One Year Post Cesarean

I often thought of asking other mothers to write about this subject, but now I face this subject eye to eye on my son's first birthday. I know that I should be thinking about more pleasant things and how grateful I am for such an amazing and beautiful little boy, but when I think of his "birth" day it often still brings nightmares.

Would I change anything that happened? Of course not because without the birth experience I had, and the first hand experience of how traumatic and devastating a cesarean section can be, I would not have seek for an ICAN chapter in my area only to find out there was not one.

I would not be here helping women in my area and helping to prevent unnecessary and very unwanted cesareans.

I personally know of one I prevented just with one of our meetings, and the feeling it gave me made me cry. Knowing I helped this woman avoid what I went through was the whole reason I started this.

Not many women understand my struggle, and that is ok, because I will always remind myself that "Some people, just don't understand" and I am not going to make anyone try and understand.

I just want to thank everyone who has been accepting, loving, supportive, and informative over the past year, you will never know the true impact that you have made on myself, my soul, and my family.

For that I say Thank you.

2009 Meeting Topic Announcement

We had a great planning meeting this morning! I wish more people would have been able to join us, but I wanted to pass along the monthly meeting topics for 2009!

Drum roll please!!!!

January - Movie Viewing

February - How to choose a provider for your pregnancy

March - How do avoid an unnecessary cesarean

April - Cesarean Awareness Month

May - Birth Story Night (Open forum)

June - Changing providers mid pregnancy

July - Breast feeding after a cesarean section

August - Fathers Night

September - Body Image after Pregnancy & Birth

October - Anger : How to deal with an unexpected birth outcome

November - Interviewing providers

December will be hit or miss depending on the group of women we gather over the year. Hopefully we will have enough to have a small holiday get together.

Also, one of our goals for 2009 is to have 2 ICAN of CT events a month, one being our meeting, and one being other activities, whether they are movie viewing's, discussion groups, pot luck dinners or lunches, planning meetings, ec.

2009 is going to be our year to get out into the community more!! Lets hope we can be successful!

I was under the impression, at first, that this was a article written as a joke, until I learned that this was really written by an OB/GYN currently practicing in the state of Texas.

"How to Guarantee a Failed VBAC" by Dr. Gerald Bullock

Doctors...be noncommittal enough in the early interviews: the issues won't come up again until later in the pregnancy. It is the rare patient indeed who has the presence of mind and strength of conviction to change doctors later in pregnancy.

...During the pregnancy, be sure to add to the mystique of the previous cesarean by ordering several ultrasounds, and suggesting an amniocentesis, so the mother will understand how different and potentially dangerous her situation is. Never mind informing her that the risk of amniocentesis is higher to the baby than the risk of VBAC...

If by chance the mother hears about cesarean prevention classes or VBAC group meetings, tell her they are a bunch of crazy radicals who have only their own crosses to burn and do not have her best interest in mind.

Be sure to spell out whatever criteria you have in considering a VBAC for them. Tell them that the baby must not weight more than whatever is your own limit (never mind that your guess at the weight is often as much as 2 pounds off). Give her your own personal allowances for the amount of time you feel is safe for her to labor. Make sure she understands that she will be laboring against a deadline.

If you are not successful in getting the patient to consent to a repeat cesarean early in labor, do not despair. All is not lost. There are several ways in which you can get her to give up her notion of VBAC. Make sure she remembers what a high risk patient she is, and keep an ever constant vigil for "catastrophe". Don't give in to the frivolous request to ambulate. It is imperative that you know exactly what the contraction pattern is, she must be therefore confined to bed from the time of arrival to the time of delivery. Have the perseverance to insist upon monitoring.. .Be kind and considerate, and apologize for not being able to allow her more flexibility.

..Say things like "of course, your baby's safety is our primary concern"
When the patient arrives early in labor, look at her critically and say something like "Do you really think that you are going to have that big thing from below?" A note from the anesthesiologists: Come in fairly early to do your "routine pre-op history review". If you do it right you can leave the impression that almost all VBAC mothers eventually go ahead with a repeat cesarean. The return to her room frequently to check her progress...Explain what will happen "while" she has the cesarean, not "if" she has it. If you are not trained in conduction anesthesia, explain to her why general anesthesia is safer for her and the baby...Finally (for other staff members standing outside the door) you may say something like "Is that blood ready? get it stat! what if she ruptures?""

-Dr. Gerald Bullock.

