Pregnancy, Parenthood & Playtime

Most people assume, since birth has gone into the hospitals at the turn of the 1900’s that maternal and fetal mortality rates have drastically improved. While they have have decreased the loss of women and children around the time of birth, it has not decreased as much as many of us may think.

During my research on this subject, I have come across many jaw dropping sources, one being a half hour video explanation of maternal mortality rates in industrialized nations called Birth By Numbers. The gentleman who is in the video is Eugene Declercq, PhD. Professor of Maternal Child Health at the Boston University School of Public Health. So all in all, this man is not just any joe shamo off the street who was prompted to read off a card.

In the year 2005, 4,138,349 babies were born in The United States.
Out of all those babies, 18,884 babies died within the first 4 weeks of their life.
1,248,815 were born via cesarean section.
4.6… that is the number of babies that die out of 1000 in the first 4 weeks of their life.
42, is where the United States ranks in neonatal deaths, out of the Countries in the World.

With that being said, those are alarming numbers that many may not know.
When we all think of the medical care that we have in our country, especially out maternity care, we think that like most other things, we have the best. But again we would be wrong. Even though The United States pays the most per capita for birth around the world, we have some of the worst outcomes not only for mothers, but for babies.

Last week, The BBC release an article that tackled the tough subject of Maternal Mortality world wide. In the article it details the amount of money the US spends on mothers in maternity care and birth, and while we spend the most, like I previously said, we are more likely to die, than most women in other countries. Like I stated before, over 4 million women give birth yearly in The United states, out of all of those women, about 500 will die from some sort of pregnancy/birth related complication.
Compared to other countries, this is a high number.

“No American woman should die from childbirth in 2009, we can definitely do a lot better,” says Dr Michael Lu, Associate Professor of Obstetrics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

In New Jersey, Jim Scythes is bringing up his two-year-old daughter Isabella on his own. His wife, Valerie, died from blood clots shortly after giving birth to Isabella by Caesarean section. Jim still cannot believe that Valerie died after giving birth, here in America.”

So why do so many more women in America die around the time of birth than in other nations which the United States can actually be statistically compared to? While the article states that the reasons are “complex“, I can answer it in my own opinion. (And when I say OPINION, I simply mean OPINION, I do not have any type of medical degree, I am not giving any kind of medical advice, I am just calling it like I see it and what I have discovered when independently researching on the topic) It is the way we handle birth here in this country. More, is not better, in fact from my personal experiences not only with my own births of my children, but with women I have worked with, mentored, and provided support for after their births, less is better. Less monitoring, less intervention, less inductions, less ultrasounds, less cesarean sections. Less is more. In countries around the world where less is more, home births are what 1/3 of the population have, where a mother once she turns 35 is not considered a high risk patient, they have LOWER maternal and neo natal death rates. This is not some magical country I am making up either. This is The Netherlands.

Another reason that women in America are more likely to die during pregnancy/childbirth is the lack of medical care many do not get because of the lack of medical insurance. It is estimated that 17 million women of childbearing age in The United States are uninsured. Even with programs such as medicaid, many do not receive the proper prenatal care or even proper health care prior to becoming pregnant, that they should be getting.
Other reasons also cited in the same article the above quote came from are obesity, poverty, and the number of cesarean sections taking place in The United States.

Dr Bill McCool, at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, points out that America is far above the World Health Organization’s goal of a 15% C-section rate.”Surgery of any kind has risk,” he says, and a C-section is, “still the riskiest way to have a baby.
“In the US, almost one third of women have that procedure for delivery of their baby.”

One thing that really stood out to me in that quote is C-sections are “still the riskiest way to have a baby” but so many women are giving birth via cesarean section. In the year 2007, 31.8% of all women in The United States gave birth by cesarean section. 2007 in the most current cesarean section statistic release by the CDC.

Other issues cited by the CDC for this rate is the number of women who have unknown illness such as heart disease, blood vessel disease, and obesity. Many would say, how does one not know they are “obese” but some do not realize that in some women, especially those who are short, such as myself, a 30-50 pound weight increase in “optimal weight” can mean obesity. You do not need to be 5 feet tall and 300 pounds to be considered clinically obese.

