VBAC Facts » Alaska

Attorneys looking for VBAC ban victims

Jen Kamel — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:23:08 +0000

This was emailed out on the ICAN list:

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Dear Friends,

As you are likely aware, many women are denied access to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) because of hospital policies and outright bans. Attorneys with the Northwest Women’s Law Center in Seattle are looking at this issue.

It requires that the woman is planning a hospital birth, in a hospital that bans VBAC, because she has no other options (not feeling comfortable with a homebirth is an acceptable reason to not have a homebirth for this purpose, so it doesn’t have to be in an area where there are also no midwives available). The reason for not having options can be geographic (no close hospitals to go to) or something like restrictions placed on her because of insurance or lack of insurance. But she definitely has to be planning a hospital birth.

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I’m a lawyer with the Northwest Women’s Law Center in Seattle. I’m investigating possible legal responses to bans on vaginal birth after cesarean at hospitals in the northwest states Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon. If you are currently pregnant and want to have a VBAC, but are facing a hospital policy that would require you to have a c-section regardless of whether you want it and regardless of whether it is actually medically necessary, and you are willing to consider working with a lawyer on this, we’d like to talk with you. Please respond to
vbacbanhelp at ican-online dot org.

Even if you are not in one of the states listed, you can still help by emailing this out to any email lists you are on and asking everyone who receives it to email it to all the lists THEY are on as well so that it is distributed far and wide. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Susan Hodges, “gatekeeper”

The cost of getting your medical records

Jen Kamel — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:42:50 +0000

It’s always enlightening to get a copy of your medical records, specifically the records related to your child’s vaginal birth/cesarean section. Often, women who are told that they needed a cesarean because their baby was in distress, find that the medical records do not reflect that diagnosis. Moms frequently find that the “valid medical reason” they were given is absent from their medical record and in its place is “maternal request,” “elective,” or “consent upon consultation.” Where is the valid medical reason? Frequently, it’s not present in the record simply because it didn’t exist. As we have seen, doctors attempt to coerce women into repeat cesareans based on their schedules and instilling “big baby fear.”

Take the time to get and read your records. You may find that your “emergency” cesarean was no rush at all.

Medical Records Copying Charges by State

Going to the hospital for financial reasons

Jen Kamel — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:43:52 +0000

This is an incredible post I’m sharing with permission. So often I hear of women who chose to birth in a hospital simply because their insurance pays for it. Or they don’t want to hire a doula for their hospital birth because their insurance doesn’t pay for it. How much is a normal, vaginal birth worth to you? Especially women seeking VBAC, the hospital can be a very hostile place to birth. When you take into account the peace, security, and privacy, the cost for an out-of-hospital birth is very small.

When I hear people say they are choosing to go to the hospital because they can’t afford to
pay a midwife, I cringe. I almost did the same thing. I had access to free medical care
where the VBAC rate was close to 60%. I went back and forth then decided to follow my
heart and not allow my path to be chosen by the insurance company and their lawyers.

I have never heard anyone 10 years later say, “Gosh, we could have saved $3000 if we
wouldn’t have had that peaceful, intimate, loving birth at home.” Or “Gee, even though I
we had to fight the entire time and I got stuck with needles, my yonni cut and my baby
was drugged and I had no privacy and almost (or did) have a c-section, I am sure glad we
saved $3000!!!”

I don’t know about you but I know my pelvic floor is worth a whole lot more than that. I
know I would put myself in debt for a long time in order to know that I was with a
provider that is more like a mother..who will tenderly massage my perineum to insure that
I don’t tear and make sure I go to the bathroom to make sure I don’t injure my bladder.
My grandma has had 5 surgeries in her pelvic floor and has chronic bladder infections
from birthing flat on her back and knocked out. Watching her suffer has put the whole
thing in perspective for me.

I put a high price on my private parts and my continence. My midwife has had ONE 3rd
degree tear in almost 2000 births. I personally know a half dozen women who have come
home from the hospital with those. And those are just the ones open enough to share
that with me.

The midwifes I know have a VBAC rate of close to 90%. What is the going rate at your
hospital? How about with your prospective midwives?

I guess I am writing to say that it sounds nice to save a few thousand dollars an go to the
hospital….But what is your yonni worth? What is your dignity worth? Sure, if you really
don’t feel comfortable birthing at home that is one thing… But to do it to save money?
And divide that money out over the 60 years that you will remember this birth. Will you
look back with love and joy or with sadness and regret?

Elke in Alaska

Cesarean & VBAC Rates of Hospitals – AL, AK, CA, FL, ME, MA, NJ, NY, OR, TX

Jen Kamel — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:02:51 +0000

This article has links to cesarean and VBAC rates by hospital for the following states: Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. (For more information on California hospitals, go here.)

This is great info for women of those states!

Compliments of Our Bodies Ourselves: Finding and Comparing C-Section Rates by Hospital

Physician Credential Verification by State

Jen Kamel — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:47:45 +0000

Want to know if your doctor has been subject to a board hearing or disciplinary note?

Here is a link to the State Board sites for all 50 states.