I'm posting this e-mail that I received from Carol Sakala, Director of Programs at the Maternity Center Association.
-- Henci
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Maternity Center Association (MCA), the oldest national organization
advocating on behalf of mothers and babies (established 1918), has prepared
two web pages in response to the recent release of the record-setting 2004
U.S. cesarean rate of 29.1% by the National Center for Health Statistics.
The first page points to important health and financial costs associated
with increasingly casual use of major abdominal surgery in a primarily
healthy population. It raises concerns about factors that are driving the
steady increase in the national cesarean rate. And it addresses the fallacy
of the common assumption that cesareans with no sign of a medical need on
birth certificates were initiated by mothers themselves. The URL for this
page is:
C-section rate defies best practice
The second page is a brief, clear overview of Maternity Center Association's
advice for pregnant women about cesarean section, vaginal birth, and vaginal
birth after cesarean (VBAC). This page can be found at:
Advice about c-section
This work is a component of MCA's ongoing national program to promote
evidence-based maternity care.
We would be grateful if you would inform colleagues and friends about these
resources.
Best wishes,
Carol Sakala
Carol Sakala, PhD, MSPH
Director of Programs
Maternity Center Association
281 Park Avenue South, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010
(212) 777-5000 x5 phone
sakala@maternitywise.org
http://www.maternitywise.org
Maternity Center Association>> By: Henci Goer