Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Sad Stats

When at the toLabor training, we watched a video where a woman was talking about her first birth which ended in a cesarean (c-section). It wasn't until after her birth that a nurse pointed out that she had just had, "major abdominal surgery." It was sad to me then, and still is, that there was a failure to mention that a c-section is, "MAJOR abdominal surgery."
The World Health Organization notes, "The best outcomes for mothers and babies appear to occur with cesarean rates of 5% to 10%." As of 2007 the United States had a c-section rate of 31.8%. That is about one in three women having, "major abdominal surgery," to birth their children.
Dr. Bradley had a 3% c-section rate and took high risk moms. AAHCC boasts a 87% "completely natural birth rate." Nebraska has a 28.6-31.9% c-section rate.
"Completely natural birth rate," needs to be explained. It is no longer okay just to ask if you had a, "natural birth." Many people associate, "natural birth," with vaginal delivery, not unmedicated.
The support of a doula lowers c-section and epidural rates.

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