For many women, it is a struggle to lose weight. I am currently battling it myself after the birth of my second child. After my first, I lost the weight very easily, it melted off of me, but this time around is much different. I now find myself counting calories, looking at the ingredients of certain products, and taking time to exercise (besides chasing around after a toddler) because I know at my current height and weight, I am not obese, but I am overweight.
While it may be difficult, the long term benefits of women losing weight, are worth it.

Taking a look at all the information together, it shows a great need for several things.

• Decreased Induction Rates
• Decreased Cesarean Section Rates
• Women improving their health before pregnancy
• Taking care of their bodies and health during pregnancy
• Keeping up with annual check ups, physicals, and other recommended screenings

Until we as women start to make a change, and demand a different kind of birth climate, this number will not decrease.
Let’s work to improve this, if not for us, for our children!

Earlier this week, MSNBC featured an article about Hospitals Across the Country soon implementing stricter guidelines in labor induction due to the rise in late term premature births, and the complications that can rise from these births. I would like to first start by highlighting the inaccuracy of calculating due dates in women. Many women feel as though their due date is D (delivery) day, and that the baby should be evicted before or on that day. Believe me, I was one of those women with my first child. The second time around I discovered how inaccurate they are, as well as ultrasound dating.

“A study has shown that an ultrasound isn’t any more accurate than a reliable menstrual history combined with a pelvic exam by an experienced obstetrician. Researchers confirmed this by looking at pregnancies with known conception dates and comparing due dates arrived at by ultrasound measurements with dates arrived at by menstrual history and pelvic exam. The fact that the old-fashioned method for dating a pregnancy does just as well as ultrasound is a vital point. While a sonogram may be useful in cases where there is uncertainty about when conception occurred, first-trimester sonograms are currently used as the ultimate standard. Your due date will often be changed if it differs from the one derived from the sonogram no matter how the date was previously determined or how sure you are of when you conceived.
Even first-trimester sonograms have a range of plus or minus five days, or a ten-day window, around the calculated date . The range increases to plus or minus eight days in the second trimester and plus or minus ten days for third-trimester scans. For this reason, experts say the due date should not be altered based on results from an early scan unless the calculated date differs by two weeks or more from the date determined by physical signs and symptoms and menstrual history.”

The above is taken from When Is that Baby Due?

Now, knowing that even with ultrasound dating, which we treat is the final method of determining a estimated due date, which I have noticed, everyone always leaves out estimated, because many feel the need to have that “end date”. There is still a 5-10 day window for that baby to be off. When taking this into consideration, babies that are being induced before 39 weeks gestation, could be mistakenly delivered at 35 weeks gestation, long before they are truly ready to join us. Another connection to elective labor inductions, as well as elective cesarean sections, there is an increased number in babies being admitted to the NICU for special care, most of the time for respiratory distress because their lungs are not ready or developed enough to work properly.

“1 in 4 inductions were before 39 weeks
National guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have long discouraged elective deliveries before the 39th week of pregnancy. But some hospitals that took a close look were surprised. At Utah’s Intermountain Healthcare, for example, 28 percent of elective deliveries were breaking ACOG’s rule in 2001, Oshiro told a March of Dimes meeting on preventable prematurity this month.”

Above taken from The MSNBC Article previously mentioned.
What I have noticed in the past, maybe year, since really focusing more on birth, labor, and the guidelines that ACOG puts into place, there are a large portion of OB/GYN’s, Midwives, and Hospitals that ONLY use the ACOG guidelines when it works for them. Now I am not throwing around accusations, but if you look at the above example of this Utah hospital, and then take a look at the current VBAC denial case of Joy Szabo in Arizona, her hospital stated that they no longer will offer VBAC birth services because of ACOG guidelines. When ACOG was reached to be questioned about this statement and about their guidelines on VBAC births, and ACOG Representative said that Page Hospital in Arizona had interpenetrated their VBAC guidelines incorrectly, and still have yet to make the chance according to ACOG’s guidelines on VBAC. Why? Because it seems as though it is simply easier for them to ban VBAC and be done with it. Even if it means women have to drive 300 miles to the next hospital that will deliver a VBAC baby.

