATE

CAM 2026 Webinar Links

Informed Consent and Breech with Dr. Rixa Freeze from Breech Without Borders (4/13 9:00AM ET) Birth Story Processing with Hannah Finklestein, LPC (4/18 7:00PM ET) All About Informed Consent with Dr. Stuart Fischbein (4/20 9:00PM ET)

CAM 2025 Webinar Recordings

Birth Stories
Birth and the Law
VBAC Facts Q&A
Birth Advocacy Policy Making:
Birth Centers & Policy

Get Your CAM T-Shirt!

Many Color Options Available

Buy Lights Here
Buy Darks Here

What is Cesarean Awareness Month?

  • April is Cesarean Awareness Month (CAM)!
  • CAM focuses on all topics surrounding cesareans, including reducing preventable cesareans, supporting cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
  • ICAN was founded in 1982 as a grassroots movement to serve these needs.
  • We need your help to grow Cesarean Awareness! Download and share the info-graphics, start a fundraiser, spread the word!
Follow ICAN on Instagram Follow ICAN on Facebook

Cesareans…

Why the Need

For Awareness

  • Researchers estimate that almost half of the cesareans performed could be safely prevented.
  • If families don’t know they have other options, they cannot advocate for themselves.
  • Cesareans can be “family friendly” depending on facility practices and protocols and provider support.
  • Preventable cesareans may be responsible for up to 20,000 major surgical complications a year, including sepsis, hemorrhage, and organ injury.
  • Future risks to birthing people and their future pregnancies and children are often not mentioned.
Advocacy Membership
ICAN of Central Iowa chapter leaders tabling in the Iowa Capitol rotunda for the inaugural Maternal and Infant Health Day.
ICAN of Central Iowa chapter leaders tabling in the Iowa Capitol rotunda for the inaugural Maternal and Infant Health Day.

Call to Action

Woman writing in a notebook, capturing a moment of focused concentration.

Key Messages

  • Lowering the rate of preventable cesareans is vital to improving maternal-child health.
  • Policies do not override a persons’ right to informed decision making.
  • VBAC bans are unethical and unenforceable for hospitals to institute. People have the right to informed refusal, which includes declining a cesarean.
  • For most people, VBAC carries lower risks than a repeat cesarean.
  • A healthy birth incorporates emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
  • When a cesarean is necessary, it can be a lifesaving technique, and worth the risks involved.