ICAN of Connecticut

Upcoming ICAN Events

2010-04-22T11:41:00.001-07:00

I am sorry that the group has been so quiet. I have had a lot of things going on in my life and I haven't been able to
really give my full attention to our chapter of ICAN here in Connecticut. I am participating as an 2011 ICAN Conference Chair, as well as
helping the current Chapter Director with the Mid-East work as their Regional Coordinator just stepped down.
We also found a new meeting place!
We will be meeting at Preferred Pediatrics in Milford (88 Noble Street suite 101)
in the Downtown area.

So! What is coming up in the next few months?
Lots of stuff!

April 28th - There will be a home birth featured on TLC's A Baby Story with local Midwives from Birth and Beyond, as well as the Late Karen
Kilson who was a HUGE supporter of ICAN of Connecticut, as well as an amazing friend and resource to the birth community.

May 12 - 7pm will be our Monthly Meeting with the subject of Childbirth Activism : How to get Involved!
May 15th - ICAN of CT will have a table at the annual Griffin Hospital Baby Fair!! Please come by and help us, and get in on the fun of one of the only local baby fairs!
June 16th - 7pm will be our Monthly Meeting with the topic of Fear in Childbirth, I am working on securing a special guest speaker for the meeting also, so that is TBA at this point.
July 14th - 7pm will be our Monthly Meeting, that night we will have an open floor meeting to share birth stories. All are welcome to bring a friend!
August 18th - 7pm will be our Monthly Meeting with the topic of Your Rights in the Hospital! A great subject for all women, especially VBAC mothers to know. I am also working on securing a guest speaker for this meeting which will also be TBA!

I really hope to see some of you at the upcoming events. I am eager to start getting more women involved in ICAN of Connecticut as we are going on our third year as a chapter in Connecticut!

Discouraging VBAC Numbers

2009-11-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

Connecticut Hospital Repeat Cesareans Vs. VBAC Statistics 2007

Hospital	VBAC	Repeat Cesarean	Total Previous Cesarean Births
Bridgeport Hospital	3.29%	96.71%	334 Deliveries
Bristol Hospital	7.06%	92.94%	85 Deliveries
Charolette Hungerford Hosp	0%	100%	67 Deliveries
Danbury Hospital	9.06%	90.94%	265 Deliveries
Day Kimball Hospital	0%	100%	54 Deliveries
Greenwich Hospital	7.23%	92.77%	166 Deliveries
Griffin Hospital	9.43%	90.57%	106 Deliveries
Hospital of Central CT	4.31%	95.69%	209 Deliveries
Hartford Hospital	2.0%	98.0%	500 Deliveries
Hospital of St. Raphael	5.52%	94.48%	163 Deliveries
John Dempsey (UCONN)	7.06%	92.94%	85 Deliveries
Johnson Memorial Hospital	14.29%	85.71%	28 Deliveries
Lawrence & Memorial	2.26%	97.74%	221 Deliveries
Manchester Memorial	15.13%	84.87%	119 Deliveries
Middlesex Hospital	1.26%	98.74%	159 Deliveries
Midstate Medical Center	2.5%	97.5%	120 Deliveries
Milford Hospital	6.85%	93.15%	73 Deliveries
New Milford Hospital	6.98%	93.02%	43 Deliveries
Norwalk Hospital	4.76%	95.24%	210 Deliveries
Rockville General	14.58	85.42%	48 Deliveries
Sharon Hospital	5.26%	94.76%	19 Deliveries
Saint Mary's Hospital	5.26%	94.74%	114 Deliveries
Saint Francis Hospital	7.41%	92.59%	324 Deliveries
Saint Vincent's Medical Ct.	0%	100%	157 Deliveries
Stamford Hospital	6.98%	93.02%	387 Deliveries
Waterbury Hospital	10.56%	89.44%	180 Deliveries
William Backus Hospital	9.23%	90.77	130 Deliveries
Windham Community Hosp.	4%	96.0%	50 Deliveries
Yale New Haven Hospital	9.95%	90.05%	583 Deliveries
Total	6.06%	93.94%	4,999 Deliveries

Change in 2010 Meeting Topics!

2009-10-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Below is an updated list of the ICAN of Connecticut 2010 meeting topics.
We are also currently working on alternating places to have the meeting, days of the week, and times of the day to help boost meeting attendance.

