Pregnancy, Parenthood & Playtime

I never thought a day in my life, that even when I had children, I would have a difficult time balancing a social life on top of being a mother, and I think a lot of mothers have this same mind set. And then we become parents and realize how little time there really is to be mom, and still continue the active social life that we once had. Even with a super involved husband like I have, I find it hard to get out alone to meet with friends, or even just go to get a manicure or pedicure which are some essentials as a woman. (Haha)

Last night was a girls night out that I had been planning for nearly two months with a couple associates of mine, and last Friday we had a loss in our family. I found myself starting to make excuses not to attend the much needed Girls Night Out/Christmas Party because of all the added stress I had going on, and then when it finally came down to it, one of the women attending, and my husband made me go. I realized then that I need to do that at least once a month, whether it is dinner with the girls, or just going to the  mall for some retail therapy alone.

It made me start to think about all the women who are in the same position as myself, and how important it is for us to make time for ourselves. We were women, friends, independent, and people before we were mothers. We had our own identities, and our own things we enjoyed to do, and just because you become a mother does not mean you are ONLY a mother.

Take some time ladies!
Go out and shop, get your nails or hair done, have dinner with your girlfriends you feel like you haven’t seen in ages…

Just get out!
Believe me, it will make a world of difference and it will help re-charge the mom in you until the next time you can get out and do you for a little while.

Thank you to ICAN for making this amazing brochure to help women all across the world. For those who are unable or have not seen the brochure at this point, I took the time to type out most of the information on it.

Make an informed choice about the risks of repeat cesareans Vs. VBAC.

Cesarean sections are major abdominal surgery, and like all surgery, carry the risks of complications. These can include dense adhesion’s, excessive scar tissue growth that connects the uterus to surrounding tissues and organs. Adhesion’s can increase the risk of longer operation times and injury to adjacent organs. The risk of hysterectomy, or the surgical removal of the uterus, also rises. Undergoing repeated cesareans make it more likely a woman will experience placenta accreta, in which the placenta grows into the middle layer of the uterus, possibly causing hemorrhage and requiring a hysterectomy.

A woman who has repeat cesareans can also be more likely to experience thromboebolisms (blood clots that break lose and block vessels), or experience blood loss. And while uterine rupture (a rare but potentially catastrophic event during pregnancy or childbirth in which the uterine wall splits open) remains a concern after one or more cesareans, the risk of uterine rupture is small, and it decreases further with each additional VBAC.

Lets Look at the numbers….

1st Cesarean
Risk of Hysterectomy : 0.65% (1 in 154)
Risk of Blood Transfusion : 4.05% (1 in 25)
Risk of Placenta Accreta : 0.24% (1 in 417)

1st VBAC
Chance of Successful VBAC : 63.3% (2 in 3)
Risk of Uterine Rupture : 0.87% (1 in 115)
Risk of Hysterectomy : 0.23% (1 in 435)
Risk of Blood Transfusion : 1.89% (1 in 53)

2nd Cesarean
Risk of Hysterectomy : 0.42% (1 in 238)
Risk of Blood Transfusion : 1.53% (1 in 65)
Risk of Placenta Accreta : 0.31% (1 in 325)
Risk of Major Complications : 4.3% (1 in 23)
Risk of Dense Adhesion’s : 21.6% (1 in 5)

2nd VBAC
Chance of Successful VBAC : 87.6% (9 in 10)
Risk of Uterine Rupture : 0.45% (1 in 222)
Risk of Hysterectomy : 0.17% (1 in 588)
Risk of Blood Transfusion : 1.24% (1 in 81)

3rd Cesarean
Risk of Hysterectomy : 0.9% (1 in 111)
Risk of Blood Transfusion : 2.26% (1 in 44)
Risk of Placenta Accreta : 0.57% (1 in 165)
Risk of Major Complications : 7.5% (1 in 13)
Risk of Dense Adhesion’s : 32.2% (1 in 3)

4th Cesarean
Risk of Hysterectomy : 2.41% (1 in 41)
Risk of Blood Transfusion : 3.65% (1 in 27)
Risk of Placenta Accreta : 2.13% (1 in 47)
Risk of Major Complications : 12.5% (1 in
Risk of Dense Adhesion’s : 42.2% (2 in 5)

Note : “Major complications” include one of more of the following : uterine rupture, hysterectomy, additional surgery due to hemorrhage, injury to the bladder or bowel, thromboembolism, and/or excessive blood loss.

Sources : Mercer, B. M., & Gilbert, S. et al. Labor Outcomes with increasing number or prior vaginal births after a cesarean delivery. Obstetrics & Gynocology 2008; 111: 285-291.

Silver, R.M, & Landom M. B., et al. Maternal morbidity associated with multiple repeat cesarean deliveres. Obstetrics & Gynocology. 2006; 107: 1226-1232.

Nisenblat, V., Barak, S., & Griness, O.B., et al. Maternal complications associated with multiple cesarean deliveres. Obstetrics & Gynecology 2006; 108: 21-6

All VBAC statistics for this are taken from the Mercer & Gilbert study in which includes induced and augmented labors. Additional studies have shown lower uterine rupture rates (especially with spontaneous labors) and higher VBAC success rates.