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ICAN E-News Line
International Cesarean Awareness Network
Volume 29
June 23, 2005
Focus: Homebirth Lowers the Cesarean Rates
In This Issue:
1. Essay: Homebirth Lowers the Cesarean Rates 4. Press Release: Certified Professional Midwives and Cesarean Rates COME GROW WITH US!
Have you ever wanted to work with a diverse team of talented, motivated members who all share a core-value experience? The ICAN Board of Directors is comprised of women whose post-cesarean journey includes a commitment to improving maternal-child health. ICAN is the only consumer-based non-profit organization dedicated to cesarean prevention, recovery and VBAC support. Exponential growth over the past five years has created the need to add more leaders to the ICAN team. Please read the descriptions of open ICAN positions (both Board and non-Board) and consider applying for the best work-from-home 1. Essay: Homebirth Lowers the Cesarean Rates
I am so impressed by the numbers in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that show planned home births with Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) result in significantly lower cesarean rates than planned hospital births. It is a study of over 5,000 pregnant women in the United States and Canada planning home birth. The result was a 3.7 percent cesarean rate among all mothers and a 1.7 percent cesarean rate among women who previously gave birth vaginally. This is a study that has the numbers to support its conclusion: Homebirth lowers the cesarean rate. Homebirth lowers the cesarean rate. What does this mean for the average pregnant woman? Planning a homebirth lowers her chance of a cesarean. Planning a homebirth lowers her chance of a cesarean. What does this mean for the average pregnant woman? It means an easier recovery, a faster discharge, with a lower risk of rehospitalization. It means a lower risk of infection, of secondary infertility, of hysterectomy, of future miscarriages and still births. Planning a homebirth lowers her chance of a cesarean. What does this mean for the baby? It means a lower risk of prematurity, of respiratory problems, of lacerations, of low birth weight and of having an incapacitated mother. Planning a homebirth lowers her chance of a cesarean. What does this mean to Certified Professional Midwives? It means homebirth midwives give a great service to birthing families. It is a through their care that homebirth lowers the cesarean rate. Birthing families need their support and they need ours. Homebirth lowers the cesarean rate. What does this mean to the International Cesarean Awareness Network? It means ICAN supports birthing families’ choice to give birth where it not only feels safe, but were it is safe, at home. The ICAN Store has an incredible list of books and now takes credit cards! The ICAN Store now has the conference manual (invaluable information!) and conference tote bag (awesome for carrying all your birth stuff!). The ICAN Store now has ICAN Bracelets! Each one is unique and hand made by ICAN’s Vice-President, Pamela Udy. Order yours today! Did you miss the conference? Were you there but had to choose between two great sessions? Order conference tapes, either single sessions or the entire conference! http://www.allstartapes.com/conferences/conference_912.shtml 2. Chapter Spotlight: Colorado
ICAN of Colorado City: Denver Kristi Conroy Website: www.thereevesplace.com/ICANofColorado/home.htm ICAN of Greater Colorado Springs City: Colorado Springs Desirre Andrews Website: health.groups.yahoo.com/group/icangreatercoloradosprings/ Desirre sends this message about the local ICAN chapter: ICAN of Greater Colorado Springs is still very new. We do have wonderful support from several doulas, educators and other birth professionals to get the word out that we are here. In our area we have a 23.3% cesarean rate average between the two non-military hospitals. Though this number seems low in comparison to other locales our average went up over 10% from 2002 to 2003. We are seeing many more RCS (not sure how elective they really are) with only a few doctors “willing” to work with VBAC moms and more primary cesareans after failed inductions done for non-medical reasons. Just recently I met with a mom who had a primary cesarean by general anesthesia (mom is a larger woman and the epidural didn’t take) due to FTP within 6.5 hours from the start of pitocin (she had cytotec overnight). There was no fetal or maternal distress, this is a young woman who was prodded and bullied into interventions she didn’t want for a post dates baby who was only a little over 6 pounds. This is a sad story but with the exception of the general anesthesia not an uncommon one. This is a very informed and educated mom and dad who were pushed into an induction after a routine visit. The cascade effect speaks volumes. Our hope is to become a valuable presence in Colorado Springs. The International Cesarean Awareness Network and www.mommychats.com have teamed up to bring you bi-weekly chats on pregnancy, avoiding a cesarean, vaginal birth after a cesarean and recovery issues. ICAN’s Board of Directors, who are all mommies, are taking turns chatting with the mommies at mommychats.com. This chat is EVERY OTHER Wednesday. The next chat is June 29th. The time is 4-5pm Pacific, 5-6pm Mountain, 6-7pm Central, 7-8pm Eastern – in the "Pregnancy_Birth" chat room. 3. ICAN in the News