“Most were being induced in week 37, such a small difference that local obstetricians argued it wasn’t a problem. So Oshiro pulled the medical charts and found those near-term babies had more than double the risk of ending up in neonatal ICU, suffering respiratory distress, even needing a ventilator.
It took several years of policing: Inductions now are allowed only after meeting a checklist of requirements. But today, only about 3 percent of Intermountain’s elective deliveries occur before 39 weeks — and infant hospitalizations have dropped, saving money, too, says Oshiro, now a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Loma Linda University in California. He’s about to pilot a similar program at hospitals in that area.”

While there are some medical reasons to induce birth before the 39th week of pregnancy where the benefits to the baby outweigh the risks, if you look at the above quote taken from the MSNBC article also, it shows that after guidelines were put in place at this specific hospital, only 3% of babies were induced before 39 weeks, and I will go ahead and assume these were for medical reasons.

What is not being mentioned in this article is that, over 40% of all birth inductions, necessary or non medically necessary end in cesarean section. In more recent years, birth professionals such as Marsden Wagner, and Robbie Davis-Floyd have estimated those numbers to be upwards of 50%.  And in many cases, this large risk is not discussed before labor induction. The reason for the large cesarean section numbers with induction is because the body is simply not ready to give birth no matter what kind of medical interventions, medications, or technology you use. In most cases the reason for these cesarean births are labeled as “failure to progress” which is obvious because the body is simply not ready to birth the baby, because the baby is not ready either. Again, when medically necessary induction and cesarean sections are lifesaving to mom and baby, just not at the large numbers we are currently seeing in our country.

In the year 1990 1 in 10 labors were induced, and today, 1 in 5 are now induced, that is nearly double in the span of 20 years, with no medical reason backing this up. I can say, while I was rather young in 1990, the birth climate has drastically changed in many ways since then, inductions being one of them. It seems as though inductions, and cesarean sections scheduled for convenience factors did not nearly take place as much as they do today, 20 years ago. If you go back another 15 years from 1990, you see actual breech births being done in hospitals.
You can say there has definitely been a huge change, but then we have to ask ourselves, has it been for the better?

Last I will address defensive medicine which is also mentioned in this MSNBC article.

“Patient and doctor preference helped drive the rise in inductions, such as women timing grandma’s arrival to take care of the siblings, or minimizing 3 a.m. deliveries. Then there’s defensive medicine, where doctors worried about litigation induce for minor reasons like a slight uptick of the mother’s blood pressure.
So Pittsburgh also had “a little bit of a hard sell” after discovering nearly 12 percent of elective deliveries broke the 39-week rule in 2004, Fisch says. “It was perceived to be a safe and effective way in delivering a baby — and it is, as long as it meets certain criteria.”
After Magee began strict enforcement — requiring that a mother’s cervix be nearly ready for natural labor, and limiting the beds available for elective inductions — too-early inductions dropped to 4 percent by 2007 and are “effectively zero” today, Fisch says. Overall, elective inductions dropped 30 percent.”

Minimizing 3am deliveries? I guess it was just silly for me to expect someone like a Doctor, or a Midwife, to attend deliveries no matter what time the birth is. If you are concerned about being woken up in the middle of the night because a woman is in labor, maybe you should have gone into a field other than Obstetrics?

Again, I go back to the question…. Has birth really changed for the better?

Lastly I will say…. FINALLY! Good for these hospitals FINALLY cracking down on this!
It is about time!

By no means am I Susie Homemaker, or even a fan of baking (well, if someone else cleans up I sure am) and to be honest with you, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin stuff, pie, cookies, biscuits, etc. But my husband is a pumpkin FANATIC!
This time of year, I kid you not, this man could sit down with an entire pumpkin pie, and eat the entire thing alone. So when I came across a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, I could not resist. Plus, it gives him something to bring to work to snack on.

