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."