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 VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean, pronounced vee-back) are more difficult to achieve than you’d think. Where I live, there are 3 hospitals and only 1 allows VBACs (ironically, it happens to be the hospital where I was cut open). Within that hospital, there is only ONE clinic of doctors who will perform VBACs. Keep in mind I live in a fairly large city (population of 160,000 – and a total of 340,000+ if you include the smaller surrounding towns that most likely use our hospitals as well). This one clinic has 4 OBs (I think). That’s pretty sad, if you ask me. Makes my choices extremely limited for my next birth.
I completely understand the reason behind this: litigation. Not only are doctors afraid of this sue-happy nation, but their insurance companies urge them not to cover VBACs and some even threaten to drop them if they do perform them. What are they to do?
This past week, a panel of specialists convened by the National Institutes of Health met to discuss this very issue. They decided that VBACs should be an option, they urge that VBAC guidelines be revisited and malpractice concerns addressed, and stated that more research is needed.
Rigorous research shows that a trial of labor is successful in nearly 75 percent of cases.
One guideline they suggest needs revisiting is the one that says if there’s going to be a VBAC, the hospital needs to have an “immediate availability” of surgical and anesthesia personnel. This is not a feasible option in 30% of hospitals (according to 2 surveys) and was the reason they stopped offering VBACs.
VBAC remains a safe alternative for the right candidates, and when those women try labor, between 60 percent and 80 percent of the time they do give birth vaginally, the NIH panel concluded.
They want more research done so that each woman can be evaluated independently. What factors make VBACs more dangerous? less dangerous? This will hopefully allow more women the option to choose their birth.
The current overall cesarean delivery rate is 31 percent and the VBAC rate is less than 10 percent compared to 28 percent in 1996.
They are urging that doctors offer mother’s an unbiased look at pros and cons and let the mother decide for herself. The mantra used to be “once a cesarean, always a cesarean,” but research in 1980 concluded that VBACs were safe, as the risk of uterine rupture was less than 1%. After this, VBACs were on the rise. However, in 1996 things shifted back the other way. That guideline mentioned above (for the immediate surgery personnel on hand) was passed in 1999. Of 19 states that record VBACs, 92% of women had a repeat c-section in 2006. And the latest reason, of course, is fear of lawsuit.
Obviously I agree that it should be decided on a case-by-case basis. Some women are at a higher risk than others. But shouldn’t all of us at least get the choice? I’m not high-risk, but I will have to leap through flaming hoops on a flying monkey to get the VBAC I want in this city.
So it would seem I’m not crazy and c-sections ARE occurring too frequently. I am absolutely overjoyed that this conference just happened… 2 months after my birth experience. I am so glad they are working to do something about it.
You can find more information including their statements and reports on the NIH Conference website.
All quotes and stats used above are found in these 2 articles:
National Institutes of Health News
Associated Press
This sale isn’t being announced until tomorrow, but bloggers and their readers are getting it early so we can be first in line to get the sizes we need! Sale ends Monday, March 15th.
A few weeks ago, Find Me Book (Kinzie Jones, mom of 4!) started following me on twitter. I always check out all my new followers and when I clicked on their website, I just had to have their book. Such a cute idea! It’s like the “Where’s Waldo” books, but a lot more fun and personal. You get to upload 6 pictures of your family, friends or pets and then you get to choose which 11 scenes your faces are hidden in. I used: myself, the hubby Steve, the baby Ryan, our 2 cats Oscar and Aasa… and I was one face short so I used my grandpa, that passed away 3 weeks before Ryan was born. The 6 faces you choose are shown on the cover and also on every page so you remember what you’re looking for. Here’s ours:
 (Sorry for crappy picture quality, these were taken on my iphone. You can see a sample book on their website.) I had fun choosing my 11 scenes too… some fun ones:
 This one is probably my favorite. In all the other scenes, the faces are hidden and camouflaged. But in this one, they’re all right out in the open… you just have to search the cars for them! Check out baby Ryan on the left in the red car–too cute!! And hubby Steve is in the bottom right car. I’m on the other page (not shown) with a pig in my back seat 
 How hot is my husband with that hairdo?! Haha. The one of Ryan on a $100 bill is even cuter. Some of the scenes are hard… I had trouble finding my cat Oscar in a lot of them! But it was FUN! My mom was over when the book arrived and we sat there together going through every page, finding every face. Then Steve’s mom came over and she went through it too. I think we forgot this was a gift for Ryan (which I’m sure he’s going to love when he’s old enough… recognizing his family’s and kitties’ faces!)
The website is really interactive. Upload your pictures, crop them, choose your 11 scenes, and preview. The preview function actually let’s you see YOUR images hidden in your scenes so you know exactly what it’s going to look like–awesome.
The book is a hardcover, 8.5 x 11″, and sells for $32.99. Go here: register - to create an account and make your own book! Or WIN here! One reader is going to win their own personalized copy of the Find Me Book.
Mandatory first entry: Visit Find Me Book and tell me who you’d choose for your 6 faces if you win!
