Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Cesarean rates in MS increased 22.8% in ten years.

According to the 2012 Report on Hospitals - Licensed by Mississippi State Department of Health
Division of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification, the cesarean rate in Mississippi increased from 11,790 in 2002 to 14,478 in 2012.
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Avoiding a C-Section: What every pregnant woman needs to know. 
You can significantly reduce your chances of having a C-Section by informed choice of a caregiver and birth place.  Here's how:

1. Exercise moderately during pregnancy.  Sedentary women are 4x as likely to deliver via caesarean section as women who did aerobics during the first or second trimester.

2. Find a caregiver who has a low C-Section rate and is experienced with successful VBACs.  This is true even if you don't need a VBAC, because it means your caregiver doesn't default to caesareans.
3. Find a caregiver who will give you all the time you need, rather than rushing your delivery because of staffing issues.
4. Ask your caregiver what she does if your baby is in a breech position in late pregnancy.  You want to hear that she is experienced with turning babies and always tries that before scheduling a C-Section.
5. Check Hospital policies.  If you're considering a VBAC, be sure to use a hospital that allows VBACs.
6. Arrange continuous trained labor support, which studies show keeps labor moving.  If you aren't using a midwife, supplement your OB by hiring an experienced labor doula. A 2001 study in the journal of perinatal education showed a 56% reduction in the risk of caesarean in women receiving continuous one to one nursing/doula or midwifery care.
7. Be sure that your caregiver and birth venue encourage practices that support the normal process of labor and keep it moving:
  • Arrange to stay upright and moving rather than lying down.
  • Stay well-nourished and hydrated to give you energy 
  • Avoid continuous electronic fetal monitoring
  • Avoid hastening labor with pitocin, which increases the severity of contractions and makes other medical interventions much more likely.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

See this on the hospital with the highest c-section rate in Mississippi: http://humanwithuterus.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/cesareans-are-us-mississippi/

ICANofJacksonMS said...

Wow! Thank you for such a well thought out article. It is sad that so many providers in our area refuse to provide care for VBAC. Many are still telling women that horrible lie of, "once a cesarean, always a cesarean."