ICAN Cesarean Prevention Class Brainstorm

ICAN of Connecticut is currently working on a class on helping to educate mothers, and first time mothers on how to help prevent an initial cesarean section, and I am looking for some people to help brainstorm some ideas.
The more input on the class, the better. I want to make this the best, most informative class I possibly can.

We will be meeting on December 9th, 2008 at 10:00am at Panera Bread in Shelton, located on Bridgeport Avenue.

For more information or details, please e-mail chapter leader Danielle Elwood at ICANConnecticut@aol.com

US gets D on premature Birth Report Card

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The odds of having a premature baby are lowest in Vermont and highest in Mississippi.

The March of Dimes mapped the stark state-by-state disparities in what it called a "report card" on prematurity Wednesday -- to track progress toward meeting a federal goal of lowering preterm births.

There's not much chance of meeting that goal by the original 2010 deadline, if the "D" grade the charity bestowed on the nation is any indication.

More than half a million U.S. babies -- one in every eight -- are born prematurely each year, a toll that's risen steadily for two decades. The government's goal: No more than 7.6 percent of babies born before completion of the 37th week of pregnancy.

Preterm birth can affect any mother-to-be, stressed a recent U.S. Surgeon General's meeting on the problem. Scientists don't understand all the complex causes.

But Wednesday's report highlights big geographic differences that March of Dimes president Dr. Jennifer Howse called "a dash of cold water."

In Vermont, 9 percent of babies were preemies in 2005, the latest available data. In Oregon and Connecticut, just under 10.5 percent of babies were premature.

Travel south, and prematurity steadily worsens: In West Virginia, 14.4 percent of babies were preemies; more than 15 percent in Kentucky and South Carolina; more than 16 percent in Alabama and Louisiana; and a high of 18.8 percent in Mississippi. March of Dimes: See full chart

The report urges states to address three factors that play a role:

• Lack of insurance, which translates into missed or late prenatal care. In states with the highest prematurity rates, at least one in five women of childbearing age are uninsured. Early prenatal care can identify risks for preterm labor and sometimes lower them.

• Smoking increases the risks of prematurity, low birthweight and birth defects. Government figures suggest 17 percent of women smoke during pregnancy. The new report urged targeting smoking by all women of childbearing age. About a third of those women smoke in Louisiana and West Virginia, the report says, compared with 9.3 percent and 11 percent in Utah and California, respectively.

• Then there's the trickier issue of so-called late preemies, babies born between 34 and 37 weeks. They're fueling the nation's prematurity rise. While not as devastating as a baby born months early, being even a few weeks early can cause learning or behavioral delays and other problems. And recent research suggests at least some near-term babies are due to Caesarean sections scheduled before full-term, either deliberately or because of confusion about the fetus's exact age.

Howse urged hospitals to double-check that women given an early C-section truly need one for a medical problem, as current health guidelines recommend.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/12/premature.birth.rate.ap/index.html

http://ican-online.org/community/users/ican-blog/blog/ican-responds-coalition-childbirth-autonomys-statement-cesarean-rate

ICAN Responds to the Coalition for Childbirth Autonomy's Statement on the Cesarean Rate

The Coalition for Childbirth Autonomy (CCA) released a statement today questioning the World Health Organization’s recommended cesarean rate of 10 - 15%. CCA suggests that a woman should be able to request a cesarean without medical indication. While ICAN supports both updated research on this topic and an increase in patient education and autonomy, we maintain that many women who are choosing a cesarean are making that decision without full informed consent.

Research shows that cesareans introduce additional risk in dozens of areas when compared to a vaginal birth. For the mother, these increased risks include death, hysterectomy, bood clots, increased pain & recovery time, infection, and post-partum depression(1). For the infant, additional risks include respiratory problems, breastfeeding problems, asthma in childhood(1), and type 1 diabetes(2). In addition, there are increased risks in future pregnancies, such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, placenta abnormality, uterine rupture, preterm birth, and stillbirth(1).

ICAN does not believe that cesarean should be the typical solution for fear of childbirth. With appropriate counseling, most women who fear childbirth are comfortable attempting a vaginal birth (3, 4). Most show long-term satisfaction with their decision to change modes of delivery (4), and with intensive therapy, labor times were shorter (3).

ICAN will continue to work to improve maternal-child health and to protect a woman’s right to ethical and evidence-based care during pregnancy and childbirth.

(1) Maternity Center Association. 2004. What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know about Cesarean Section. New York: MCA. www.maternitywise.org.

(2) Cardwell, CR et al. Caesarean section is associated with an increased risk of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Diabetologia. 2008 May;51(5):726-35.

