We Need Your Birth Photos
Bloom Spokane is about to produce it’s first promotional video that will be used as a PSA (Public Service Announcement) on our website and other local media outlets, including TV. Our aim is to reach a wide audience of childbearing families in the Spokane/CDA region and encourage them to use our amazing, free resources. And we know that video is the way to do it.
Corner Booth Media, a Spokane video and film production company, has graciously offered to create a professionally-produced video that will tell the story about our organization and the families we have impacted. They do amazing work. Have you seen the “STCU is Me” ad campaign? These guys know how to tell a story!
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A Labor and Delivery Nurse’s Views on VBAC
Nothing gets my ears perked up and my excitement stirred than chatting about birth. To be even more specific about what really gets my juices flowing are discussions surrounding VBAC births; vaginal birth after cesarean. It might make more sense to know that I am a labor and delivery nurse by trade and a mommy at heart. I get the pleasure of escorting new little souls into this life each and every shift and participate in someone’s best day and, unfortunately, sometimes their worst. I work at a Portland-area hospital and we see everything from the most natural, “normal,” labor and delivery patient to the most tragic, life-threatening situations; needless to say, it is a very special, very dynamic job and I am blessed to be a part of it. [...]
VBAC Less Risky Than Multiple C-Sections
The National Institute for Health issued a report this week titled, Vaginal Birth After Cesarean: New Insights. The report presents evidence to support the choice of a trial of labor (TOL) as a safe option for women who have had previous c-sections.
The conclusion of the report states, “Each year 1.5 million childbearing women have cesarean deliveries, and this population continues to increase. This report adds stronger evidence that VBAC is a reasonable and safe choice for the majority of women with prior cesarean. Moreover, there is emerging evidence of serious harms relating to multiple cesareans. Relatively unexamined contextual factors such as medical liability, economics, hospital structure, and staffing may need to be addressed to prioritize VBAC services. There is still no evidence to inform patients, clinicians, or policymakers about the outcomes of intended route of delivery because the evidence is based largely on the actual route of delivery. This inception cohort is the equivalent of intention to treat for randomized controlled trials and this gap in information is critical. A list of future research considerations as prioritized by national experts is also highlighted in this report.” [...]
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Fighting for Vaginal Birth
A few months ago, some of my Facebook friends in the natural birth community were posting about a woman named Joy Szabo who was fighting her doctor and hospital for the birth she wanted. The hospital where she lived in Page, Arizona was refusing to allow a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) because they have a slightly higher risk for complications. After battling the hospital executives who wouldn’t budge, Joy and her family moved to Phoenix three weeks before her due date to give birth in a hospital that does permit VBACs. She got the vaginal birth she wanted and delivered a healthy baby boy without any complications. [...]
VBAC Support and Info
I have been asked a couple of times now if Bloom has information about VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), and I realized that it doesn’t. Well, at least not much. I LOVE emails requesting new information because this lets me know what women in our community need. I may not be an expert on the subject—never having had a c-section myself—but that’s not reason enough to stop me from writing a post all about VBAC. Keep the requests coming and I’ll do my best to bring you the best information and resources out there!
As always, my aim is to provide Bloom readers with the most recent, solidly-researched educational information that I can find. I hope this list is helpful to you. If you know of other websites or local providers who support VBAC and want to share your resources with us, I encourage you to leave a comment below. We are a community of women and families who must help each other by sharing the wisdom garnered by our own experiences of childbirth!
Prevent Cesarean Surgery is a short inspirational and educational video, using real quotes spoken by women who have had both a cesarean and vaginal birth. It was the winner of the Birth Matters Virginia video contest.
Is Natural Birth Right for You?
There is probably no topic more hotly debated amongst mothers and healthcare professionals than the one of using pain medication versus natural childbirth. How a woman and her partner plan for the birth of their child is an extremely personal decision-making process. Every expectant mother has heard birth stories, whether positive or negative, which influence her thinking about labor and birth. Her hopes and expectations have been shaped by her own family history, television shows, pregnancy books and her friends’ birth experiences. [...]
