Ten Ways to Avoid an Unnecessary Cesarean

2. Is there such a thing as an unnecessary cesarean delivery?

3. Cesarean Rates Have Been Increasing in the U.S. 6 Percent 6 Percent 6 Percent 23 Percent 30 Percent 17 Percent

6. Fewer VBACs means More Cesareans

7. There are many factors related to the chance of cesarean Cesarean Section Rate Induction of labor Time of day Vitamin D deficiency (?)‏ Physician's Cesarean Section Rate Mother's Age Type of Practice Nature of previous Pregnancies Availability of VBAC

8. The Public Citizen Health Research Group has estimated that half of the nearly one million cesareans performed every year are medically unnecessary.

10. 5 Ways to Avoid an Unnecessary Cesarean Before Labor Adapted from: Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE http://pregnancy.about.com/od/laborbirth/a/avoidcesarean.htm

11. #1 Educate Yourself About Labor, Delivery and Childbirth

13. #3 Avoid induction of labor (if possible)

14. #4 Use labor interventions wisely

15. #5 Bring support for labor

16. 5 Questions to Ask to Avoid an Unnecessary Cesarean During Labor Adapted from: ---- at CNN.com http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/17/birth.plan.tips/

17. #6 "Doctor, is this an emergency, or do we have time to talk?"

18. #7 "Doctor, what would happen if we waited an hour or two?"

19. #8 "Doctor, are you sure the baby is too big for me to deliver?"

20. #9 "Doctor, is there something else I can try before having a C-section?"

21. #10. "Doctor, can we talk more about the baby's heart rate?"

24. More Information: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/17/birth.plan.tips/ http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10456 http://bit.ly/51eBe7 (Academic Thoughts on VBAC by @hilseb) http://bit.ly/4L9w1q (Ten thoughts on VBAC by Nicholas Fogelson)