Ingredients :

A Picture of the cookie dough all mixed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups chocolate chips

I edited the recipe slightly from its original form to kind of suit our taste. But believe me it is delicious!
Pre-Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
First I took the butter and melted it, and mixed the eggs in with it. All the “wet ingredients” in one bowl. WOW! Two sticks of butter, bring on the heart attack right?
Then I mixed all of the “dry ingredients” in a separate bowl to make it a little easier to mix everything together in the end.
Mmmmm Chocolate chips! Two cups was just the right amount!
Mind you the pumpkin may not look all that yummy since most pumpkin puree comes out of a can, but believe me, it is good!
Once you have them all mixed together in their separate bowls mix the wet mix in with the dry mix. Mix in my hand first, then bring out the big guns, and use a mixer, it makes the cookie dough easier to work with.
Make sure you mix the dough to the point where you no longer see any of the dry ingredients actually dry in the bowl itself, if that makes any sense to you. Again, going back to the fact that chef is not in my list of trades. LOL
When everything is mixed well, it should look something like the picture to the right. Although again, it doesn’t look like the most appetizing thing, I promise it gets better, and well worth it!

Scoop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet, and make sure you leave enough room between each cookie for them to expand, becaus e these bad boys actually get big! The bigger the cookie the better right? Put in the oven for 15 minutes, 17 minutes at most, but they should be perfect by the time 15 minutes rolls around.
And TADA! Perfect, yummy, delicious, fall treat!

The Finished Product Mmmmmm

Then the best part of it all, is sharing them with your toddler who wants nothing to do with his actual lunch, and would rather eat mommies doocgies. LOL

Mommy these are Yummy! Now I am covered in Chocolate too!

The perfect fall treat!

If you are like me, and want to bring you toddler trick or treating, but do not want to give them the candy, I put together a fun list of alternative treats besides candy!

While I was walking through Walmart the other day, I was looking to see what else there could be, besides candy to put in some sort of a gift bag. I would love to put together little treat bags this year, but we will not be home to hand out candy to the locals.

So a couple neat things to put in a little gift bag besides candy!

• Play-Doh – They sell little mini play-doh containers in fun halloween colors.
• Crayons – If you children are anything like mine, they love to color.
• Box or bags of trail mix, or raisins.
• Hot chocolate packets.
• Animal crackers.
• Stickers (little packets)
• School supplies (pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners)
• Snack Size pretzels.
• Change (Yes, Nickels, Dimes, Quarters)
• Fruit
• Glow Necklaces, Bracelets, or glow sticks.

All are fun alternatives to Candy!

I thought I would share some neat events that are taking place at our own very Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport!
Earlier this year, my husband and family became members for the season, and we are really excited to go this weekend to take part in a couple of the events.

Howl O Ween – 10/23-10/24 & 10/30-10/31 from (6 to 9pm)
Calling all ghosts and goblins! Spend a truly frightful evening at the Zoo featuring a Bigfoot Hayride, Haunted Farmyard and a Mystery Maze. Your ticket also includes FREE face painting, kettle corn, and CANDY! Don’t miss this hauntingly good time! Admission is $6 per person. Event recommended for children ages 6-10.

The Haunted Farmyard – 10/17-11/01 (9am to 4pm)
Our Haunted Farmyard is guaranteed to delight and fright all those who pass through!!! FREE with admission to the Zoo.

Boo at the Zoo – 10/25 (12 to 3pm)
This spooktacular afternoon includes music, harvest hay rides, our Scarecrow competition, and Haunted Farmyard, which is guaranteed to delight and fright all those who pass through! If you’re under 12, in costume and are accompanied by a paying adult, you get in to the Zoo for FREE!

Harvist Hayrides – 10/1-11/30 (12pm to 3pm)
Harvest Hay Rides are ongoing every weekend in October and November as well as school holidays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Rides begin at the W.O.L.F. Cabin and are $2 each.