January : Dealing with an unexpected birth outcome
February : Nutrition During Pregnancy with Leigh White, N.D.
March : Open forum support meeting
April : Cesarean Awareness Month : Preventing the first cut (Special Guest Pending)
May : Childbirth Activism : How to get involved?
June : Fear in Childbirth
July : Open Forum Support Meeting/Birth Story Night
August : What are Your Rights in the Hospital? (Pending Special Guest)
September : Educating Our Children about Childbirth
October : Having a Family Centered Cesarean : When a Cesarean Section becomes Necessary (Pending Special Guest)
November : Home Birth (Pending Special Guest)
December : Informed Consent

If you would like to suggest any meeting topics, special guests that may be interested in speaking, or just have any comments about the meeting topics or input, please e-mail ICAN of Connecticut at ICANConnecticut@aol.com

Staggering Cesarean Section Numbers

2009-09-25T11:10:00.001-07:00

Across the state of Connecticut Cesarean Section birth numbers have been increasing steadily with the national average, as well as sit above the national average right now at 34.6% as of 2007.
While I have not obtained the percentage rates I would like for cesarean sections at individual hospitals, I have obtained the number of cesarean sections that they are doing annually. At least for the time frame of January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007. While the numbers would be much more effective and understandable with the total number of births that took place at these facilities during this time period (which I am currently working on obtaining) these numbers make a bold statement themselves. I have highlighted the highest numbers in Red, also something to note with these hospitals is they are larger city facilities.
Hospitals highlighted in blue are hospitals with current VBAC bans.

Bridgeport Hospital - 1012 Cesarean Sections
Bristol Hospital - 201 Cesarean Sections
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital - 171 Cesarean Sections
Danbury Hospital - 736 Cesarean Sections
Day Kimball Hospital - 149 Cesarean Sections
Greenwich Hospital - 814 Cesarean Sections (Note : Large Cesarean rate, not a large city)
Griffin Hospital - 247 Cesarean Sections
Hartford Hospital - 1554 Cesarean Sections
Hospital of St. Raphael - 463 Cesarean Sections
John Dempsey Hospital - 370 Cesarean Sections
Johnson Memorial Hospital - 87 Cesarean Sections
Lawrence and Memorial Hospital - 673 Cesarean Sections
Manchester Memorial Hospital - 296 Cesarean Sections
Middlesex Memorial Hospital - 441 Cesarean Sections
Midstate Medical Center - 333 Cesarean Sections
Milford Hospital - 203 Cesarean Sections
New Milford Hospital - 104 Cesarean Sections
Norwalk Hospital - 519 Cesarean Sections
Rockville General Hospital - 117 Cesarean Sections
Saint Francis Hospital - 904 Cesarean Sections
Saint Mary's Hospital - 386 Cesarean Sections
Saint Vincent's Medical Center - 539 Cesarean Sections
Sharon Hospital - 75 Cesarean Sections
Stamford Hospital - 1002 Cesarean Sections
The Hospital of Central Connecticut - 611 Cesarean Sections
Waterbury Hospital - 472 Cesarean Sections
William W. Backus Hospital - 318 Cesarean Sections
Windham Community Memoral Hospital - 129 Cesarean Sections
Yale New Haven Hospital - 1591 Cesarean Sections

Shortly I will have the total number of births that took place at these hospitals so that we can make a percent so see how these hospitals really rank.
I hope this information is able to help you, as well as mothers looking for a place to birth their baby, if they are making the choice for a hospital birth.

Class Success!

2009-09-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our second successful Lowering Your Risk for a Cesarean class!
I was floored when 3 people registered, and even more excited when all of them showed up for the class itself. It was an awesome evening, and a great experience.

The upcoming dates for our Lowering Your Risk for a Cesarean Classes are....
September 26th, 2009 - 12noon - 1:30pm
October 10th, 2009 - 12noon - 1:30pm
October 28th, 2009 - 6:00pm - 7:30pm
November Class dates are TBA, but they will take place one Wednesday evening, and one Saturday afternoon.
December Classes are pending due to the Holiday's.

Another important event coming up is Wednesday September 9th, 2009 at 6:00pm.
We will be viewing The Business of Being Born at Preferred Pediatrics in Milford.
All are welcome, please contact ICANConnecticut@aol.com or call 203-615-3790 to RSVP.
Bring your Pillows and blankets! Very comfortable and home like viewing!
Snacks are welcome!

