Archives

For more than a decade, the U.S. cesarean rate has stood at 33%.5 That’s one in every three pregnant women for over ten years having their baby via major abdominal surgery. One reason for this is [...]

When it comes to comparing outcomes with a midwife versus a doctor, research shows that in women with uncomplicated pregnancies, midwives are the better bet. Let’s look at the details of a recent [...]

A study in the most recent issue of Birth provides eye-opening illumination on non-medical reasons for high cesarean rates (Kennedy 2016). Investigators at Yale’s med-school affiliated hospital [...]

Italian obstetricians report that replacing standard management of slow labor with a physiologic approach greatly reduced cesarean deliveries and the use of other medical interventions in [...]

“Our evidence suggests that mainstream obstetric science follows mainstream obstetric practice. A patient and expectant approach to birth…where all is considered normal until proved otherwise, [...]

The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative has released Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth & Reduce Primary Cesareans. Reading it inspired “shock and awe,” “awe” of the herculean effort [...]

EurekAlert reports on a trial finding that giving 1st-time mothers more time to push out their babies cuts the cesarean rate for prolonged second stage in half. The American College of [...]

One theory behind laborists, obstetricians employed by hospitals to provide 24/7 coverage, is that it will reduce cesarean rates by removing time management considerations from the decision. [...]

NPR reports on a study comparing outcomes between Medicaid-funded singleton births in 1935 women having doula care and 65,147 similar women who did not. After adjustment for maternal age, [...]

A New York Times commentary serves as an eye-opener for anyone unaware of the degree to which having a cesarean depends on factors having nothing to do with the health or well-being of mothers [...]