cesarean awareness — Mum's The Word (Writing)

Have You Ever Heard of Natural C-Sections?

When I was in Peru, I interviewed a well-regarded OBGYN named Dr. Antonio Lévano. He is a pioneer in his county for natural c-sections. Natural c-sections originated in the United Kingdom in 2008, but in 2010, Dr. Lévano was the first OBGYNs to implement this technique in his home country of Peru.

It has been well-researched that babies that reach full-term are healthier than premature babies. Babies that are born premature may have respiratory problems such as sleep apnea or require ventilators, and may even have asthma and allergies throughout their lives. Mothers have a harder time breastfeeding babies which are born via c-section too. To remedy these issues, natural c-sections also called gentle c-sections were created.

Lévano described to me how he does natural c-sections in Lima, Peru. These c-sections are planned. Women decide ahead of time that they would like to have a c-section over a vaginal delivery. Unlike scheduled c-sections, after the mother begins contractions, not before, she arrives to the hospital to delivery her baby.

It's International Cesarean Awareness Month!

April is International Cesarean Awareness month. This month is sponsored by ICAN – The International Cesarean Awareness Network.

ICAN is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by reducing preventable cesareans through education, supporting cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).

After researching childbirth around the world, the WHO (The World Health Organization) recommended that only 10-15% of all births be delivered via c-section. They stated that higher than that number were excessive and could cause health issues to the mother or baby. They believe only 10 to 15% of cesarean births are medically necessary. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 30% of births in the U.S. are via c-section.

mothers, new mothers, childbirth, health and wellnessKhristee RichApril 15, 2020childbirth, childbirth around the world, c-sections, cesarean births, cesarean awareness month, international cesarean awareness month, cesarean awareness, International Cesarean Awareness NetworkComment