Interested in home birth, hospital birth or private midwifery care? Questions or comments? Email Melissa Maimann or call 0400 418 448.
… c-sections now account for one third of all births, and … a big reason for this increase is the over-use of labor induction.
•Almost half of women wanting vaginal births were induced.
•Women who were induced were twice as likely to have a cesarean birth as moms whose labor starts spontaneously.
•Of the c-sections done after induction, half were performed before the cervix had dilated to six centimeters, “suggesting that clinical impatience may play a role.”
•A third of first time mothers had c-sections.
•C-sections upon maternal request (those done for non-medical reasons) account for only 9% of c-sections.
•Attempts at VBAC are less likely to result in vaginal birth than previously thought. Few women are offered the option of VBAC.
… what can you do about all this if you are pregnant and want a vaginal birth? Here are a few ideas:
- Talk to your care provider … about his or her rates of induction, c-section and episiotomy …
- Educate yourself about labor induction …
- Stay home in early labor …
- Choose a midwife if you’re opting for a natural birth
- See an experienced independent childbirth educator for childbirth education classes
- Ask questions
- Read, read, read
Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448