Cesarean Awareness Month

First of all, my apologies for being MIA.....with teaching Bradley classes and a daughter who is in the midst of some more "separation anxiety", I have been extremely busy. (The loads of laundry and winter clothes that are still not packed away can attest to this truth!) Okay, onto the selected topic....

April is Cesarean Awareness Month! Now that April is almost over, I bet you are glad I gave you so much notice. ;) I encourage all of you to at least think about the issue of Cesareans for a few minutes today, especially given that the rate of c-sections are increasing with each passing year. The U.S. now has a cesarean rate of over 30%. That means that in any given group of three pregnant women, one of them will undergo MAJOR ABDOMINAL surgery to deliver her baby.

You can visit www.ican-online.org for more about the issue in general. It is the home site of the International Cesarean Awareness Network. The group is dedicated to prevention of medically unnecessary cesareans, as well as support for women who are trying for a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). They are THE source on cesarean information and plainly talk about the risks of c-section versus vaginal delivery. Despite what Britney Spears may have believed or inadvertently promoted with her 2 elective c-sections, there are very real and high risks associated with cesarean delivery. In a later post, I plan to address some of the common myths associated with Cesareans, but for this post, I will just babble while you read. ;)

As you may or may not know, Cavan was born via c-section on August 25, 2004. That date has forever changed me as a person on multiple levels, not the least of which entails the incredible transformation from "woman" to "mother", draped in all the immense and awesome responsibilities of that title. My son emerged from my womb with his beautiful blue, inquisitive eyes and that adorable chin! He was healthy, perfect and whole. He was the product of my love for my husband, nourished completely by my body for nine-plus months. How could a person NOT be changed after going through pregnancy and birth?

However, another change occurred on that late night when I was cut open. Along with my son, a birth activist was also born. As I laid on that hard, cold table...staring up at those harsh, glaring lights (conjuring up that exact deer-in-headlights feeling of fear, dread and helplessness)...I *knew* there was a better way for babies to be born. I *knew* this was not what Our Creator intended. I *knew* this was not how my baby boy was supposed to be born. Don't get me wrong. I am very thankful that our medical technology has advanced to where it is today and I thank God we have it available for when complications/emergencies occur. But the problem is that in the U.S. today, way too many cesareans are being done for the wrong reasons. In the majority of cases, they are NOT occurring for true medical emergencies or complications. We have gotten so accustomed to meddling with the normal, natural process of birth that it is *we* who are actually creating the vast majority of complications and emergencies. (When I say "we", I guess I really mean the medical staff as neither you nor I are standing in today's birthing rooms...unless you all have a side job as an OB/GYN physician or nurse that I knew nothing about!)

I am all in favor of medical interventions, when indicated. I am totally supportive of c-sections, when medically necessary. What I am not in favor of is the ROUTINE use of interventions. What I am not supportive of is scheduled c-sections for the convenience of mother or doctor. There is no scientific test telling us when a baby should be born. We have due dates (or "guess dates" as a friend of mine called it), but we have to remember it is an ESTIMATED due date, which is why it is written on charts as "EDD". Dr. Bradley compared a baby's gestational time to apples ripening on a tree. They do NOT all ripen and fall at the same exact time. They each ripen and fall at the time unique to their development. Babies are the same way. I believe there are reasons that babies are born when they are, some maybe even beyond all of our medical and scientific understanding. We should not be deciding when babies are "done" or "due". Babies will come when babies are ready. This is a VERY HARD lesson that I wish I had learned before trying to hurry my son out with natural induction methods.

Patience is a virtue, a very difficult one at that and one (which I'm sure many of you have seen) that I struggle with continuously. I *know* how hard it is to be patient, especially when you are nine months pregnant and big and fat and tired and aching. I *know* how much you want that baby out of you by the end of it all. I *know* how easy it is to believe that baby does not need any more intrauterine time. But the truth of the matter is that we do not know how long each individual baby needs inside its mother's womb. Some only need 37 weeks...some need 45 weeks. (IF that second number has shocked you, rest assured, I have a close, personal friend who went a little bit over 45 weeks with her third child. She was born at home...perfect, healthy and beautiful without any complications.)

I would urge you to give the issue of birth another look. How do you view childbirth? What kind of images stir in your head? Are you scared of it or do you embrace the unpredictability that this life process brings? Do you trust that womens' bodies and their babies know how to be born without help? Do you trust that 95% of the time things will be fine? What fears do you have surrounding childbirth? What memories of childbirth impact your view? How do you view obstetricians? How do you view midwives? All of these are just food for thought. In this month of April, I ask you to take a few minutes to remember all the women you know who are mothers. Take a minute to honor all they have done for their children and families. Take a minute to remember all the women who have undergone c-sections, those you know and those you don't. Honor their journey and pray for their healing. Take a minute of gratitude for your own mother, who at the very least carried you in her womb and birthed you into this crazy world. And finally, take one last minute to think about how your own beliefs/stories/anecdotes/fears are currently shaping the beliefs/stories/anecdotes/fears of childbearing women you know in your own life.