Wanted: Your Voice.

I saw this on one of the mailing lists to which I subscribe and thought it might be of interest to some of our readers. I took the liberty of modifying it for this forum (rather than an email group).

My name is Jennifer Block. I’m a journalist currently working on a nonfiction book about U.S. maternity care, including the rising cesarean rate and the widespread denial of VBAC. My goal is to document how this climate is impacting women and families in all ways. You can help just by getting in touch–you can email me at writingblogck@gmail.com. I’m especially interested in hearing from women who…

  • were coerced into a cesarean
  • had a traumatic cesarean
  • have/had PTSD or other psych problems following a cesarean
  • have/had physical complications following a cesarean
  • want to have a VBAC but can’t find a hospital/provider
  • VBAC women who arrived at the hospital pushing (or any other strategies to achieve a VBAC in a hostile hospital)
  • VBAC women who had a repeat cesarean they did not consent to
  • women who’ve had to travel to access a VBAC provider
  • women who’ve had to hire midwives to travel to them from far away for a VBAC (or breech, twins, etc.)
  • midwives who travel to women wanting VBACs
  • women who’ve decided to go unassisted to achieve VBAC
  • women who’ve opened up their homes to other women seeking VBAC

If you write, please let me know your location, the year of the cesarean and/or VBAC, and a phone number where I can reach you.

My deepest thanks,
Jennifer

October 28, 2006 | Filed Under Cesarean Birth, VBAC | Leave a Comment 

Support your local Midwife

California Association of Midwives - Region 7

Holiday Fundraiser - October thru November 26, 2006

Keeping midwifery care available for women is important to the well-being of society. Outside the U.S., Midwives attend 80% of their countries births. The predominant use of Midwifery care in countries like Sweden, Norway & Germany has ranked them the lowest in the world for maternal & infant mortality. As for the U.S., one of the richest countries in the world, sadly the statistics are not so good. As of 2005, the United States ranks 42nd in infant & maternal mortality* with Midwives attending only 9% of women.*

* Wikipedia

Buy your socks here: California Association of Midwives

October 27, 2006 | Filed Under Midwives/Midwifery | Leave a Comment 

Ambiana’s Home Water Birth

Thank you to Colleen and Mochi for sharing the birth of Ambiana with us! The video was originally up on YouTube.com for whatever reason it was deemed inappropriate and removed! Luckily Mochi is crafty enough to create the code and generously provided it to me to share with all of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Please share your thoughts in the comments section!

October 25, 2006 | Filed Under Home Birth, Home Birth Stories | 8 Comments 

Technology-Intensive Birth Is the Norm

NEW YORK, NY–(MARKET WIRE)–Oct 24, 2006 — Although the great majority of pregnant women in the U.S. are healthy and have good reason to anticipate uncomplicated childbirth, Childbirth Connection’s new “Listening to Mothers II” survey shows that technology-intensive childbirth care is the norm. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for Childbirth Connection, in partnership with Lamaze International. The national survey polled 1,573 women who gave birth in 2005 and found that most mothers experienced numerous labor and birth interventions with various degrees of risk that may be of benefit for mothers with specific conditions, but are inappropriate as routine measures. Overall, survey mothers experienced the following interventions: electronic fetal monitoring (94%), intravenous drip (83%), epidural or spinal analgesia (76%), one or more vaginal exams (75%), urinary catheter (56%), membranes broken after labor began (47%), and synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin) to speed up labor (47%).

Full story here: Yahoo! News and Childbirth Connection

I am sure there will be medical advocates quick to point out all of the flawed data to show why birth must be medicalized even for low-risk healthy women in order to be safe.  “If” there are actually low-risk healthy women walking into hospitals why do they have to have all of these procedures performed.  I’d like to think (ha!) that were I to walk into reportedly the safest place on earth to give birth, an American hospital, that I could go bare because all of the technology necessary to save my life and/or my baby’s life is right at my finger tips.  Why do we go large on everything from fries to birth?

October 24, 2006 | Filed Under In the News | 2 Comments 

A home VBAC water birth story, by D.W.

I have 2 beautiful sons … both born into this world in completely different ways.

When I became pregnant with my first son, I found a doctor and hired a doula. I fully expected a beautiful hospital birth. I was very wrong! My pregnancy was normal and wonderful, except for borderline high blood pressure. (White coat syndrome!) Two days before my due date with contractions starting, my blood pressure went up just over the dreaded 140/90 and off to the hospital I went. I was admitted at around noon and at 7:00 p.m. my baby was born via C-Section. He was beautiful and healthy, however I was disappointed. There was lots of healing to do.

I remained in contact with my doula, R.K., and over the next couple of years our friendship grew. She often talked to me about her practice. I listened to her stories about many hospital births and how doctors treated these women. I realized the medical community treats pregnancy as a disease, and birth as the cure! When actually… it’s a perfectly natural process, and yes women do have a choice! Knowing my husband, Justin, and I wanted another child, I realized I would have a tremendous obstacle to overcome … having a VBAC.

Read more

October 13, 2006 | Filed Under Home Birth, Home Birth Stories, VBAC | 6 Comments 

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