Study Shows Home Birth Lowers Cesarean Risk
“Based on these study results, women who want to avoid a cesarean should consider planning a home birth with a Certified Professional Midwife,” said Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). “Double digit cesarean rates subject women and babies to the risks of preventable surgery and drive up the cost of health care for everyone.”
(PRWEB) June 21, 2005 -- A landmark study published June 18 in the British
Medical Journal (BMJ) shows planned home births with Certified Professional
Midwives (CPMs) result in significantly lower cesarean rates than planned
hospital births.
The 2000 study by a Canadian epidemiologist and a CPM
tracked more than 5,000 pregnant women in the United States and Canada planning
home birth. The result was a 3.7 percent cesarean rate among all mothers and a
1.7 percent cesarean rate among women who previously gave birth vaginally.
“Based on these study results, women who want to avoid a cesarean should
consider planning a home birth with a Certified Professional Midwife,” said
Tonya Jamois, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN).
“Double digit cesarean rates subject women and babies to the risks of
preventable surgery and drive up the cost of health care for everyone.”
The Centers for Disease Control documented a 23 percent cesarean rate
for the U.S. in 2000, the same year in which the study was conducted. The most
recent figures available show the U.S. with a 27.6 percent cesarean rate in 2003
and Canada with a 24 percent rate in 2002.
“We hope the positive results
of this home birth study will move the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (ACOG) to review their protocols and guidelines to support women
who choose home birth and to integrate Certified Professional Midwives into the
healthcare system,” Jamois said. Currently, ACOG opposes home birth.
The
largest study of its kind to date found “planned home births for low-risk women
in the United States are associated with similar safety and less medical
intervention as low-risk hospital births.” http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abridged/330/7505/1416
ICAN
recognizes that when a cesarean is necessary it can be a lifesaving technique
for both mother and baby and worth the risks involved. However, a cesarean is
major surgery and should be used only when necessary because it does introduce
risks. Potential risks to babies include: low birth weight; prematurity;
respiratory problems; and lacerations. Potential risks to mothers include:
hemorrhage; infection; hysterectomy; surgical mistakes; re-hospitalization;
dangerous placental abnormalities in future pregnancies; unexplained stillbirth
in future pregnancies and increased percentage of maternal death.
ICAN is
a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by
preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for
cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are more
than 60 ICAN Chapters in the U.S. and Canada, which hold education and support
meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery. For more
information, visit www.ican-online.org or call ICAN President Tonya Jamois at
(760) 744-5260 or the ICAN office at (800) 686-ICAN.
Media
Note
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are direct-entry midwives (DEMs)
who earned certification from the North American Registry of Midwives (www.narm.org) and who
practice primarily in out-of-hospital settings.
Some states, such as
South Carolina, that have regulatory laws governing home birth midwives also
give a licensure title to the midwives who meet specific state-defined criteria.
These midwives are called Licensed Midwives (LMs). In other states, such as
Florida, licensed midwifery training culminates in taking the exam for Certified
Professional Midwife in order to practice in that state.
A midwife who
is a CPM and/or LM would include that acronym after her name as in Jane Smith,
CPM, LM.
The above midwives are NOT to be confused with Certified
Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) who work with obstetricians in providing maternity care
for women delivering in a hospital setting or in some cases a birth center.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb252904.htm