My chat with the ACOG VP & CEO about VBAC
Earlier this month, I attended Mom Congress 2019 with 150 other advocates from all over the United States. We gathered to learn about and lobby for the Momnibus bill package, a bipartisan effort to address maternal mortality, maternal mental health, and paid family...
Please don’t call my cesarean a “cesarean birth”
In an attempt to validate parents, some perinatal professionals tell parents who have had a cesarean, “It’s still a birth.” And I get where they are coming from. Their desire to affirm to the parent that they still birthed a baby and that this is a...
Uterine rupture survival story teaches two lessons
Having a prior uterine surgery increases the risk of uterine rupture. The relative risk is still low, but it’s there. Other factors can push that risk higher (such as induction.) But sometimes there is no “reason” for a uterine rupture other than a prior cesarean....
Six Confusing Facts: What the Large Canadian VBAC Study Really Says
A VBAC study out of Canada was published today which found, “Absolute rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality were low but significantly higher after attempted vaginal birth after cesarean delivery compared with elective repeat cesarean delivery.” After...
“Patient has one hour to progress ‘adequately'”
I came across this story from a nurse and I wanted to share with you. First because it’s an amazing story illustrating how nurses can help birthing parents avoid a primary cesarean. And second, because we can all use some good news. Here’s her story shared...
I need your help preserving vaginal breech birth
March 6, 2018 Update: Your letters worked! Dr. Fineberg has announced: “We can now support vaginal breech birth at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento via our Davis office!” Never underestimate the power of our collective voice. It’s time to summon...
The three biggest concerns with ACOG’s VBAC Guidelines
Last week, ACOG released Practice Bulletin No. 184, their latest VBAC guidelines. For those not in the know, this document has the potential to greatly influence VBAC access in America. These are the words that hospitals and obstetricians point to when they create...
Eleven things to love about ACOG’s 2017 VBAC Guidelines
Note: In 2019, ACOG released their latest VBAC guidelines, Practice Bulletin No. 205. The only change was their recommendation regarding the timing of elective repeat cesarean sections among those who have had an uterine rupture. Other than that, the language is...
How being a colorblind birth professional hurts your clients
Recently, I had a great extended conversation on racism in birth work at a VBAC Facts training for professionals in Covington, LA. And I wanted to share it with you. One doula shared that we simply needed to treat all clients the same regardless of race. What she was...
Evidence or Experience: Which Matters More?
So what matters more: Our personal experience? Or the conclusions of medical evidence? I suspect that most of my readers would say, the evidence. Hands down. And that is what most people believe… until they experience a bad outcome. That’s when things...