Scarecrows on Parade – 10/24-11/01 (9am to 4pm)
Come check out the entries to our 2nd Annual Scarecrow Competition and vote for your favorites! FREE with admission to the Zoo.

All events look to be a great time for children especially, but if you are an adult who loves to live vicariously though their children and take part in youth activities, this is a great one for you!
Also, it gives kids a great opportunity to wear their Halloween costume more than one time!  We all know that once you buy it, kids constantly want to wear it around the house, to the store, and school too!

Come and join our family on Sunday for Boo at the Zoo!

I know as parents we all want to keep our children out of any type of danger that we can prevent, so today I am going to do a list of things we can do as parents to make Halloween not only fun, but safe for our children.

• Help your children pick out a light colored costume, and if that is not possible, make sure that your child has some kind of light, glow stick, reflectors, or something on them that will make them visible in the dark, especially to drivers.
• Know the area you are bringing your children trick or treating in. Visit family members, neighbors, etc.
• Make sure your child’s costume (if it has a mask or head piece) enables your child to use their peripheral vision.
• If you set jack-o-lanterns out on your porch, make sure they are far enough out of the walking path that children do not run the risk of their costume catching fire.
• If your child has a prop with their costume, make sure that if they are to fall, it will not become dangerous or hurt them in any way.
• Go trick or treating with your children, while they might not be happy that mom and dad want to tag along, in many cases it is your best bet while they are still to young to go out by themselves or with their friends.
• Make sure your children are aware of stranger danger. Never get into a car with a stranger.
• Try and stay in well lit areas. Stay away from areas with no lights, or neighborhoods you are not familiar with.
• Make sure your children have dinner before they leave the house, you do not want them hungry and wanting to pick at the candy before they get back from trick or treating.

Also, remember, this halloween is on Saturday night. Keep an extra eye out for adult parties, and people who may be drinking and driving.

Have a happy and healthy halloween!!!!

I do a lot of reading in my spare time. Books, blogs, online forums, and articles written in the news, all mainly about birth, pregnancy, parenting, parenting issues, yada yada yada. While making my usual blog rounds this morning, I came across a post with a sample letter that a blogger had come across. At first I was hoping that this sample letter was a joke. But as I read further, I realized that this was an actual letter that a woman’s OB/GYN gave to her during pregnancy. This letter was found on a forum of allnurses.com and reposted on Unnecesarean.

Below, I would like to share the letter, as well as make comments on the points that the doctor made as “his birth plan” (Mind you, he is not the one giving birth, his patient is, he gets no say in her choices as a laboring woman.)  Thankfully the woman who was on the receiving end of this letter immediately found a new provider.

DR. ________ “BIRTH PLAN”

Dear Patient:

As your obstetrician, it is my goal and responsibility to ensure your safety and your baby’s safety during your pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. My practice approach is to use the latest advances in modern obstetrics. There is no doubt that modern obstetrical advances have significantly decreased the incidence of maternal and fetal complications. (Yet the United States has the highest intervention rates, one of the highest cesarean section rates, and HORRIBLE maternal and fetal death rates. Out of all the industrialized nations in the world, we rank LAST!!) The following information should clarify my position and is meant to address some commonly asked questions. Please review this information carefully and let me know if you feel uncomfortable in any way with my approach as outlined below.

* Home delivery, underwater delivery, and delivery in a dark room is not allowed.  (No, instead of the parents being comfortable, the Doctor will not work harder or not be comfortable himself in order for your experience to be positive or what you want.  Also, if you wanted home delivery, you would not be seeking the care of an OB/GYN, at least in the United States, other countries around the world like The Netherlands (which has a  lower fetal and maternal death rate) has OB/GYN’s that deliver at home, 1/3 of all their births are home births.)

