Tuesday, September 29, 2009
25.9% of births in Scotland are now cesarean deliveries
Scotland's Daily Record reports today that 15.2% of the 56,821 babies born last year were delivered by emergency surgery, while 10.7% were scheduled for surgery.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Mother's death blamed on failures - £410,000 damages awarded
This story is so distressing to read, and evidently, the hospital have admitted that human error was at fault:
"Joanne Lockham, 45, died at Stoke Mandeville Hospital at Aylesbury in October 2007 during the birth of her first child. She was given a general anaesthetic when the baby's heart rate dropped. The oxygen supply to Mrs Lockham, of Wendover, was not put into her windpipe and she suffered cardiac arrest."
The headline of the updated story today reads: 'Payout over nurse Caesarean death', and is an example of when a caesarean delivery can be publicly associated with high risk.
However, it's important to point out that this was not a planned caesarean, and it was not spinal anaesthesia being used (both of which carry fewer risks than an emergency caesarean with general anaesthetic). This birth was a planned vaginal delivery (PVD) that ended in one of the worst birth outcomes of all.
"Joanne Lockham, 45, died at Stoke Mandeville Hospital at Aylesbury in October 2007 during the birth of her first child. She was given a general anaesthetic when the baby's heart rate dropped. The oxygen supply to Mrs Lockham, of Wendover, was not put into her windpipe and she suffered cardiac arrest."
The headline of the updated story today reads: 'Payout over nurse Caesarean death', and is an example of when a caesarean delivery can be publicly associated with high risk.
However, it's important to point out that this was not a planned caesarean, and it was not spinal anaesthesia being used (both of which carry fewer risks than an emergency caesarean with general anaesthetic). This birth was a planned vaginal delivery (PVD) that ended in one of the worst birth outcomes of all.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
42% of Canadian obstetricians support maternal request cesarean
A report on a nationwide survey of maternity care providers in Canada has found that 42% of obstetricians support cesarean delivery on maternal request, "even in the absence of a medical indication", "despite a push by their own professional body to "normalize" childbirth and reduce Canada's rising C-section rate."
549 obstetricians, 897 family physicians, 545 nurses, 400 midwives and 192 doulas from across Canada were surveyed in 2008-2009, and here are some of the findings reported:
*42% of obstetricians were in favour of a woman's right to choose a C-section without medical indication
*21% agreed with the statement that a C-section is as safe as a vaginal birth for women
*8% would choose C-section over vaginal delivery for themselves or their partners
*25% of obstetricians and family doctors believed sexual problems and urinary incontinence could be prevented by C-sections
*43% of obstetricians disagreed with the statement, "For a woman, having a vaginal birth is a more empowering experience than delivery by cesarean section."
The study is published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.
549 obstetricians, 897 family physicians, 545 nurses, 400 midwives and 192 doulas from across Canada were surveyed in 2008-2009, and here are some of the findings reported:
*42% of obstetricians were in favour of a woman's right to choose a C-section without medical indication
*21% agreed with the statement that a C-section is as safe as a vaginal birth for women
*8% would choose C-section over vaginal delivery for themselves or their partners
*25% of obstetricians and family doctors believed sexual problems and urinary incontinence could be prevented by C-sections
*43% of obstetricians disagreed with the statement, "For a woman, having a vaginal birth is a more empowering experience than delivery by cesarean section."
The study is published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Do women choose or consent to caesarean delivery?
You may read the full article here - published 11th September 2009.
Problems pasting text
I have read online that other people have been having this problem with Blogger (and if anyone has any information on how to fix it, please let me know), but currently, I am unable to copy and paste text into my Blog posts.
This makes commenting on articles and studies extremely difficult as I simply don't have time to write the text out manually. Therefore, for the time being, I am just going to post links to news articles and medical studies that I think may be of interest to you in the context of the ongoing debate over caesarean deliveries.
My apologies for this.
This makes commenting on articles and studies extremely difficult as I simply don't have time to write the text out manually. Therefore, for the time being, I am just going to post links to news articles and medical studies that I think may be of interest to you in the context of the ongoing debate over caesarean deliveries.
My apologies for this.
Australia: 1 in 4 caesareans by maternal request
You may read the article here - published 11th September 2009 - and the medical study here.
Update on activities
In the time that has passed since my previous post, our family has moved back to the UK from the U.S., which, with a newborn baby and a toddler, has left me too busy even to Twitter!
I have managed to make some progress in my caesarean (it's a different spelling here in England!) work however. For example, as editor of my website, I've been accepted as a Stakeholder for the upcoming review of the 2004 NICE Clinical Guideline on Caesarean Delivery.
I've also contacted the All Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity to request membership to the Maternity Care Working Party, as I feel that women who choose caesarean delivery need a voice in an environment where discussions on maternity care are taking place, and more importantly, where decisions are being made.
So watch this space and I'll let you know how I get on with both of these.
The website
I've also updated my website homepage (although there is still more to do!), and have been keeping busy with email correspondence from ec members with questions, comments and concerns.
I have managed to make some progress in my caesarean (it's a different spelling here in England!) work however. For example, as editor of my website, I've been accepted as a Stakeholder for the upcoming review of the 2004 NICE Clinical Guideline on Caesarean Delivery.
I've also contacted the All Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity to request membership to the Maternity Care Working Party, as I feel that women who choose caesarean delivery need a voice in an environment where discussions on maternity care are taking place, and more importantly, where decisions are being made.
So watch this space and I'll let you know how I get on with both of these.
The website
I've also updated my website homepage (although there is still more to do!), and have been keeping busy with email correspondence from ec members with questions, comments and concerns.
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