April 05, 2023 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
April is Cesarean Awareness Month, an annual observance in the United States and around the world that brings focus to the extremely high number of cesarean deliveries in many areas of the globe. In 2021, the most recent year for full statistics, the cesarean rate in the United States was 32.1%. This is up one full percentage point from the 2020 statistics, and the second yearly increase in a row, after two years of declining in 2018 and 2019. Black birthing parents have the highest cesarean birth rate of all US populations, with 36.8% of Black parents having a surgical birth.
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April 27, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
This month’s Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators activity is aligned with Cesarean Awareness Month, which is observed annually in April. It is short and to the point, and helps families identify the cesarean rates of their chosen birth location. With this information, families can have conversations with their health care providers about how to avoid a cesarean that is not medically necessary.
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April 09, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
April is Cesarean Awareness Month (CAM) around the world. For some global locations, there are too few cesareans performed and pregnant/postpartum people and/or their newborns are dying or experiencing significant morbidity issues. (In the sub-Saharan region of Africa the rate of cesarean section is 4%.) In other locations, including in the United States, there are too many cesareans performed and pregnant/postpartum people are dying or suffering from significant morbidity issues. (Some Latin American countries have a cesarean rate around 60%, the USA’s cesarean rate is just shy of 32%.) It is estimated that about six million unnecessary cesareans are done each year, half of them in Brazil and China (Boerma, T., et al, 2018.) It is believed that approximately 60% of cesareans are not clinically necessary. Research has indicated that 25 percent of countries underuse cesarean sections, while 60 percent of countries were found to overuse the procedure (Wiklund, I., 2018.)
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April 29, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
April’s Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators serves two purposes! We honor and recognize Cesarean Awareness Month and also share an opportunity to support those educators who are teaching virtually during the COVID-19 global pandemic. When we are teaching virtually, as in person classes are not safe to hold currently, you can use a virtual background behind you that supplements the topic you are covering. In the case of cesareans, you can use an operating room with a baby warmer.
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April 26, 2018 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
April is Cesarean Awareness Month and today's Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators post closes out the month with an activity designed to help families distinguish between "hard" and "soft" reasons for a cesarean birth.
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