(3) Saisto, T et al. A randomized controlled trial of intervention in fear of childbirth. Obstet Gynecol. 2001 Nov;98(5 Pt 1):820-6.

(4) Nerum, H et al. Maternal request for cesarean section due to fear of birth: can it be changed through crisis-oriented counseling? Birth. 2006 Sep;33(3):221-8.

Childbirth Education : How does it meet the need?

International Cesarean Awareness Network of Connecticut's monthly meeting is coming up! Last month, it was just me and one other person.
LOL
I am trying to get a few more people to come because we have an exciting special guest speaker!
The meeting topic this month is "Childbirth Education : How it meets the need"
I really think it will be beneficial to everyone.
VBAC moms, repeat c-section moms, doula's, and mothers in general!

Our meeting will be Monday October 20th, 2008 at 7:00pm
At Dr.
Jason Jenkin's office
97 Gulf Street Milford, CT.
06460

For more information, please contact us.

ICANConnecticut@aol.com
www. icanofconnecticut. webs. com

Thanks ICAN of the Twin Cities...

I am just not sure where to put this.... This is a Thank you of sorts. Praise for ICAN. Praise for the women who power ICAN.
I am so happy to say that if it had not been for ICAN meetings, the website and the email list and the support of them my life would be, well, not the same.
My birth, my amazing VBAC with Violet would not have ever happened the way it did. Violet may have never even been born.

My ICAN story starts with a desperate google search of "normal birth after a cesarean."
I found Chandra, the chapter leader of ICAN of the Twin Cities. She and ICAN helped me find my way. I remember that Chandra even gave me the resource information for unassisted birth.
ICAN really opened a door, no, not a door, a gate- I could see the path before that but I could never quite get to it- then with that little push- the gate slammed open. The information I found through ICAN and my ICAN contacts stepped into my mind, like a forgotten memory, like an impulse I'd deeply suppressed. With that information came power. It was like I suddenly had other senses- all the worlds within the world and above and beyond it unfolded all around me. I was still me but I was more than me- my body was mine, to do with as I wished.
I want you to know how much I value you all for that. We, the women on this forum, the women on the email list the women who are leaders at ICAN make ICAN what it is. Without us, there is nothing. There is despair and loneliness. I thank you, the women of ICAN with all my heart.

Our ICAN chapter leaders are so important- next time you see a CL, give her a big fat kiss. They do SUCH an important work. It is not an easy job, it is work, it takes real dedication.

So- What does ICAN mean to you? What has ICAN done to help you? aaaaannnnnddddd... What have you done for ICAN???

Connecticut Post

ICAN of Connecticut was in today's Connecticut Post newspaper.
The International Cesarean Awareness Network of Connecticut, Chapter Leader, Danielle Elwood, wrote a letter to the editor over 2 months ago, and today the letter was featured in the paper!
Congratulations to Danielle, and ICAN of Connecticut!

1 in 3 Connecticut Doctors unhappy

I think this may be a key to the high c-section rates in the state, as well as the way other doctors among the state react to their patients.

A new report released by Connecticut Medicine details that out of 1,100 doctors in CT surveyed said that they are not happy as a provider in Connecticut. "The University of Connecticut Heath Center's Institute for Public Health Research surveyed nearly 1,100 practicing physicians in Connecticut. The results were published Wednesday in Connecticut Medicine, a journal of the Connecticut State Medical Society."
"The doctors complained that malpractice insurance costs too much, managed care is imposing too many restrictions and the cost of living and doing business in Connecticut is too high. They're also not happy with the longer hours they're working."

ICAN Forums!

ICAN of CT has finally launched their message boards!
Please join us!

http://www.icanofconnecticut.yuku.com

Letter from the President

I wanted to share this with everyone, because I feel like this was a very important letter from the President in this quarter's Clarion.

Spring was busy. I gave two presentations over and hour long. One was about doulas encouraging VBAC to an audience of doulas. The other was on the personal impact of cesareans on families to a more mixed audience of doulas, childbirth educators, and nurses. While both went well, the one on the impact of cesareans has mixed reactions from the audience.

I am a mom. I gave the mother's point of view on cesareans. I spoke from my experience. I am also ICAN's president, and I spoke on behalf of many women. There is a wide continuum of experiences regarding cesareans. I acknowledge them but do not speak for them all - there are enough obstetricians wearing rose tinted glasses romanticizing cesareans - I speak for the women who have scars on their heart as well as their abdomen.

