April 1st kicked off the first day of cesarean awareness month, a cause that is very much embedded in me now! Besides childhood cancer awareness, which is in September, I don't know a cause that is more important, for me anyway!
When I had my most recent cesarean it brought out many emotions that were new to me. Although I felt tricked with Landon's birth, this was different! This was a true and heart breaking let down. I didn't know the traumatizing feeling other woman felt, until Emmie came into this world. I unfortunately felt like she was just ripped out of me. How sad is it to fell as if the child you carried for nine plus months isn't even yours! But this is a feeling that all to many woman go through. Yes it is true that moms want a healthy baby, But it is also true woman want a birth that they can feel like they will cherish forever. Some woman, I include myself in this, feel like they will never be able to recover. Some simply won't!
The International Cesarean Awareness Network, ICAN for short, is an organization who is trying to help inform woman of the unnecessarily high cesarean rate.(Which is at an all time high of 32% as of 2007) The hospital my son was born at had a rate of 29.53%. These rates are truly unacceptable. Woman need to be informed of all their choices. Many woman of childbearing age have no clue about these things. I know as a former uneducated mama myself I knew nothing of cesareans or their sky rocketing rates. ICAN wants to let moms know their cesarean rights, their vbac rights and even vaginal birthing rights. Even if you are a first time mom, the the information ICAN gives on pregnancy can take you farther away from the possibility of an unnecessary cesarean. Some of the following links, which can all be found through ICAN, have some really great information for first time mamas, second time plus moms, and even woman who aren't pregnant!
What is ICAN?
Cesarean Fact Sheet
Choosing A Primary Caregiver
Legal Rights For pregnant Woman
Professional Labor Support
Induction of Labor
Pushing Positions
Reading List
ICAN believes "A cesarean can be lifesaving for mother and baby, but is major surgery with all its risks. When a cesarean is truly lifesaving, the benefits outweigh the risks of major surgery. However, with those that are not medically necessary, the risks far outweigh the benefits."
Please fellow mama's and even non-mamas, inform woman. Empower them to take charge of their care because it isn't always an easy thing thing to do in today's over managed obstetrical model of Care. Remember you are a client of your OB/GYN or midwife. You are not a patient!
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