Shannon Mitchell, a member of ICAN’s Board of Directors, was quoted in the Boca Raton News : “Women are not a part of the system, they are just part of the machinery,” said Mitchell, who said women are not being given “the full picture of informed consent” by their obstetricians. Read the full story click here. ICAN E-News invites you to send in your thoughts, comments, favorite quotes, birth stories, questions, websites and studies. 4. Press Release: Certified Professional Midwives and Cesarean Rates
POINT OF CONTACT:
June 18, 2005
Study Shows Home Birth Lowers Cesarean Risk
A landmark study published June 18 in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) shows planned home births with Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) result in significantly lower cesarean rates than planned hospital births. The 2000 study by a Canadian epidemiologist and a CPM tracked more than 5,000 pregnant women in the United States and Canada planning home birth. The result was a 3.7 percent cesarean rate among all mothers and a 1.7 percent cesarean rate among women who previously gave birth vaginally. “Based on these study results, women who want to avoid a cesarean should consider planning a home birth with a Certified Professional Midwife,” said Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). “Double digit cesarean rates subject women and babies to the risks of preventable surgery and drive up the cost of health care for everyone.” The Centers for Disease Control documented a 23 percent cesarean rate for the U.S. in 2000, the same year in which the study was conducted. The most recent figures available show the U.S. with a 27.6 percent cesarean rate in 2003 and Canada with a 24 percent rate in 2002. “We hope the positive results of this home birth study will move the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to review their protocols and guidelines to support women who choose home birth and to integrate Certified Professional Midwives into the healthcare system,” Jamois said. Currently, ACOG opposes home birth. The largest study of its kind to date found that “planned home births for low-risk women in the United States are associated with similar safety and less medical intervention as low-risk hospital births.” http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abridged/330/7505/1416 ICAN recognizes that when a cesarean is necessary it can be a lifesaving technique for both mother and baby and worth the risks involved. However, a cesarean is major surgery and should be used only when necessary because it does introduce risks. Potential risks to babies include: low birth weight; prematurity; respiratory problems; and lacerations. Potential risks to mothers include: hemorrhage; infection; hysterectomy; surgical mistakes; re-hospitalization; dangerous placental abnormalities in future pregnancies; unexplained stillbirth in future pregnancies and increased percentage of maternal death. ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are more than 70 ICAN Chapters in the U.S. and Canada, which hold education and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery. For more information, visit www.ican-online.org or call ICAN President Tonya Jamois at (760) 744-5260 or the ICAN office at (800) 686-ICAN. MEDIA NOTE
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are direct-entry midwives (DEMs) who
earned certification from the North American Registry of Midwives (www.narm.org)
and who practice primarily in out-of-hospital settings.
Some states, such as South Carolina, that have regulatory laws governing home birth midwives also give a licensure title to the midwives who meet specific state- defined criteria. These midwives are called Licensed Midwives (LMs). In other
states, such as Florida, licensed midwifery training culminates in taking the exam
for Certified Professional Midwife in order to practice in that state.
A midwife who is a CPM and/or LM would include that acronym after her name as in Jane Smith, CPM, LM. The above midwives are NOT to be confused with Certified Nurse-Midwives
(CNMs) who work with obstetricians in providing maternity care for women
delivering in a hospital setting or in some cases a birth center.
Do you have really great pregnancy and/or birthy photos? Cesareans, vaginal births, you name it.ICAN needs it! There are many occasions where we needs birth photos: presentations; brochures; website; promotional material; and for the media. Last summer when I was getting a session ready to present to Bradley instructors, many of you sent some really great photos. ICAN would now like to document and formalize these as well as any others that you think are extra special. At our last Board planning retreat, we decided to compile a stock photo library for use in these sorts of projects. Would you like to donate your photos to ICAN? E-mail me at president@ican-online.org if you are interested. We have a release form that we would need you to sign giving us your permission to use your pictures. This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not replace the advice of a qualified birth professional. You are receiving this newsletter because you are either an ICAN subscriber or have recently contacted our organization. To unsubscribe from this list visit this link. To update your preferences visit this link. ICAN respects the Internet and the privacy of those who use it. We do not rent or sell our e-mail list to anyone. Copyright 2005 International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc.

Source: http://www.ican-online.org/news/enews/archive/enews29.pdf