Our Upcoming Events!

2009-08-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

I got a nice big list of awesome upcoming events!

I hope to see some of you ladies getting involved!

If you would like to get involved, host a special ICAN event, or attend any of the below, please contact myself, Danielle Elwood for more details!

August 29th - Noon - Lowering your risk for a cesarean class - $20/per support team - 88 Noble Ave Suite 101, Milford, CT. Preferred Pediatrics. Please RSVP to ICANConnecticut@aol.com or 203-615-3790

September 1st - 7pm- The Webster Technique & Chiropractic Care during Pregnancy with Dr. Jason Jenkins - 97 Gulf Street, Milford, CT. 06484

September 2nd - 6pm - Lowering your risk for a cesarean class - $20/per support team - 88 Noble Ave Suite 101, Milford, CT. Preferred Pediatrics. Please RSVP to ICANConnecticut@aol.com or 203-615-3790

September 9th - 6pm - The Business of Being Born viewing - FREE!!! - 88 Noble Ave Suite 101 Milford, CT. Preferred Pediatrics - Please RSVP, space is limited. ICANConnecticut@aol.com or 203-615-3790

September 16th - 7pm - Monthly Meeting - Body Image after Pregnancy and Birth - Jenkin's Chiropractic 97 Gulf Street Milford, CT.

September 26th - noon - Lowering your risk for a cesarean class - $20/per support team - 88 Noble Ave Suite 101, Milford, CT. Preferred Pediatrics. Please RSVP to ICANConnecticut@aol.com or 203-615-3790

October 10th - noon - Lowering your risk for a cesarean class - $20/per support team - 88 Noble Ave Suite 101, Milford, CT. Preferred Pediatrics. Please RSVP to ICANConnecticut@aol.com or 203-615-3790

October 13th - 7pm - Monthly Meeting - ANGER : How to deal with an unexpected birth outcome (Guest speaker TBA!) - Jenkins Chiropractic 97 Gulf Street, Milford, CT.

October 28th - 6pm - Lowering your risk for a cesarean class - $20/per support team - 88 Noble Ave Suite 101, Milford, CT. Preferred Pediatrics. Please RSVP to ICANConnecticut@aol.com or 203-615-3790

Come join us tomorrow night!

2009-08-05T14:36:00.001-07:00

Dar a Luz Fairfield County

Date:	Thursday, August 6, 2009
Time:	7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:	Jewish Community Center of Eastern Fairfield County
Street:	4200 Park Avenue
City/Town:	Bridgeport, CT

Currently the national C-Section rate is 1 in 3. Find out how Connecticut fares, which hospitals have lower rates, and how you can reduce your risk.

Danielle Elwood, the Northeast Regoinal Coordinator from ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) and ICAN of Connecticut chapter leader will joins us to answer your questions and help dispel some myths.

All are welcome so please spread the word.
Free (as always)
Refreshments served

Dar a Luz Network is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing every woman opportunities for knowledge, power, and support in her pregnancy and birthing process.

Contact Jodi Green for more details or membership information.

fairfieldcounty@daraluznetwork.com

Meeting Topic Schedule for 2010

2009-07-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

I know it seems a little early, but when I have sometime I am trying to get all my ducks in a row as far as ICAN meetings so I can find special Guest speakers.

For 2010, these are the monthly meeting topics.

January : When VBAC turns into CBAC - Dealing with an unexpected birth outcome.
February : Nutrition During Pregnancy - Special Guest Pending
March : Fear in Childbirth
April : Cesarean Awareness Month
May : Childbirth Activism - How can you get involved?
June : Pediatrics - Special care for the cesarean newborn
July : Educating our Children about childbirth
August : Birth Story Night - Meeting topic subject to change
September : What are your rights in the hospital?
October : Having a family centered cesarean - When a cesarean section becomes necessary.
November : Homebirth
December : What is informed consent?

Cesarean Prevention Class!

2009-06-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

ICAN of Connecticut is happy and excited to announce the first couple dates in our first class we will be offering.
"Learning How to Lower your Risk for a Cesarean" will cover ways that women can help to lower their risk for a c-section birth through simple steps and education.
The hour and a half long class will be offered free for the first couple classes as a "pilot program" to see how it works.

