Push to Lower Cesarean Rates Raises Interest in Natural Births The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) maintains that the rate of cesarean births in the U.S. remains far too high, with nearly a third of babies delivered cesarean around the country. In February ACOG issued new guidelines aimed at lowering the rate of cesarean births. The new guidelines call for, among other things, more frequent use of techniques for turning babies who are in breach position, developing better methods for monitoring fetal heart rate and educating women who have already given birth via cesarean about the benefits of vaginal birth. The new guidelines also seek to change expectations among patients and clinicians about the amount of time labor should take. Evidence now shows that labor actually progresses slower than we thought in the past, so many women might just need a little more time to labor and deliver vaginally instead of moving to a cesarean delivery, said ACOG member Aaron B. Caughey. A recent study of some 7.3 million uncomplicated births in Pennsylvania, California and Missouri between 1995 and 2009 found that nearly one in 25 babies had been delivered earlier than medically necessary through cesarean or induced labor. These earlier-than-necessary births can increase the chances of a baby developing respiratory problems and lengthen the newborns hospital stay. Some of these early births are the result of pressure from mothers who want schedule births, a convenience mindset that Jan Mallack, founder of Heart and Hands Doula Service, derides as being too posh to push. The new ACOG guidelines seek to promote the service of doulas, midwives and other professionals that offer continuous labor and delivery support. Interest in such services is on the rise, according the Ann McCarthy, clinic director for Pittsburghs Midwife Center for Birth and Womens Health. The center helped deliver 423 babies in 2013 with an overall cesarean rate of only 8.5 percent. From Push to Lower Cesarean Rates Raises Interest in Natural Births Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (07/29/14) Smydo, Joe
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 10:47:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015