Cesarean or Labor?

 Surgery or Nature? Women today are more often told that a cesarean is the safest option for them. Whether presented as an absolute or "as needed", the given reasons for a surgical birth, cesarean section, are becoming so common that it can be a challenge to discern whether or not the surgery is medically necessary for an individual person.

 

If you have been offered or advised to have a cesarean for this pregnancy

 
Find out if there is any reason you couldn't give labor a chance. Is your and your baby's health allow the start of spontaneous labor, whether at 39 or 42 weeks gestation? Spontaneous labor offers some benefits to the baby. If labor doesn't begin on its own, inductionat 42 weeks or more weeks has been the common course. Going for a cesarean at 40 weeks fits into the new Obstetrical model for which hospital administrators demand a high cesarean rate from their doctors. Even when labor begins on its own, it may end with a cesarean, but when both mother and baby are otherwise healthy, the benefits of beginning labor may decrease some of the effects of a cesarean on breathing difficulties or unexpected premature delivery.
 
If you are healthy, then the ethical response to research on induction and repeat cesarean is to let labor begin spontaneously. 
 
 Lamaze's advice is evidence based:
 
http://www.lamaze.org/OnlineCommunity/LamazeVideoLibrary/LamazeVideoPlayer/TabId/808/VideoId/5/1-Let-Labor-Begin-On-Its-Own.aspx
 
Whatever you decide, I hope you look back a year from now and feel listened to, empowered, and satisfied with your choices. You are the Mama, you get to choose.
 
 
One thing I really appreciate about your site is that you speak with an attitude that allows for all birth outcomes. I have to say, part of my emotional healing has been to deal with some of the more radical birth empowerment literature that promises women that any and all of us can have vaginal births if we simply try hard enough. I believe that sometimes, in our quest to lower the shockingly high c-section rate, we seem to want to behave as though no c-sections are necessary. And that is simply not true. In many cases, they are the only option left when everything else has failed. I feel like your site leaves room for this possibility, and I really appreciate that. - AJ, Mother, after a necessary cesarean
 
 

Already had a cesarean before this pregnancy?

 

Every VBAC begins with Balance. If you need more of it, get body work and do the daily activities.
Your pelvis has a good chance of coming to more symmetry with professional body work and your own exercises.
 
2nd babies come more readily, as well, and the exercises seem to work better, esp. if you start now.
 
I've helped several women who had cesareans for this reason and even had the problem in their 2nd labors. We did the sidelying release, lunges and vertical pushing and for a couple, pushing on their backs AFTER the releases.

 

Planning a cesarean

There are ways to make your cesarean more family focused. Talk to the anesthesia department at your hospital to discuss personal adaptations to your needs. For instance, do you want your doula to be present with your mate/partner/husband during the surgery? Do you want skin-to-skin?  If you know ahead of time that you will, or may likely, need a cesarean you can "shop" for more physiological accommodations, such as delayed cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact on the operating room, breast feeding in the Recovery Room, doula presences in the Operating Room and/or in the Recovery Room. 

 

After the cesarean, please recreate an intimate skin-to-skin welcome of your new baby or babies. This is a wonderful way to reestablish a calm welcome and go for an extra hormonal "bonding" surge after a busy beginning in the Operating Room. Ask your doula, partner, family member or nurse to help you!

 

Donate


Spinning Babies is facing an immediate "migration," new software installation for the behind the scenes portion of the website at cost of $680. This massive update is crucial for security and functionality. Alternatively, I could take the 100+ pages down and restart the site with new software at a lower cost, but much less content. Would you be ok with a 10 page site carrying only an outline of information? That's about how many other websites treat their content.

 Are you a woman or a loved one of a woman helped to avoid a cesarean by Spinning Babies Website? Has Spinning Babies helped you serve birthing families with techniques for labor progress? Do you have a little time to help Spinning Babies in return? If the migration costs $680 and 100 of my loyal users gave $68 dollars each, we'd get it covered. 

Did you know that Spinning Babies was hacked a few summers ago and had to go off line while I found hosting with security? Security is a real issue on the internet. 

Several years ago a grandmother donated $150 after a visit to Spinning Babies Website helped her daughter avoid a cesarean. Once a woman sent $50 because exercises on Spinning Babies stopped her hip pain and she was able to sleep well for the first time during the end of her pregnancy. Today, just a few dollars a year come through donations. Ever since the booklet went on sale donations dropped off. Could it be that people think sales income is significant to carry the website? I wish it were so, and do hope to boost the store soon.

Right now Spinning Babies is in need and so I'm asking those of you among my 4000 daily visitors to give something back. "Wait, Seriously?" you ask, "4000 people a day and only a few small donations a year!?" Yep, that's true.  If 400 of you, 1/10th of one day's visitors, gave $20,  or 15 Pounds,  we could get this job done and secure the website. 

 

Could it be that Spinning Babies has become such a part of the childbirth education scene that its taken for granted? Spinning Babies doesn't get grants. Spinning Babies isn't a nonprofit (But my husband will be surprised to hear that.)  I love giving this information as a gift to the birthing world, I'm rather delighted to help a woman understand she doesn't have to accept a cesarean before labor just because her baby is posterior! Or, help a woman flip her breechling head down. But with the cost of web maintainance increasing, I have to rethink how I might support my work.  

If you aren't able to give such a chunk of change, can you send your sympathy for $5? Or, are you a loyal Spinning Babies user who gives their undying support for $100? 

 

What ever you can send now will be seen as a huge message of support to keep Spinning Babies safe and online. Protecting one woman's birth just takes 4 minutes.