The current dates are :
July 8th - 6-7:30pm
July 25th - 11- 12:30pm
August 29th - 12noon
September 2nd - 6-7:30
September 26th - 12noon

To sign up for these classes, please contact ICANConnecticut@aol.com or stop by Preferred Pediatrics at 88 Noble Ave Suite 101 Milford, CT. 06460

Classes will be taking place at Preferred Pediatrics at the above address.

Great Quote

2009-05-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

An amazing quote from Gretchen Humphries, the ICAN Advocacy Director.

"Lying at the start of a fundamentally business relationship is never ok, it's fraud. Manipulating a woman to agree to something she's already said she doesn't want by making unsupportable and vague accusations of danger to her unborn child is inexcusable."

A little about Gretchen : Gretchen Humphries is the Advocacy Director for ICAN, the ICAN email list administrator, and co-leader of the ICAN of Ann Arbor Chapter. She is also a Veterinarian, working in emergency and critical care at the Animal ER Center in Southeastern Michigan. She has written extensively on birth topics and many of her essays can be found at Birth Matters. She’s the mother of 4 wonderful children and the wife of a man who realized how much they’d both lost with the cesarean, after his third child was born at home.She’s had one cesarean for breech twins and then 2 wonderful HBACs.
http://ican-online.org/community/users/advocacy

ICAN of Connecticut News!

2009-05-06T14:27:00.001-07:00

As everyone knows, Chapter leader Danielle Elwood is very close to welcoming her second child, so we are on baby watch 2009! She is anxiously awaiting her opportunity to have a beautiful and empowering VBAC. Wish her luck and keep her in your thoughts.

News News News!

We are scheduled for the Griffin Hospital Baby Fair on Saturday May 16th. I am very excited about it, last year over 500 mothers were in attendance and we got to reach out to a lot of moms in the area. This year we are taking a different approach to the baby fair, and will also have more than one person manning the booth, so it will give us a greater opportunity to speak with more moms!

We have a couple meetings set up for the next couple months. I know summer time is VERY busy for a lot of moms, and families, so I am not really banking on anyone coming, but we will have some neat topics.

May : Birth Story Night - We will be meeting Next Tuesday the 17th at 7pm like normal at Dr. Jenkin's office in Milford.

June : Changing Provider Mid Pregnancy - We will be meeting on Tuesday June 16th, at 7:00pm again at Dr. Jenkin's office in Milford. This will be a lesson on changing health care providers mid pregnancy, how to, why would you, and what should prompt you to change.

July : Breastfeeding after a Cesarean - The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 22nd at 7pm. We will be having a special guest speaker (Local Lactation Consultant who is TBA) speak about breast feeding after a c-section, tips, help, and problems cesarean section mother may face. It should be a great evening! Please invite all Moms you know who could benefit!

August : Fathers Night! - August 12th, 7pm at Dr. Jenkins office in Milford. We will be opening the night up to fathers! Sharing their experiences and stories of birth experiences. We will be welcome a special guest speaker, Dr. Jason Jenkins, and of course my husband Will to speak of our birth experiences from Dads point of view. All dads, and dads to be are welcome and encouraged to come!!!

I hope to see a lot of you ladies over the summer! Remember, we have our great ICAN e-mail group you can join at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ICANofConnecticut/

And we also have our online forum, http://icanofconnecticut.yuku.com/

Upcoming Events for ICAN of CT!

2009-03-27T10:02:00.001-07:00

For everyone here in Connecticut, and the surrounding areas, I wanted to send out a quick update of events for things we are doing in the area over the next couple weeks.

March 31st - 6pm - Preventing Breech Presentation with Dr. Jason Jenkins. For registration please call Fitness and Yoga for Women at 203-878-9642. Registration IS required!

April 1st, 2009 - 11am - Kicking off Cesarean Awareness Month. Join the ladies from ICAN of CT at Panera Bread in Shelton, CT for a social hour centering around the start of CAM!

April 22nd - 7pm - Monthly meeting focusing around Cesarean Awareness month, cesarean birth stories, preventing unnecessary cesarean sections and what we can do to lower our cesarean birth rate. We will also be showcasing our Cesarean Awareness Month proclamation from Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell.

April 28th - 7pm - We will be having a small home viewing of the birth film What Babies Want. For more information email me or Karen Kilson (Birthways@earthlink.net) for directions.

All are welcome!

Unfortunately we had to cancel our full Cesarean Awareness Program we had scheduled for April 4th at the Plumb Memorial Library. We did not have enough interest and response, as well as RSVP's to the event. Hopefully next April we will be able to have a larger successful event like we were trying to plan.

