Being Grateful

For many of us who have had a cesarean section, we are often told we should "be grateful" about the experience. Be grateful we have a healthy baby. Be grateful we have the opportunity to have such top-notch medical care. And on and on. And for many of us, this marginalizes our experience as we are not "grateful" for our cesareans.

But for many people who did not have a birth trauma or others in the medical community our reluctance to accept or even embrace the cesarean is baffling. Our grief and feelings of loss are compared and compartmentalized as some sort of affliction of affluence. At least we are not squatting in a mine field, laboring for days. All we had was a minor surgery that saved the life of our babies. Show a little gratitude.

But this is where it gets interesting. The medical community has accepted that other surgeries (even minor foot surgery) do something the the psyche. That surgery has the ability to make us face mortality and puts us at risk, no matter the type of surgery. But all that thought and preparation for any other type of surgery is thrown out the window when it comes to cesarean. Instead the consent forms are brief and options are not discussed. Afterward, the patient is expected to recover quickly and quietly and be happy-go-lucky. But cesarean should be treated as an even more special case than other forms of major surgery. Because the mother has not only faced her own mortality, but the potential mortality of her own child. And she may have also lost a trust in her own body's natural abilities. This kind of loss and mixed-up emotions, combined with the hormone cocktail of postpartum recovery, is often a lot to take in. Instead of support, the women often gets pat answers and judgmental comments.

It is a real shame. And the feelings this "ingratitude" often brings up is something that is difficult to vocalize. Gretchen Humphries of ICAN wrote a lovely piece that may be helpful to read. In it she sums up many of the feelings women experience after having a cesarean.

First Lady Weighing In on Cesarean as Pre-existing Condition

In a recent Washington Post article the First Lady, Michelle Obama weighed in on gender discrimination perpetuated by the health care industry towards women. Because of "pre-existing conditions" like cesarean section or even birth, some women are denied health coverage. For any woman who went through major abdominal surgery, whether out of true need or as an unfortunate outcome of interventions, this is a huge slap in the face. Childbirth should not be seen as a liability by an insurance company, no matter the outcome of labor and birth.

So now that it is out there, what do we as citizens who care about the state of maternity care do about it? Much has been discussed about introducing Certified Professional Midwives into the conversation regarding health care reform to combat the rising cesarean rates. Unfortunately this has not reached the national stage as much as organizations like The Big Push for Midwives or M.A.M.A.S. would have liked. But having someone as public as the First Lady make a mention of the shameful treatment of women by the health care industry, and private insurance in general, helps a good deal. It is now important to keep this dialogue going and let our voices be heard. No one deserves to be denied necessary coverage because of a surgery they may not have asked for in the first place.

What to Do About a VBAC Ban?

The International Cesarean Awareness Network has a new Q and A posted on their website about VBAC bans. This is a very interesting subject. Hospitals enact a VBAC ban under the premise that they would not be able to support the services necessary to be on call for the "catastrophic" emergency that could be a uterine rupture. But if you dig deeper, you realize that this means that they would not be able to handle any emergency situation, should it arise.

So where does this leave women? Often looking for a hospital within a 100 mile radius or looking for care providers outside of the hospital setting. For many women, outside the hospital setting provides them with the support they need without the restrictions of hospital protocol. For other women, they need the feeling of a safety net provided by the hospital setting. In either case, no woman should have to be forced to make a decision about their care that puts them outside of their own comfort zone.

Local Birth Center in the News

Recently the wonderful Family Health and Birth Center and, more specifically, the tireless Ruth Lubic were highlighted on a segment on CBS Evening News. The segment shows the work that Ruth and all of the people who work with her do for the community. Washington DC's infant mortality rate, as highlighted in the segment, is twice the national average. For the nation's capitol, that is a poor representation of the state of birth in the United States. Hopefully more hospitals in the area will take up the initiative of the Family Health and Birth Center and reverse the numbers on infant mortality. Until then I hope the Ruth and the center continue to receive the funding they need to serve all the people of DC. They are such a vital resource for this area.

Location Change for September Meeting

ICAN of DC will have a location change for our September meeting. The meeting will now be held at 628 5th St NE Washington DC 20002. I hope that all who plan to come see the change. The meeting topic again is "Eating for a Healthy Pregnancy." The meeting will be held from 3:00pm-4:00pm.

September ICAN of DC Meeting

September 20, 2009
3:00pm-4:00pm
Eating for a Healthy Pregnancy

Maintaining proper nutrition during pregnancy is key to a healthy pregnancy. But what to eat? How much of each nutrient do you need? This month we will look at what and how to eat to maintain a healthy pregnancy. We will talk about how nutrition and eating properly can prepare your body for a healthy and productive labor and birth. The talk will be led by Janet Brown, LMT a local licensed massage therapist, prenatal yoga teacher and holistic nutritional counselor.

The International Cesarean Awareness Network is a non-profit group
dedicated to cesarean prevention and recovery. All meetings are held
at the Northeast Library 330 7th St NE Washington, DC.

Upcoming Birth Symposium

PERINATAL is an interdisciplinary, multimedia symposium to be held at George Mason University on October 7, 2009, from 9am-11pm. This event is free and open to the public. Click the link to find out more about this event.

This event is shaping up to be a fascinating look at birth and feminism. ICAN of Baltimore's chapter leader Barbara Stratton is one of the speakers. She has worked tirelessly to overturn VBAC Bans in Maryland. This symposium is a great opportunity and resource for the DC Metro area.

Welcome to ICAN of DC

ICAN of DC is the local DC Metro Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network, a non-profit organization devoted to cesarean prevention and recovery and Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). ICAN of DC meets each month on the third Sunday of each month. Each month's meeting will cover a topic related to cesarean prevention/recovery and/or VBAC. All are welcome to attend the meetings. We encourage mothers-to-be and their partners, new mothers, birth professionals and anyone interested in learning more about birth and cesarean prevention to come to a meeting and learn more. We offer a wide-range of topics and non-judgmental support for women and families.

This blog will be a place for learning more about upcoming meetings of ICAN of DC as well as interesting birth happenings in the DC Metro Area. It will also be a place to find out more information about cesarean prevention.

Welcome to all! We also invite you to join the Yahoo! Group for ICAN of DC