* I do not accept birth plans. Many birth plans conflict with approved modern obstetrical techniques and guidelines. (You mean, the guidelines put in place to make an OB/GYN’s job easier on themselves and hospital staff? Not information based on scientific evidence?) I follow the guidelines of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology which is the organization responsible for setting the standard of care in the United States. (ACOG is basically a trade union for OB/GYN’s, they are not a college, not an institute of higher learning, and most of their recommendations are not based on scientific evidence, which has been pointed out by several different organizations, and publications in recent years.) Certain organizations, under the guise of “Natural Birth” promote practices that are outdated and unsafe. (I would love to know which organizations the Doctor was speaking about here, because in my time in the birth community I have never come across anything along these lines, but I have come across many that promote natural birth, which I guess you can say is “outdated” in today’s society.) You should notify me immediately, if you are enrolled in courses that encourage a specific birth plan. Conflicts should be resolved long before we approach your due date. Please note that I do not accept the Bradley Birth Plan. You may ask my office staff for our list of recommended childbirth classes. (Because Your Doctor is boss and all!  LOL)

* Doulas and labor coaches are allowed and will be treated like other visitors. However, like other visitors, they may be asked to leave if their presence or recommendations hinder my ability to monitor your labor or your baby’s well-being. (Your right as a patient is to have anyone you feel necessary with you during your labor. Because your doctor may disagree with them, or what you want for your labor, does not mean these people need to leave. It is your birth, it is your right to have anyone with you. By attempting to “run out” your labor support team, the doctor is not doing you anything but an injustice and putting you in a venerable position.)

* IV access during labor is mandatory. Even though labor usually progresses well, not too infrequently, emergencies arise suddenly, necessitating an emergency c-section. The precious few minutes wasted trying to start an IV in an emergency may be crucial to your and your baby’s well being. (So basically, they have the IV access open to pump you full of pitocin or other induction drugs when your body doesn’t progress fast enough for the Doctor. I have seen it before, women given pitocin without their consent or even knowing it was being given to them. Your body knows how to birth, and will facilitate the changes it needs to in the time frame that is right for you and your baby, not what fits the agenda of your Doctor, which is often an 12 hour deadline.)

* Continuous monitoring of your baby’s heart rate during the active phase (usually when your cervix is dilated 4cm) is mandatory. This may be done using external belts or if not adequate, by using internal monitors at my discretion. This is the only way I can be sure that your baby is tolerating every contraction. Labor positions that hinder my ability to continuously monitor your baby’s heart rate are not allowed. (Continuous fetal monitoring, over the 30 years it has been taking place in the Obstetric Community has not improved maternal or fetal outcomes of births, even ACOG released a study earlier this year stating that.)

* Rupture of membranes may become helpful or necessary during your labor. The decision as whether and when to perform this procedure is made at my discretion. (There is no scientific based evidence or studies that have shown the rupturing of membranes to be helpful, or help progression in your labor.)

* Epidural anesthesia is optional and available at all times. The most recent scientific data suggest that epidurals are safe and do not interfere with labor in anyway even if administered very early in labor. (Really? Because the most recent studies on epidurals have shown they also hold many risks to mothers and babies, just as any form of anesthesia has the chance for risks. Also, epidurals that are administered before 4cm or what is considered to be active labor increases your risk for labor to stall, fetal distress, and increases your risk for a cesarean section for non progression.)

* I perform all vaginal deliveries on a standard labor and delivery bed. Your legs will be positioned in the standard delivery stirrups. This is the most comfortable position for you. (Really because I have labored before and being flat on my back was the most uncomfortable position for me.) It also provides maximum space in your pelvis, minimizing the risk of trauma to you and your baby during delivery. (This is also incorrect, while laying flat on your back this decreases the pelvic size and also constricts the contract between your spine, and the nerves that are directly connecting to your uterus. In turn your uterus is not functioning at its maximum potential and can cause weak contractions, or other kinds of distress to you or the fetus. In reality, the lithotomy position is the most comfortable for the OB/GYN. God forbid he/she had to get onto the floor to deliver your baby while you are on a birthing stool or your hands and knees.)