For all of the women going to the ICAN Conference in Atlanta, we wish you safe travels, and I can personally say, I am jealous! I hope you all have a wonderful time and enjoy the list of amazing speakers!

Count me in for 2011 when I am not going to be a few weeks from my due date!

Last but not least, please join ICAN of CT online on Facebook.com. You can find our group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=25831007877

Also, help fight the good fight by joining The Movement to help lower Cesarean Rates!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=70207150395

ICAN makes Time Magazine!

2009-02-19T11:59:00.001-08:00

This has been under lock and key, but I am proud to be able to announce and actually get it off my check that The International Cesarean Awareness Network has a wonderful spread in TIME MAGAZINE this issue!!!!!!

We (the women of ICAN) worked very diligently over the past couple weeks making sure every last hospital in the entire United States that offered maternity services was called and polled about their VBAC policies!
ICAN of Connecticut was able to call hospitals in Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma.

Please read, pass along, comment on, and enjoy the article!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1880665-1,00.html

CAM 2009

2009-02-17T09:42:00.001-08:00

We are in the home stretch right now before Cesarean Awareness Month here in Connecticut.
Last year our governor denied our request for a proclamation for Cesarean Awareness Month, well this year we are not only requesting our proclamation again, but we are also submitting it with a petition!
We are nearing 200 signatures, so please take a couple minutes and sign it to help out Connecticut moms!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/CAM2009/index.html

CAM

2009-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Last April I started The International Cesarean Awareness Network of Connecticut (www.icanofconnecticut.webs.com) because of the birth experience I had with my son. I found out that Connecticut has a VERY high c-section rate, of 34.1% (as of 2006) which is the most recently released statistic from the CDC. (CDC.gov)
That puts Connecticut at the 7th highest c-section rate in the nation, higher than both California, and New York, who in some cases are infamous for their "designer births".

Every April across The United States, The International Cesarean Awareness Network celebrates Cesarean Awareness Month. It is important to us, and should be more important to our communities, especially Connecticut with such an alarming Cesarean rate.

(The WHO *World Health Org* recommends a SAFE cesarean rate for the USA to be between 10-15%)

So last April, I, as leader of ICAN of Connecticut sent a proclamation to Governor Jodi Rell's office to have Cesarean Awareness Month recognized across the state. After waiting 3+ weeks for a response, and calling the governors office, I found out that our proclamation was denied because the Governors office felt as though the issue of Cesarean Awareness and more maternity care education in our state was too controversial of an issue for the Governor to be involved with.

Too controversial? Education in health care is too controversial? The safety of women and babies across the state is too controversial?
But issues like Plan B being available for OTC sales, and civil unions, are not too controversial for our governor to be involved with. Hmmmm? Something stinks!

After much research, and meeting with Congressman Christopher Shays, I was given some medicaid statistics. (For those who are not aware of what medicaid is, it is state funded health insurance, meaning free, that the tax payers are paying for) and out of all the c-sections taking place across the nation, our government is paying for a whopping 41% of those! But educating our women on c-sections and helping to learn how to prevent them is too controversial of an issue.

We are fighting for a signature on our proclamation this April 2009 to help educate women across the state and bring light to this growing maternity care crisis.
Please help support ICAN and sign our Cesarean Awareness Month petition!
Lets make our voices heard across the state!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/CAM2009/index.html

ABC on Cesarean Births

2009-01-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WomensHealth/story?id=6595888&page=1

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6596728

C-Section Too Early Risks Baby's Health

Babies Born by Surgical Delivery Before 39 Weeks May Suffer Health Problems

When 37-year-old Alicia Cooney of Cleveland was pregnant with her first child in October 2007, her doctor expressed no concern about scheduling her Caesarian delivery, or C-section, just 38 weeks into the pregnancy.

But when Cooney became pregnant with her second child last April, her doctor was singing a different tune about when to schedule a C-section.

"I did notice a change within the hospital that they really wanted to make sure my C-section wasn't before 39 weeks," Cooney explained.

Cooney said that her doctor expressed concern about the increased risk of wet lung -- or an accumulation of fluid in the newborn's lungs -- in babies delivered by C-section before 39 weeks of gestation.