I want to be clear : We are seeing only the tip of the iceberg in regard to the impact of cesareans on women and their families. The reality is that the impact is far larger and deeper than we know. As the cesarean rate increases, so does our glimpse into the reality of the immense proportions of the epidemic and its impact on our lives. Cesarean surgeries impact the health of both mother and baby. Cesareans impact the workplace, as the time mother - and fathers - need off is lengthened. ICAN has recently been tracking a trend among health insurance companies to deny coverage or charge higher premiums to women who have had prior cesareans. The sill have both a financial and a health impact on families. Cesareans impact the woman's image of herself. Cesareans impact relationships between ever family member

The session covered these and other ways cesareans impact the family - everything from breastfeeding and bonding to the reaction of husbands. It was quickly apparent, from the first question after the presentation, that the real impact on families was not acknowledged. A nurse asked, "What about smaller hospitals who can't provide VBAC's?" "What about them?" I asked. I continued that that was an excuse -- that doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies are all pointing fingers at each other as the reason they can't provider VBAC for moms, meanwhile women are being left without a place to go birth or with coerced cesareans.

The nurse said that we are sending women into an adversarial situation. I got a little upset. I replied that we encourage women to interview care providers carefully to find someone supportive, that if a hospital has a ban, we suggest meeting with administrators to clarify our rights. We have moms who are still denied a VBAC, so we encourage them to look at all options, including changing hospitals, and interviewing homebirth midwives. Sometimes that doesn't work, and moms labor in the parking lot to avoid cesareans. She said that didn't make any sense -- that we need to look at the informed consent angle. I laughed out loud. "I'm ICAN's president. Do you think we don't understand what patients rights are about? Why do you think we are upset that they are violated everyday? Everyday we have women who contact ICAN --saying that they are being denied a VBAC, that there is a VBAC ban -- that they want to know their rights, their options"

She argued with me, saying that wasn't true. Someone else yelled out that if that were true, we could sue. "We have tried" I said, "and no lawyer will take the case -- that there aren't any 'sue-able damaged.'" I told the story of a woman in Michigan who has a horrible story of abuse and coercion and was interrupted several times -- people not believing the story. I finished the story, though I barely got through it. Women were shaking their heads and muttering "that can't happen."

It was very tense and frustrating to me. The undeniable looking the other way by professionals to what is really happening is discouraging and disappointing. It confirmed to me we have to continue speaking the truth. After the conference, a woman approached me and said, "Thank you. The emotion you showed touched me. I can tell you hold man women's stories. Thank you for carrying them and for sharing them."

Let me share my personal mission statement : I will know I have achieved my goals when, while being introduced, when I tell women what I do, I get a beautiful peaceful birth story back, instead of the painful, traumatic stories I do now.

May that day come soon.

- Pamela Udy

See you tonight!!

Our monthly meeting is tonight at Dr. Jenkin's office like usual!
I am hoping to see everyone there!
Our meeting topic tonight is birth stories, support, and an open forum!
7pm!

Monthly Meeting!

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) September 17th, 2008
at 7:00pm in Milford CT, 97 Gulf Street (Jenkin's Chiropractic)

ICAN of Connecticut is holding our monthly meeting!
Our topic this month is Birth stories and experiences.
Feel free to join us, the more the merrier!

For more information on ICAN please message me or
check out our website... www.icanofconnecticut.webs.com

Do you know how to avoid a cesarean?

ICAN of Connecticut is putting together a class as a fund raiser geared towards young mothers, first time mothers, child birth professionals, and anyone else that would be interested in participating, about knowing how to prevent a c-section.
If anyone would be interested in participating, or helping prepare the class, please contact us and let us know what you would like to contribute.

ICANConnecticut@aol.com

Monthly Meeting

Please join us this coming Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 7:00pm for our monthly meeting! We will be meeting at Jenkin's Chiropractics, 97 Gulf Street, Milford, CT. 06460

This months meeting topic is an open forum for birth stories. We recognize the need for mothers to speak about their experiences and have other women to relate to, that know what they are going through.

We have lots of exciting news, and chapter business to announce also! So don't miss it!

Donations

For anyone who is interested in helping, ICAN of CT is trying to put
together a fund raiser that would run from September to probably about January of
2009. We are looking for local business owners, crafty moms, WAHM businesses, or anyone really, who would be willing to donate new items for our raffle
fundraiser. Everyone would receive a receipt for taxes at the end of the year. :)
Please contact me if you are at all interested, everything is greatly
appreciated.