Unnecesarean: The Blog

CesareanRates.com

Jill — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:13:52 +0000

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.

A Victory for Activists™: Censoring the Glory of the Belly

Jill — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:57:43 +0000

I had planned to post something substantial today but this is so much better.

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.

Venn Diagram of Site Metrics: Readership of The Unnecesarean

Jill — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:23:05 +0000

How exactly would one describe our large, lurky readership? With science, of course.

Home Births in the United States, 1990-2009

Jill — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:52:39 +0000

CDC National Center for Health Statistics released a new data brief today on home birth in the United States.

Key findings include:

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.

NCHS Data Brief No. 84: Home Births in the United States, 1990–2009

Down Home Gynecology

Jill — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:04:31 +0000

A friend just inquired as to whether I wrote this. The answer is yes. Of course I did. And I posed for the rendering that also appears on mudflaps which you can pick up for $27.99 at your nearest NAPA Auto Parts. Incidentally, you can also pick up a lot of the down home gyno supplies recommended in my book at NAPA, so bring your checkbook.

Why It's Difficult to Calculate Provider-Level Cesarean Rates

Jill — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Guest post by Jill’s Friend, MD

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.

Iowa Cesarean Rates by Hospital, 2010

Jill — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:27:03 +0000

SOURCE: Iowa Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Statistics

"Non C-Section Deliveries"

Jill — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:39:53 +0000

Aw, c’mon now. Really?

Twin Birth Rate in the U.S. Rose 76 Percent in Two Decades

Jill — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:01:00 +0000

CDC NCHS released a new data brief this morning on twin births in the United States from 1980 to 2009. Here are the key findings from the report:

Working to Ban VBAC at Your Hospital? Then Stop Griping About Home Birth

Jill — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:51:52 +0000

I posted this prompt over yonder on the Facebook page:

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.

Minnesota Cesarean Rates by Hospital, 2010

Jill — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:54:44 +0000

SOURCE: Minnesota Hospital Assocation

Massachusetts Ten Highest Total Cesarean Rates, 2008 and 2009

Jill — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Almost as fun as The Late Show Top Ten List, but not.

Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina Receives $1M in Support

Jill — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

I have kept tabs on the Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina since they produced the following video, Maverick, in which a mom talks about the repercussions of an early induction of her baby. PQCNC has managed to get more than half of North Carolina’s 91 hospitals that deliver babies to participate in their initiatives, which focus on quality improvement and cost reduction.

Illinois Cesarean Rates by Hospital, 2010

Jill — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The above data for the calendar year 2010 can be found on the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board site, which falls under the auspices of the Illinois Department of Public Health. The report that lists both live births by hospital and number of cesareans performed at each hospital is called the Annual Hospital Quality Data Spreadsheet, which was last revised on November 29, 2011.

The Nativity Story: 2011

Jill — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

By Lauren Plante, MD

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…

Better Risk Counseling Tends to Lower Procedure Utilization

Jill — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:16:05 +0000

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.

PhotoShop: Bradley Book Guy and Short-Shorts

Jill — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:08:28 +0000

I don’t feel like doing anything this week. Can you please PhotoShop the Bradley Book Guy and email me your masterpiece by tomorrow? I will post the ones that make me laugh the hardest on Friday. Why? Because short-shorts. Your template awaits…

How I Would Counsel a Woman with a Suspected Large Baby

Jill — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:29:52 +0000

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.

U.S. Cesarean Rate Drops for First Time in More Than a Decade

Jill — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:01:00 +0000

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics just released the latest birth statistics for the United States. According to the report, Births: Preliminary Data for 2010, the national cesarean rate dropped from 32.9% to 32.8%. This is the first time in more than a decade that the rate has not increased.

Mission Accomplished!

Jill — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

High fives for all regular readers of The Unnecesarean who saw this PhotoShop coming.

Cesarean Rates by State, 2010

Jill — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Cesarean delivery rates by state, 2010.

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard Applauds the Home Birth Consensus Summit

Jill — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:46:46 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) spoke in the House of Representatives today to recognize the significance of the consensus document produced by the Home Birth Consensus Summit that took place in Warrenton, VA between October 20 and 22.[Click over to watch video]

Monday Open Thread

Jill — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:55:19 +0000

Today’s open thread is hosted by A Rad Baby. Look at that punim! He’s extremely rad. My friend made him.

Jury awards $144 million for failure to perform a C-section

Jill — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Geoffrey Fieger, famous for representing Dr. Jack Kervorkian, is now notable for a new reason. He just won one of the largest medical malpractice verdicts in history in an obstetric case. The claim? Failure to perform a C-section, of course.

OMG, R U SRSLY WRITING ABOUT THE VAMPIRE CESAREAN IN BREAKING DAWN?

Jill — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Yep. The vampire cesarean returns…

CDC Publishes "Births: Final Data for 2009"

Jill — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:01:30 +0000

Click over to read more.

Florida Cesarean Rates by Hospital, 2010

Jill — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported that the total cesarean rate for the state of Florida in 2009 was 38.1%, giving Florida the distinction of the having the fourth highest cesarean rate in the country following Louisiana, New Jersey and New York.

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]

Second City's Completely Honest OB-GYN

Jill — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:56:45 +0000

Warning: Salty language ahead

Home Birth Consensus Summit Statements

ANaturalAdvocate — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:30:07 +0000

Recently, both Jill Arnold and Tara N. Gaston attended the Home Birth Consensus Summit along with representatives from a number of groups with a stake in home birth (see the stakeholder list here). After much work, thought, and a bit of fun, the assembled delegates were able to reach a consensus and worked together to create the following statement. None of the statements necessary reflect the opinion or agreement of any organization with which any of the delegates may be affiliated (you can find the list of delegates and biographical information here). The statements are obviously very broad, but the delegates also worked together to create action plans, some of which are already being implemented.

Insurance Coverage and Elective Cesareans In New Jersey

ANaturalAdvocate — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:53:38 +0000

A new article in the American Journal of Public Health looks at the elective cesarean delivery rates of women with various forms of insurance coverage, including private plans, Medicaid, and self-payers. “Whether primary prelabor cesarean delivery is indicated matters for health policy. If a substantial number of these surgeries were not medically indicated, then education, financial incentives for vaginal deliveries, and other management tools could reduce the rate of elective cesarean delivery procedures. If they are indicated, a rising rate implies either that maternal health is worsening or that changes in obstetric practice are broadening the set of clinical indications, or both.”