Hospital Corp. of America bans VBAC once again

Another HCA hospital has "banned" VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). Bans of this sort force women into unnecessary major surgery, putting themselves at greater risk from surgical complications and complications in future pregnancies. Such bans also go against their legal right to choose and refuse care. It is a basic right upheld by every tenet of related legislation.

The only reason such bans exist is to avoid legal liability of the hospital if something happens during a VBAC and the hospital cannot respond quickly enough. Sounds like a problem with the hospital, not the woman, doesn't it?

What do we do about this? Complain, refuse, know our rights and act on them. Write government representatives and grassroots organizations like MomsRising. Join ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) and get involved. File a grievance with the Chief Compliance Officer at the offending hospital(s).

Refusing to consent to a cesarean can be done on any consent form at the hospital. Simply cross out any wording on the generic consent form, initialing the change, and add that you refuse a cesarean section. You are not required by law to sign a consent form if you are in labor. EMTALA states that labor is an emergency situation in which they must treat you until you have stabalized (birth is complete), and they cannot order you to have an unnecessary cesarean without a court order. A court order would require proving that a cesarean is medically necessary.

Heinous violations of our rights such as these will not change until people take action against them.

For more on hospital VBAC bans, visit the ICAN of Portland website (although not in my state, still has thorough info).

Waterbirth International and alternative birth choices need help!

I'm trying to get the word out about the needs of Waterbirth International. Hopefully we can find a way to make a difference. The organization helps women and communities and countries open the doors to safe alternatives in childbirth, particularly waterbirths. They are currently in dire need of enough finances to keep going.

Barbara Harper said,
"How can you help us stay open to take the next phone call? - to convince the next
obstetrician to incorporate waterbirth into his/her practice - to work with the nurse
midwives to install pools in their facilities? To educate an entire hospital on the benefits of
allowing women freedom of movement in the water. How much is it worth to see waterbirth
become the norm in the US, like it is in the UK? I think we only need a few more years to
make that happen. Do women really want waterbirth to be an available choice in every
hospital? I think so. "

They need help by getting the word out, by getting the information on lists and blogs and forums. They need to be on YouTube and in the general public. They also need money. Although I didn't see this, they could probably use donations for speakers and events. They could use volunteers.

Let's help keep Waterbirth International alive!

Here's what the website says:

For twenty plus years WBI and Barbara Harper have been here guiding mothers and their providers, providing education and birth pools all over the world. We are facing the hard truth that the Gentle Birth World Congress - a fabulous success in every way for international , as well as local attendees - drained all of our resources. We may have to close the doors permanent by January 31st.

We need to raise $200,000 in donations to cover the debts from the Congress and move on to keeping waterbirth alive as an available option.
Can you help us stay open to take the next phone call?
- to convince the next obstetrician to incorporate waterbirth into his/her practice
- to work with the nurse midwives to install pools in their facilities
- to educate an entire hospital on the benefits of allowing women freedom of movement in the water
How much is it worth to see waterbirth become the norm in the US, like it is in the UK? I think we only need a few more years to make that happen. Women really do want waterbirth to be an available choice in every hospital. They need choices now, more than ever.
If we need to call every single waterbirth parent personally, we will. We don't want 25 years of pioneering work to end and the vision of safe and beautiful waterbirth to go away.

Please do the following:
~DONATE any amount you can ~Become a member of Waterbirth International
~Buy a birth pool for your local midwives ~Buy a birth pool for yourself
~Buy a birth video and donate Post this message on other sites and blogs
http://www.waterbirth.org

My letter to Dr. Laura

I'm a labor doula, a non-medical childbirth assistant. Today you had a caller ask about her desires to birth her baby in a free-standing birth center and I have some issues with your responses.

I find it appalling that such an influential woman such as yourself would commend cesareans so nonchalantly when the procedure is at epidemic levels. In the U.S. 31.1% of live births are delivered by cesarean, which is more than three times the safe level for a developed country. Cesareans are causing more harm in this country than good, and nonchalantly commending them for non-medical reasons is only going to compound the problem. Women won't realize that childbirth is a consumer activity until the media personalities make it clear. Women shouldn't be given false security in the safety of cesareans. The surgery is much more dangerous than a vaginal birth unless there is a true emergency or good medical reason for it. If you look into the research and the experiences had by women who have had cesareans, it's apparent that change needs to be made.

Second, out-of-hospital births are actually SAFER than hospital births for low-risk women. The majority of women have low-risk pregnancies. It is actually safer to have a baby at home, if you are low risk, than to have your baby in the hospital. Suggesting that all women give birth in hospitals "just in case" is preaching a distrust in women's bodies and God's design. Hospitals have higher infection rates and higher intervention rates for low-risk women than do home births. Also, infections obtained because of the hospital environment are more likely to be antibiotic-resistant and more problematic. Hospitals oftentimes CAUSE problems for low-risk women that wouldn't have been present in a midwife-attended homebirth or at a free-standing birth center.

Women in this country have more choices regarding pregnancy and childbirth than they ever have had in the past. It is imperitive to the continuation of our rights and safety during childbirth that we educate ourselves and others about the facts of our alternatives. Blindly following the propaganda of the last two hundred years' medical professionals' touting their expertise and knowledge over OUR bodies and babies is scientifically and socially unfounded.
Women/consumers need to understand where science and medicine really can help them and where it is all just bells and whistles and self-preservation. High cesarean rates are not safe for women, high intervention rates are not safe for women, all women having hospital births are not safe for women. We can see all of this by looking at other countries and at the medical and scientific research on the subject.

That's my opinion. I chose to become a doula because I want to help women make informed choices. I don't want to choose what is best for any one person. I only want to help women be smart consumers and to have safe, empowering births.

Thank you,

Christina Rochette