VBAC Facts » An inside perspective

Another VBAC consult misinforms

Jen Kamel — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:42:22 +0000

What disappointed me, however, was the NIH VBAC conference panel's surprise at the misinformation and bait & switch tactics to which many women are subjected. I think when you are a VBAC supportive practitioner, it may be hard to believe that your colleagues practice in a manner like I describe below. [...]

Interview with Dr. Fischbein – An Inside Look at Hospitals & VBAC Bans

Jen Kamel — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:24:35 +0000

Q: Don’t hospitals ban VBAC because it is dangerous? A: They ban VBACs under the guise of patient safety. But patient safety is a euphemism for “we don’t have a good evidence-based reason to do it, other than we don’t want to get sued, it’s more expedient, and we make more money from c-sections—the hospital does, not necessarily the physician, but the hospital does—so we’re going to ban it because it’s easier for us, and we’re going to say it’s for patient safety because of the risk of rupturing the uterus.” [...]

VBAC supportive OB asked to stop attending VBACs by his hospital

Jen Kamel — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:02:13 +0000

Women of Southern California: We are at risk for losing one of the truly supportive OBs in our area.

If you are a woman who prefers hospital births, your options are about to shrink even more.

On Friday, August 21st, Dr. Stuart Fischbein wrote on his blog http://supportdrfischbein.blogspot.com/:

So, met with the chief of staff, [...]

“Pit to Distress” – A significant risk of hospital birth

Jen Kamel — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:00:38 +0000

There are two things women generally believe about OBs:

1. Their OB would never do anything to put them or their baby in harm’s way,

2. If their OB gives them a drug, or recommends a procedure, that’s only because the benefits outweigh the risks.

Unfortunately, both of those things are not always true.

Women [...]

Hospital’s Oxytocin Protocol Change Sharply Reduces Emergency C-Section Deliveries

Jen Kamel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:56:00 +0000

This article published June 19, 2009 demonstrates one hospital’s experience when they changed their oxytocin protocol.

Note that they refer to oxytocin, but oxytocin is produced in a woman’s body and causes uterine contractions during labor whereas Pitocin, which is what they are likely referring to, is “synthetic oxytocin sold as medication.” There is a [...]

The Role of Interpretation – ACOG Refines Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring Guidelines

Jen Kamel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:20:04 +0000

"Since 1980, the use of EFM has grown dramatically, from being used on 45% of pregnant women in labor to 85% in 2002," says George A. Macones, MD, who headed the development of the ACOG document. "Although EFM is the most common obstetric procedure today, unfortunately it hasn't reduced perinatal mortality or the risk of cerebral palsy. In fact, the rate of cerebral palsy has essentially remained the same since World War II despite fetal monitoring and all of our advancements in treatments and interventions." [...]

If VBAC is reasonable, why does my OB say it is dangerous?

Jen Kamel — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:10:25 +0000

This is a question that I’ve heard a lot.

Here is the three second answer: VBACs got a bad rap in the 1990s before we understood the increased risk of rupture during an induced VBAC labor, especially with Cytotec. Even if your OB is supportive, s/he may be under pressure from hospital administrators, or other [...]

OB lists reasons for rising cesarean rate

Jen Kamel — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:15:55 +0000

7/13/10: I updated this article, almost two years to the day it was originally published, in response to some comments left on a message board indicating that some women believed after reading the article that I thought all cesareans were unnecessary. Of course, nothing can be further from the truth. There are many reasons for [...]

Does insurance pay when you leave the hospital AMA?

Jen Kamel — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:34:12 +0000

The more I read about women birthing in hospitals, the more stories I read of women who are lied to and threatened. It is really eroding my confidence in doctors and hospitals. You can read two examples here and here. If we can’t trust what they say, how can we trust when they tell us [...]

A VBAC Supportive OB’s Response to the AMA’s Statement on Homebirth

Jen Kamel — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:42:06 +0000

On June 15, 2008, the American Medical Association published their 2008 legislative resolutions which you can view here. Resolution 205, entitled “Home Deliveries,” expresses their desire to eliminate homebirth.

Below is a response written by Stuart J. Fischbein, MD FACOG, Medical Director of the Birth Action Coalition. OBs like this are few are far [...]

Neonatal nurse has a homebirth VBAC

Jen Kamel — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:23:59 +0000

This is a great birth story, published with permission, of a woman who had a cesarean for “small pelvis” and then VBACed a larger baby at home! Since she is a neonatal nurse, it’s interesting to read why she chose HBAC and how she thinks her birth would have gone differently had she labored in [...]

Business of Being Born in Connecticut

Jen Kamel — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:43:50 +0000

International Cesarean Awareness Network of Connecticut is partnering up with Catch A Healthy Habit Cafe to bring you another showing of The Business of Being Born here in Connecticut!

Sunday June 8th, 2008 at 7:00pmThe movie viewing will be preceded by a Pot Luck at 5:30pm presented and hosted by Catch A Healthy Habit [...]

A RN’s Perspective on the 2 NJ CS Deaths & Her Own Birth Experience

Jen Kamel — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:45:58 +0000

As I’m sure you can imagine there was much discussion on the ICAN list of the two moms who died within days of each other after their cesareans at Underwood, a New Jersey hospital.

I’m sharing the following post, with permission.

********************************************

I am a registered nurse, and have no intention of ever working within [...]