Come on over to cesareanrates.com. The Unnecesarean will be updated weekly from this point on. May this post serve as an apology for the exceptionally weird and/or corny content in the past months while I got the new site ready. I am sure you have had your fill of photoshoppery and sarcasm.
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I re-posted (from here) this glorious photo series of bellies to the Facebook page. Bellies… they’re so beautiful. I revere them. You should, too.
]]>After a decline from 1990 to 2004, the percentage of U.S. births that occurred at home increased by 29%, from 0.56% of births in 2004 to 0.72% in 2009.
For non-Hispanic white women, home births increased by 36%, from 0.80% in 2004 to 1.09% in 2009. About 1 in every 90 births for non-Hispanic white women is now a home birth. Home births are less common among women of other racial or ethnic groups.
Home births are more common among women aged 35 and over, and among women with several previous children.
Home births have a lower risk profile than hospital births, with fewer births to teenagers or unmarried women, and with fewer preterm, low birthweight, and multiple births.
The percentage of home births in 2009 varied from a low of 0.2% of births in Louisiana and the District of Columbia, to a high of 2.0% in Oregon and 2.6% in Montana.
I was asked my cesarean rate recently and gave my stock answer of “I do not know. I have never calculated the percentage because it is as low as possible, so why bother with the number?”
This.
Was.
The.
Wrong.
Answer.
]]>Here is question posted here by Nicole: “So what are you supposed to do when the hospital closest to you has a VBAC ban? Show up when ready to push?” What did you do? Stories?
Responses are pasted below.
]]>A couple thousand years ago, a nice Jewish girl has a baby in a stable. Rejoicing ensues. And so it should: the astonishing event of birth resonates with us at a primal level. It’s an everyday occurrence… ]]>
In case you’re not following the recent round of articles about the National Health Service’s new guidelines about cesareans, here’s a quick round-up.
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The prompt:
Suppose that tomorrow you were faced with a woman in a similar situation, and an estimated fetal weight of 10 pounds. Would you offer her an elective C-section? Why or why not? How would you counsel her about the risks? Could you do that without mentioning the risk of death? In what way would that be different than playing the “dead baby card?” Please tell me the specific language that you would use as a doctor. Mother has diet controlled gestational diabetes and otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy.
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]]>Florida has seven hospitals with total cesarean rates over 50%, with South Miami Hospital reporting that 61.8% of its 4,360 births were via cesarean section.
[Click over to view table and total rates] ]]>
