Fair Play FIGO

I'll be honest, I am not the biggest fan of FIGO's 1998 statement on the ethics of cesarean birth with no medical indication (a subject I will return to later).

However, just recently, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics handled a situation (regarding a news story on its website) so professionally and courteously that I felt compelled to write about it.

Should women get to choose c-sections?

Jezebel Birth Pains blog

I liked this blog quote so much that I just had to mention it.

Written by Anna North in her review of this BBC news story, she wrote:

"So basically, women and their doctors should discuss birth options and come up with a plan that takes into account both a patient's wishes and her medical needs. Sounds so crazy it just might work."

You just have to ask yourself - who can argue with that?

Can I choose to plan a cesarean birth in the NHS?

This is one of the most common questions I am asked by women who visit my websites.

And up until recently, the answer was very much, "Not officially, but there are supportive doctors out there, if you can also find a supportive midwife who's willing to refer you to one."

However, finally, there may now be better news for women - whether you have a fear of labor and birth, or you've been considering a cesarean for prophylactic reasons and want to discuss your individual risks and benefits further with an obstetrician, or you have another personal reason.

This month, NICE published its draft guideline on Caesarean section (update) and in it, recommends the following:

Women don’t have to push so much, says U.S. doctor

This is a very interesting article with advice for women who want to achieve a vaginal birth outcome, and is essentially a Q&A with Dr. Aaron Caughey on the subject of "delayed pushing" techniques.

But what caught my attention was the poorer outcomes for babies in the research group of women who did wait before finally pushing...

Pay (Not) To Push, says Northern Ireland's health minister Edwin Poots

I am not going to criticize the Northern Ireland's health minister Edwin Poots here just yet - despite the fact that yesterday he said that cesarean births should be paid for by women who choose them (see BBC and Belfast Telegraph reports).

This is because I am not convinced that he has heard all sides of this debate, and as such, have contacted his office and am awaiting his response.

Northern Ireland has the highest rate of cesarean births in the UK, at 29.8%, and this is one of the reasons why

The Biggest Change in Women's Rights since they got to Vote

One of the many supportive doctors I've worked with over the years sent me an email today that got me thinking.

He (yes - a male doctor) had written, "it's a major breakthrough. The biggest change in women's rights since they got to vote" (in response to the NICE Guideline news).

I realized that just because we take the vote for granted as a good thing now, this doesn't mean that the women who campaigned had much support at the time - and least of all from other women.

Which is precisely what I've been finding over the past few days.

NICE News - ALL Women to be Offered a Cesarean if they Request one

Fantastic News.

If women make the informed decision to choose a cesarean birth, following individualized discussion and support, the new NICE Caesarean Guideline (Update) Draft, says that this should be made available to them on the NHS.

More on this later!