I recently read an article posted on CNN (linked to by several blogs that I read) which listed very succinctly five ways to avoid a c-section.
1. Don't get induced unless medically necessary
2. Labor at home until you're approximately 3 centimeters dilated.
3. Choose your hospital, and your practitioner, carefully
4. In the delivery room, ask questions if your practitioner says you need a C-section.
5. Get a doula.
Please read the whole article to get more details. With the amount of hospitals who are willing to allow patients to attempt V-BACs (Vaginal Births After Cesarean) nearly disappearing off of the landscape, it is even more important for pregnant ladies to be informed of their practitioner's and hospital's cesarean rates. And while a doula cannot "protect" a woman from getting a c-section, working with a doula can help you endure the last weeks of pregnancy, avoiding induction, and labor in the comfort of your home for as long as possible.
4 comments:
Amy, I am thankful you put things like this up here. While it was medically necessary for me to be induced (pre-eclampsia WAS setting in...) I didn't really want it and was totally NOT into a c-section. You give great advice for first time moms-to-be but all women in general. I guess I was confused I thought hospitals providing VBAC was a new thing, but it is disappearing? So sad! My mother-in-law was forced to not have any more children because hospitals in Mexico only allow 2 c-section births per woman. She would have loved to have more children but was gifted only her two boys.
Thank you again for your great work as a "belly-loving mama" (I love that!)
Don't have a child that is breach that doesn't help either. Bless Madie's heart, but that girl would't budge even when they tried to turn her. Ethan didn't help either the v-back wasn't successful because he had the cord wrapped around his neck. After two c-sections, your doomed, you have to have the rest. I think this is great that you can do this and help others. Wish I would have been able to experience a vaginal birth, but they have to come out somehow, and that's what's really important.
Not to be a comment hog, but I just read the comment above. My doctors have always told me that about 4 and maybe 5 c-sections is about the max. I feel bad that they capped that women at two. I just wish the patient had more rights and that hospitals wouldn't dictate so much of what women are allowed to do. The Hospital I had Ethan at wasn't even allowing v-bacs but I didn't care I signed their little wavier and decided to wait until I went into labor then went to the hospital. What we're they going to do turn me away? Even my doctor at the time thought it was stupid they were doing that. Sorry I just have my opinions on the subject. Wish all those people opting to have c-sections to avoid labor would stop ruining for the rest of us that have no choice.
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