Cooney's doctor may not be alone in changing his practice in the face of these risks. On Wednesday, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that C-section delivery before 39 weeks of gestation is, indeed, linked to increased health problems for babies.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a pregnancy of normal gestation lasts about 40 weeks, with "normal" pregnancies ranging from 38 to 42 weeks.

A team of researchers lead by Dr. Alan Tita from the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined the results of 13,258 women who had a scheduled, repeat C-section that was planned for no other medical reason than the fact that the woman had previously had a C-section.

The researchers found that, compared to babies delivered by C-section at 39 weeks of gestation, those born at 37 or 38 weeks had a higher rate of breathing problems, blood sugar problems and serious infections. Moreover, those babies were more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

"Early elected delivery is associated with adverse outcomes for the baby," Tita explained. "And the earlier you deliver, the higher it increases the risk."

These findings are in line with current recommendations by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Yet despite the long list of potential complications associated with C-section delivery before 39 weeks, the study also found that a large number of the women studied -- 36 percent -- chose to schedule a C-section delivery before 39 weeks anyway.

"I have seen women induced or have a scheduled C-section because they have family scheduled to be in town, because they want the baby to be born on an anniversary or someone else's birthday, because they want the baby born prior to Jan. 1 for tax purposes, or because they are simply sick and tired of being pregnant," said Dr. Elaine St. John, associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Other experts say that the increase in C-sections before 39 weeks is due to a lack of understanding of the dangers associated with elective late pre-term birth.

"Most women think the risks to their babies are the same whether the babies are delivered four, three, two or one week before the baby is due," explained Dr. Sessions Cole, director of the Division of Newborn Medicine at the St. Louis Children's Hospital. "This study should help mothers understand that there are significant risks to their babies associated with elective late preterm

Patient Pressure Figures Big

Approximately 30 percent of all babies born in the United States are delivered by C-section. A study published in April 2005 in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that elective C-sections accounted for about 28 percent of all C-sections performed in the U.S. in 2001.

However, many experts report a growing trend toward encouraging women not to schedule an elective C-section before 39 weeks at hospitals all over the country.

"The recommendations for years have been to avoid elective delivery of any kind until after 39 weeks," said Dr. Lisa Jones, a gynecologist at the New Bedford Community Health Center in New Bedford, Mass. "So all this study really does is reinforce what we already knew."

Still, some experts say that the power of maternal insistence in scheduling an early C-section is enough to convince many doctors to go along with their patient's wishes.

"I think the practice of early [C-section delivery] will only end if hospitals ban the practice," Holzman said. "There is little reason for [obstetricians] to stop since they are often pressured by patients."

The study also outlines some of the risks women must consider when opting to deliver by C-section after 39 weeks.

According to Tita, one such risk is having an unexplained stillbirth while waiting for the 39-week-mark to deliver. This risk is very small, but Tita said that it is still best for women to follow ACOG recommendations by waiting the full 39 weeks before delivering by C-section.

Early Surgical Delivery Sometimes Appropriate

There are, however, certain instances in which an early delivery is appropriate.

"If there [are] firm medical indications of risk to the mother's or fetus's ... health [such as] worsening maternal high blood pressure [or] lack of fetal responsiveness ... then delivery is indicated," Cole explained. "However, the risks of these conditions should be weighed against the risks described by this study."

Moreover, Holzman said, "For most of these [conditions], the risks to the fetus in delaying [delivery] are well known and predictable."

Many experts ultimately hope that this study will prove to the public that the risks of early C-section delivery greatly outweigh the benefits in most cases.

"Hopefully articles like this will help educate the general public and fewer babies will be placed at risk in the future," said Dr. Patricia Chess, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Just on a side note, that was mentioned in the news cast itself but not in the text of the article.
36% of all cesarean sections, are elective before 39 weeks.
50% of the cesarean sections before 39 weeks result in NICU care.
70% of the cesarean sections before 39 weeks result in infection in the child.
A child born by cesarean, before 39 weeks is 200% more likely to have respiratory distress.

One Year Post Cesarean

2008-12-11T06:18:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-09T09:32:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-12-08T16:17:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-17T13:35:00.001-08:00

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

2008-10-28T21:52:00.001-07:00

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?

2008-10-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T07:59:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-09-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

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

http://www.icanofconnecticut.yuku.com

Letter from the President

2008-09-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

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!!

2008-09-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-16T12:16:00.001-07:00

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?

2008-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

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.