* Episiotomy is a surgical incision made at the vaginal opening just before the baby’s head is delivered. I routinely perform other standard techniques such as massage and stretching to decrease the need for episiotomies. However, depending on the size of the baby’s head and the degree of flexibility of the vaginal tissue, an episiotomy may become necessary at my discretion to minimize the risk of trauma to you and your baby. (Episiotomies are greatly outdated and shown in many studies to have no medical benefit for mother and baby. Scientific evidence points that a mother tearing on her own is safer, heals better, and causes less damage/trauma to the vagina.)

* I will clamp the umbilical cord shortly after I deliver your baby. Delaying this procedure is not beneficial and can potentially be harmful to your baby. (Again incorrect, several scientific based studies have shown that delayed cord clamping is beneficial to the newborn, and can make a huge difference in their health in the first hours of life.)

* If your pregnancy is normal, it should not extend much beyond your due date. (You mean that date that is infamous for being wrong in up to TWO weeks in either direction? Even with Ultrasound measurements in the first trimester.) The rate of maternal and fetal complications increases rapidly after 39 weeks.(HUH???? Where the heck did you come up with that??? Even ACOG, the trade organization this Doctor quotes for his recommendations state that a pregnancy is NOT over due or in DANGER until 42 weeks gestation BY this guess date better known as a due date.) For this reason, I recommend delivering your baby at around 39-40 weeks of pregnancy. This may happen through spontaneous onset of labor or by inducing labor. Contrary to many outdated beliefs, inducing labor, when done appropriately and at the right time, is safe, and does not increase the amount of pain or the risk of complications or the need for a c-section. (Incorrect again, labor induction raises your risk for a cesarean section by 40%.)

* Compared to the national average, I have a very low c-section rate. However, a c-section may become necessary at any time during labor due to maternal or fetal concerns. The decision as to whether and when to perform this procedure is made at my discretion and it is not negotiable, especially when done for fetal concerns. (Actually IT IS negotiable, without the mothers signature on that consent form, you are performing an illegal procedure.)

That is the full text of the letter, and the mothers reaction letter was even more heart warming since she basically ran screaming from this provider when she read this. As any educated person would. But what I find most frightening about this whole letter, and situation in general is, there are actually Doctors out there in the United States that are practicing like this with recommendations and information that not only is disgustingly incorrect and not backed by real scientific based evidence, but harmful for mothers and babies, not helpful.

This is another reason that I strongly encourage birth classes, reading, and educating yourself during and before pregnancy because you may find yourself victim to a provider like this, and believe exactly what they say because of course, they have MD after their name.

In the past week there has been a lot going on regarding gender equality and blatant price gouging when it comes to medical insurance coverage, including maternity insurance coverage.

Not many people thought of this as an issue, and then in 2008 The New York Times covered a story of a woman by the name of Peggy Robertson who was denied medical insurance because she had a previous cesarean section. Their excuse for the denial was if she was to become pregnant again, they would likely have to pay for a repeat cesarean section, and any complications that may come from the surgery. So in a letter they suggested she be sterilized, and in turn they would offer her medical insurance. This is a problem that is becoming prominent for many women across the country, and with the number of women giving birth by cesarean section being 1 out of 3, in the next decade we will see a drastic increase in un-insurable women if something is not done about this now. Fortunately for women across the country, this was brought to the attention of Senator Barbara Mikulski.

In the video clip taken from ABC World News Tonight, you can view the testimony as well as statement from Senator Mikulski about this subject while she vows to make sure what happened to Ms. Robertson never happens again under her watch.

And it all comes back to the birth of her child. Because of the defensive medicine that is currently being practiced in our country, this may happen to more women before our government does have the chance to change the laws regarding this.

If you know anyone that this has happened to, Senator Mikulski is working with The International Cesarean Awareness Network in finding women that have been denied or offered a option like sterilization like was offered to Peggy Robertson.

I sat down on Friday, and spent a whole 140 minutes watching the senate hearing, as well as the question and answer portion for the witnesses that testified. I was fascinated by what was shared, the people who testified, and what was said. It is disgusting, and sad how much women are being taken advantage of today.

I am praying that the health care reform will help not only fix this problem, as well as reform the medical malpractice laws.