NY Times Article on the ridiculously high rate of Csections

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/health/24birth.html?ref=health

I love this quote:

“We should do inductions for good solid medical reasons, not for convenience or the day of the week,” Dr. Macones said. “Sometimes patients push you.”

He's suggesting that it's the consumer asking for this! As if. I'm sure there are some pockets of people who want to schedule their birth, but I cannot believe that it's very much.

This is just one of many reasons why midwives should get more acceptance in mainstream medical practices. This is why midwives should attend all low risk births. It would be safer for everybody involved and they would be cheaper for health insurance companies. And most of them agree that higher risk cases should be attended by a Dr.

Maternal Death Rates on Rise in CA

In 1996 the maternal death rate in CA was 5.6 per 100,000.
In 2006 it's 16.9.

That's a huge increase. It's a scary increase actually. One article I read said

"it’s more dangerous to give birth in California than it is in Kuwait or Bosnia"

I still get so fired up at the wrongness of hospitals pushing C-sections and inductions on patients that simply don't have any indications that anything is wrong. Dilating at 1 cm an hour, as is the currently accepted rate of progress of a hospital delivery, is ridiculous. If that rate had been applied to me, I would have had a c-section too. (I had a very normal first time birth of 20 hours.)

Although having a c-section with your first birth is slightly more dangerous than giving birth naturally (assuming you don't have any reasons to be categorized as higher risk). It's the following births that are much more dangerous. For one, many hospitals won't even let you have a natural birth after having a c-section - so that's more surgery whether you need it/want it, or not.

The main issue is that you will have scars from the previous c-sections. If you're unlucky enough to have the placenta on those scars, your body can't cap off the placenta after the child is born and you can bleed to death. Imagine having many c-sections. Your chances of having the placenta on those scars just get higher and higher.

Here's some good articles about this newly issued report that is showing that the maternal death rate is drastically on the rise here in good 'ole CA. (And here's the chart.)

I wish I could get this data for the Bay Area Counties.

Nada, Zilch

It's been a week since I lasted posted and I was sure a week ago that we would be so busy with our new bundle of joy that I wouldn't be posting for that reason.

Well, I have not delivered yet. I'm now officially 1 week overdue from my ultrasound date of July 19th. Our daughter is firmly a Leo now (so much for being a Cancer).

I started a series of acupuncture last Thursday for inducing labor and my midwife told me to relax because my body is still showing signs of progress, even if they're not as fast as I would like.

The last day my midwife can deliver me at home is August 2nd, at which point I'll be 42 weeks. I've been told that she's never not been able to induce before that point. Castor Oil appears to be the favorite last ditch mechanism, but I think that she thinks I'll naturally go into labor before then. I guess we'll see.

All the predicted dates of delivery by various friends has passed. The only other fun date is July 26th, which is my mother-in-law's birthday. That would be quite a present, but I'm guessing I would already have to be in labor to make that mark at this point. I'm expecting labor to take many hours, 16+ or so. But I really have no idea how long it will take in it's entirety.

Braxton Hicks Contractions

I've had two contractions over the past couple of days. They both caught my full attention. One was a couple days ago in the kitchen while cooking, and the other was when I was almost done hauling myself up the four flights of stairs to work today (my last day for several months!). I'm not really worried or anything because it's pretty normal for bodies to have some "practice" before the final show. In a way, I appreciate the teaser, because it's giving me a glimps into what's coming down the road. I think it'll make it easier because there's just that much less unknown. (And there's still going to be quite a bit of unknown.)

They're different than anything else I've ever felt. They were really strong, but not in a painful way. They were sorta like a strong tightening of everything from above my pelvic floor up to my mid belly. But it wasn't like a cramp at all. I'm at a loss of how to really describe the sensation. And it didn't hurt. I hope labor doesn't hurt either. (haha) I really wish I could describe these better.

As a side, I really liked this article about birth, so I'm putting it here so you too can read it.