Extra Entries: Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.
1 entry – follow me on twitter
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1 entry – tweet about this giveaway: “I want to win my own personalized @FindMeBook from @babydickey! http://bit.ly/ctFz47” (can tweet once a day)
1 entry – follow publicly with google friend connect (left sidebar)
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1 entry – vote for us on Top Baby Blogs just by clicking this link (no other action needed, can be done once a day)
2 entries (leave 2 separate comments) – put my blog button on your site
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1 entry – enter any of my other current giveaways (one entry per giveaway)
**Giveaway ends March 17th 2010, at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to choose the winner who will have 48 hours to respond to my email before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!**
As a member of Mom Select, I was given the opportunity to review the new Rock ‘n Play Sleeper from Fisher Price. It’s a “nighttime sleeper and playtime seat all in one.” I was super excited for this because Ryan loves sitting in his bouncer, but can’t sleep in it… and loves his bassinet, but can’t really play in it! It arrived today and I put it together as soon as I got home from work…
 The directions said you might need 2 people to hold it steady while putting the pieces together, but I did all on my own and had no trouble at all.
 It’s the only infant seat that also meets industry safety standards for bassinets… so it can be used for sleeping too. After I put it together and examined it, I seriously fell in love. Here’s why:
- It looks comfy–it’s not flat (and kinda hard) like his bassinet, it’s more like a sling.. a cushiony one.
- There’s a pocket at the top to hold his pacifier–and I use it to hold a white noise player that helps him sleep
- It’s higher off the ground than his bouncer, but low enough that if I put it next to my bed, I can get to him without having to get up (like I have to with the bassinet. SERIOUSLY a huge plus.)
- It rocks back and forth
- There’s no batteries involved
- The seat is slightly inclined which is awesome because if Ryan isn’t tired, he HATES to be put flat on his back
- The sides are mesh so it’s breathable
- The cushion comes off and is machine washable
- It came with a little toy bunny
- It folds flat for easy storage and transport. We’ve been hauling around the pack ‘n play and it’s a bit annoying. This will be so much easier!
My only worry….. will Ryan like it?!
 Ohhh yea! And here he is playing with the toy it came with… he’s just learning how to hold things in his hands, so he was trying to bring it to his mouth and eat it. Look at that determination on his face, lol.
 But the REAL test… could he fall asleep in it?? Nap time was coming up so I thought I’d try it out. His bassinet vibrates and his swing, well, swings! Yes, this Sleeper rocks back and forth, but only if I’m sitting there pushing it…. so I gave him his paci, rocked it a few times and walked away. This is what happened:
 True story. You can find it on Amazon for $49.99: Fisher-Price Newborn Rock and Play Sleeper .
*Yes, this Sleeper was shipped to me at no cost for my review. All opinions are my own. The link is an amazon affiliate and if purchased I do get a very small %, which would just help me pay for this blog’s domain name and hosting. 
All night I was having dreams about c-sections and people yelling at me. Every time I woke up I tried to replay the dream in my head so that I’d remember it in the morning, but no luck. All I remember are feelings of fear and guilt.
I was terrified of waking up this morning to see any more rude comments on my last post. The first time it happens, I can handle it. When a few more start flowing in, I lose it. My skin is thickening, but I can’t handle it yet. When I open my email and I see something from “Baby Dickey”… a new blog comment… I seriously get knots in my stomach because I’m afraid to look and see if it’s going to ruin my day.
You might ask why I don’t just close comments, but… that’d be a shame because the majority of comments are extremely supportive and helpful to me. I can’t let a few people ruin that. Plus… there’s this thing I strongly believe in called the Constitution and the freedom of speech. I just wish people weren’t so hurtful sometimes–I get they’re defensive, I get they’re trying to make their point, but why attack me in doing so? Over this?
I want to report correct stats and I don’t mind being corrected at all. I’ve also learned my lesson–next time I report something like in my last post, I’ll cite my sources. So let’s have an educated discussion and get all the facts out there… let’s not attack eachother. One of the comments yesterday came from a woman who was also upset with her birth experience, yet she was still “attacking” me. How are we not working together on this? What are we missing? We shouldn’t be fighting eachother. I apologize that my stats upset people, but I did not just make them up, I did read them somewhere. And as soon as I find it again I’ll post it… and if they aren’t correct, that’s fine, we’ll get to the bottom of it.
I don’t want any more c-section nightmares. Honestly, I’m surprised this is the first time I’ve had any….and sadly, they were caused by my anxiety over getting comments on my blog. I write publicly, so I guess I “deserve it.” Ah well. I just don’t want these few negative comments to scare me away from posting about this again in the future…
I rant about my c-sections here because it’s healing to write it out. I don’t expect sympathy. I don’t expect any comments at all. I’m thankful you guys are even reading those posts. So on that note… thank you SO much for all the wonderful comments and all the support. I know I’d be much worse off if it weren’t for all of you. It’s great to know there are others out there who feel the same–or at least understand–and I’m not alone.
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