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Compression devices will become a standard part of post C-section care.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is changing their standard procedure regarding post Cesarean section care in an effort to prevent new moms from suffering, and possibly dying, from deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
The new guidelines, published in the September issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, call for compression devices to be used following surgery as part of regular post cesarean surgical care.
The reasons for more c sections
In an early release article in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Yale researchers report the results of a new, large study examining the rise in c-section rates in the U.S.
After examining records from over 32,000 births, the researchers found that the c-section rate went from 26% in 2003 to 36.5% in 2009. The lowest rates are in Utah, highest in New Jersey.
Half of the rise was attributable to a rise in second-time cesarean births, since most doctors and hospitals encourage moms who have had a c-section before to use the method in subsequent births.
But the other 50% resulted from a rise in first-time cesareans. When the researchers looked into the reasons doctors do c-sections, they found that 32% were due to “nonreassuring fetal status,” for example, an abnormal heart rate during labor.
Elective c-sections have been blamed for the increase before, so in this study, what percentage of c-sections were at the request of the mom?
C-sections at an all-time high in spite of few moms actually preferring them.
New birthing data was recently compiled from nearly 20,000 women from all over the world. Though countless studies have documented the well known rise in C-section deliveries, Dr. Agustina Mazzoni, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and her colleagues conducted the first meta analysis that actually examined women’s preference. They scoured over medical literature and found 38 different studies which comprised 19,403 women from the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.
And though the percentages varied within each locale, the overall percentage of women who preferred a c-section to a vaginal deliver is a lot lower than some might think.
How'd you get here?
Let me be clear: I think the C-section rate is much too high. When it comes to childbirth, a woman should be able to have a vaginal birth. Like John, I know that C-sections can be complicated. Like Danielle, I wouldn’t elect to have a Cesarean section.
But I had a C-section when I had my twins. And even though it’s major surgery, it went very smoothly. I was up and about in a day and my overall recovery was pretty easy.
And, there’s this: the C-section probably saved my life and my daughter’s. Who knows if my son would’ve made it if I didn’t, I’m glad we didn’t find out. Why did I need that C-section?I had a complication called placenta previa. Actually, it was a partial previa, which means that a section of my daughter’s placenta overlapped with my cervix. Since the placenta delivers blood to the fetus, during childbirth, as the cervix opens, heavy blood loss for mother and child can result. Continue reading »
C-section births reached an all-time high in 2008.
When my wife was pregnant with triplets, her OB/GYN recommended that she deliver our trio via cesarean section. And while we understood that given her scenario, a c-section was the safest option, it wasn’t how either one of us envisioned the birth happening. When it comes down to it, were it not for the triplets, we would have opted for a vaginal birth.
Turns out couples like us are growing fewer and farther between.
US News and World Report posted an article today which details a new report that shows c-section deliveries reached an all-time high in 2008, accounting for almost one in three U.S. births. Though the overall birthrate has dropped (except for women over 40) the c-section rate is doing anything but. Continue reading »
Would you choose surgery over the pain of childbirth?
Dr. Lisa Umholtz, OB/GYN, has no problem when a woman requests to have an elective cesarean section performed in order to avoid the pain of childbirth. With tocophobia (the fear of childbirth) on the rise, some doctors simply do not mind the surgical procedure if it means that women can have healthy babies.
“Just in the last 10 years, we’ve been giving people that option; if they want to go straight to the c-section they can,” Dr. Umholtz said.
But there are risks involved with surgery of any kind and although increasingly common, cesarean sections still pose significant risks to mom and baby.
Risks for mom include infection, heavy blood loss, blood clots, nausea, vomiting, and severe headache after the delivery (related to anesthesia and the abdominal procedure), bowel problems, such as constipation or when the intestines stop moving waste material normally, and maternal death which is admittedly very rare. The risk of death for women who have a planned cesarean delivery is very low (about 6 in 100,000). Continue reading »
Surgical Delivery
Being a mother who has given birth twice via a cesarean section, when I saw the title of this article in my in-box I couldn’t skip over it. Are c-section babies happier kids? My interest was sparked!
Over on BabyCenter, Author Marcella Gates reported a new Chinese study reported by Reuters yesterday. According to the study – babies who undergo a difficult vaginal delivery are more likely to develop behavioral problems over children born via c-section. Continue reading »
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