Cesarean Sections

At the bottom of this post is an article that was written by a former client of mine, Coleen Read. Coleen is now a La Leche League leader in Scarsdale, NY. Her submission articulates a fantastic response to the Journal News Article from Feb. 4 about the alarming C-Section rate in Westchester and across the US.

http://www.pediatrics9.com/index.php?mod=news&code=view&id=190

With the health care system in our country failing, it is sad to see that unnecessary surgeries continue to be performed with little question about their safety. Representative Amy Paulin responded to the article detailing her efforts to reduce the number of medically unnecessary Cesarens in an opinion piece on Feb. 12.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20100212/OPINION/2120310/Women-need-to-be-informed-about-the-risks-of-C-sections

I would also encourage you to read the article in the Sunday New York Times from March 7 regarding the low Cesarean Section rate on aNative American reservation in Yuma, Arizona. On the reservation, the federal government is the Insurance company and the malpractice insurer. The care providers, mostly midwives, are paid a salary and get no increase in pay for performing surgery. They have a very low C-section rate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/health/07birth.htm



Here is the response from Coleen with information about how to educate yourself toward a safer and more satisfying birth experience for your whole family.




It is indeed alarming that the rate of cesarean births has reached as high as 58 percent at Lawrence Hospital Center in Bronxville and 45 percent at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers and Sound Shore Medical Center in New Rochelle, according to 2008 statistics, the latest figures available. What will the data for 2009 and 2010 reveal?

In such an important article on the risks of the rising cesarean rate in our area, I was troubled to read so much space devoted to an obstetrician-gynecologist who performs the "procedure safely and with minimal scarring." Rather than highlighting the services of one doctor who uses major abdominal surgery to deliver babies, the article could have instead devoted more space to informing women about the many community resources that are available to help them decide where and how to birth their babies, possibly avoiding unnecessary c-sections and leading to more vaginal births after a previous cesarean (VBACs).

New York state's Maternity Information Law requires all hospitals in New York to provide statistics about their childbirth practices and procedures. The latest information (2008) is online at the New York State Department of Health Web site. Another resource is the free booklet, "Your Guide to a Healthy Birth," also available from the state Department of Health.

Another source of free information and support for all mothers-to-be and new mothers is La Leche League (LLL) of Westchester. An international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization, LLL supports the view that alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start, and that the breastfeeding relationship can stimulate the optimal physical and emotional growth of the child and the development of close family relationships. There are six LLL groups in Westchester with monthly meetings across the county, from Scarsdale, Yonkers, Pelham and White Plains, to Hastings, Katonah and Yorktown. Currently, 16 volunteer, accredited LLL leaders in Westchester field calls and e-mails from women with questions about preparing for childbirth, breastfeeding and related aspects of nutrition and parenting.
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To contact a leader in Westchester or to find out meeting information, log onto www.lllusa.org/NYE/Westchester/westchester.HTM or www.llli.org.


Another local nonprofit organization offering free information and support to women about childbirth options is the Westchester Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). Its mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. Their meetings are open to anyone who had a cesarean or a disappointing or scary birth experience for any reason; anyone who is pregnant, or considering pregnancy; anyone who wants to lower her chances of having a cesarean; anyone who already knows she needs to have a cesarean; and professionals who work with women during the childbearing years.

Chapter meetings for ICAN of Westchester take place in White Plains the first Thursday of each month, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. For more details, call 914-421-1500 or see www.fullcirclefamilycare.com/ican.htm or www.ican-online.org/.

Another local resource for expectant women and new mothers is the Hudson Valley Birth Network, a group founded on the belief that birth is a normal, natural, physiological event. Its goal is to promote awareness and availability of childbirth options through information, support and advocacy. Their Web site has a list of helpful Web links; recommended reading on pregnancy, labor and birth; and contact details for local birth doulas, childbirth educators, midwives, and other related birth professionals. Log onto www.hudsonvalleybirthnetwork.com/.

I surrounded myself with helpful information and support from community resources such as these well before and after the birth of my son here in Westchester in 2006.

I used the services of a midwife practice delivering at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, where the rate of cesarean births was the lowest in the county in 2008, at 25 percent.

In my third trimester, my husband and I took a childbirth class with an educator certified by the International Childbirth Education Association and whom I found through the Hudson Valley Birth Network. She in turn recommended a postpartum doula, certified by Doulas of North America International and who supported me after the birth and helped me with breastfeeding and adjusting to motherhood.



I also contacted La Leche League of Westchester and attended its support meetings while pregnant and as a new mother.

In the hospital, with the help of my husband, my team of certified nurse midwives, a labor tub and acupuncture treatment for relaxation and pain management, I birthed my son without having a c-section and went on to successfully breastfeed him.