News Moms Need

Nearly one-third of all births in the U.S. were via cesarean section in 2007. According to a new study out this month, the rate of cesarean delivery rose by 53% from 1996 to 2007.  An increase showed for mothers of all ages and across racial and Hispanic-origin groups.  And an increase was seen in every state in the country, six states with an increase as high as 70%!

Cesarean section is delivery of a baby by major abdominal surgery.  Like any major surgery, there are certain risks associated with cesarean delivery. C-section, however, can be a lifesaving operation when either you or your baby face certain problems before or during labor and delivery.  Because cesarean section is major surgery, it should be performed only when the health of the mother or baby is at risk.

According to the study, cesarean rates were higher for both early and late preterm infants (before 37 weeks) than for term infants.  Preterm infants are more likely to have medical problems than babies born a few weeks later at full term. These babies often spend time in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) receiving expert, yet costly, care.  (The hospital cost of a cesarean birth alone usually is twice that of a vaginal birth.)

If you are thinking about cesarean delivery, carefully consider the risks and benefits for your baby and yourself.  Make a list of your questions and have a serious discussion about your options with your health care provider.

One third of women with diabetes don’t know they have it – that’s one out of every three women with diabetes, a lot!  Today is Diabetes Awareness Day.  We’ve posted on the importance of getting diabetes under control before you conceive and keeping it under control during pregnancy, but today is a good opportunity to mention it again. 

This is really important ladies.  If too much glucose (sugar) is in a woman’s blood during early pregnancy, there’s a chance that this can cause birth defects of the brain or spine, heart defects, cleft lip or palate, kidney problems, etc. In later pregnancy, too much glucose could lead to high blood pressure in the mom, a baby that is too large or born prematurely, a cesarean delivery or other life-threatening situations.

Pre-existing diabetes may also increase the risk of miscarriage and poorly controlled diabetes later in pregnancy may increase the risk of stillbirth .

But don’t panic, because paying attention now has excellent benefits.  Most of these women can look forward to having a healthy baby. While diabetes poses some risks in pregnancy, advances in care have greatly improved the outlook for these pregnancies. So make sure you get your preconception checkup, fine tune any issues and be as healthy as possible before you conceive.

Is it safe to have a vaginal birth once a woman has had a c-section? That’s the question medical experts asked this week at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Vaginal birth after cesarean is called VBAC for short.

Some women want to deliver vaginally after they’ve had a c-section. They may want a “more natural” experience, or they may want to avoid having surgery again.

Yet many women have trouble finding a medical provider or hospital who will consider VBAC. Hospitals and providers worry about safety and about the risk of being sued.

The NIH experts concluded that, while there are risks involved, VBAC can be safe for many women. They encouraged hospitals, providers and women to work together. Everyone needs to consider the risks and benefits for the particular woman and her baby. When it makes sense, the woman should have the option to choose VBAC. The panel also called for more research.

Have you had VBAC? Or have you wanted to? Let us hear from you.

Nope.  Sometimes genetics plays a part (for example, you and your mom both have a uniquely shaped uterus, a liver disease, diabetes or high blood pressure), but usually your mom’s birthing history will not impact yours. 

C-section, or cesarean delivery, can be a lifesaving operation when either you or your baby face certain problems before or during labor and delivery. Read more about reasons for cesarean section and watch our videos at this link.   Many women who deliver surgically never planned to do so, but an emergency made it necessary.  Some health care experts, however, believe that other, non-emergent c-sections are not medically necessary. A cesarean section is major surgery and should be done only when the health of the mother or baby is at risk.  Even if you had your first baby via cesarean delivery, you may or may not need to deliver a second baby that way. It all depends on the reasons for performing the first cesarean and how the incisions were placed in your body.  It’s important to discuss this with your health care provider before your next birth experience.

Did you know? Women who have a c-section are more likely to develop a postpartum infection than women who have a vaginal delivery.

A new study from Denmark looked at the records of over 30,000 women who had given birth. Those who had a c-section were at increased risk of having a urinary tract infection (UTI) or a wound infection within the first 30 days after delivery. (A wound infection affects the area where the incision was made.) Other studies have also found an increased risk of infection after cesarean.

So if you have a c-section, be on the alert for these signs:

* For a UTI, watch for pain or burning when you go to the bathroom, blood in your urine, fever and the urge to go often.

* For  wound infection, watch for redness, swelling or pus around the incision site. Sometimes, the wound may open, and you may run a fever.

For more information, read the March of Dimes article on cesarean birth. Or watch our video C-Section: Recovering After Surgery.

You may have heard us say it before, but it’s worth saying it again – having a healthy baby starts BEFORE pregnancy! There are so many factors about mom’s health before and during pregnancy that affect how healthy her baby will be. That’s why it’s important for all women to take care of themselves and live a healthy lifestyle. This is especially true for women living with diabetes.

The USA Today published an article last week on this very topic. In fact, nearly 9 out of 100 women in the United States have diabetes. But, about 3 out of those 9 don’t know it. Managing diabetes before pregnancy (often called “preexisting diabetes”) is important to the health of both mom and baby. This is also true for women who develop gestational diabetes (when diabetes develops during pregnancy). If too much glucose (sugar) is in a woman’s blood during early pregnancy, there’s a chance that this can cause birth defects. In later pregnancy, too much glucose could lead to a baby that is too large, born prematurely, born via c-section or have other life-threatening situations.

But there is good news! By learning how to manage your diabetes before and during pregnancy, you can increase the chances of having a healthy pregnancy and baby. Here’s a few things you can do right now:
• Visit your health provider regularly before and during pregnancy
• Take a multivitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet
• With your health provider’s OK, be active and exercise
• Learn more about managing pre-existing diabetes and gestational diabetes.

Many, many moms ask this question. So you’re in a big club!

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, many women who have had a c-section can safely have a vaginal birth the next time.

But as Time magazine recently pointed out, finding a health care provider to deliver the baby the old-fashioned way can be challenging.

If you’re interested in delivering vaginally after c-section, talk to your health care provider early. Learn about the risks and benefits of both types of delivery.

If you’ve had a vaginal birth after c-section, or if you wanted to, please tell us about your experience.

For more about c-section for medical reasons, read the March of Dimes article.

More and more women are having scheduled deliveries these days. It may be convenient for the mom and the doc. But if the delivery is too early, the baby could have problems.

Babies delivered by c-section before 39 weeks are at increased risk of breathing problems, infection, and admission to an intensive care unit. These were the findings of a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers looked at “elective” c-sections; that means there was no medical reason to deliver the baby early.

As you think about your delivery, remember it’s best if babies are born full-term, not early. For more info, listen to the the podcast Scheduling Baby’s Birthday by Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director of the March of Dimes. Or read Cesarean Section by Request on our Web site.

It’s Halloween and the kids will be bringing home LOADS of goodies. It’s okay for mommies to treat themselves every once in a while during pregnancy. But don’t overload on the fun-size candy bars and the candy corn.

A recent study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that moms who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancy were twice as likely to have babies who were too large, compared to other moms. In fact, out of 40,000 moms in the study, 1 in 5 of them had gained too much weight during their pregnancy.

So what’s the harm in having a large baby, you ask? Well, let’s start with what that means for moms. Moms who gain too much weight during pregnancy are at increased risk of facing serious health complications such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and preeclamspia.  Also, a pregnant mom who gains too much weight is more likely to encounter difficulties during labor and childbirth, such as a baby stuck in the birth canal, vaginal tearing, c-section, a longer hospital stay and other recovery complications.

Babies born to overweight or obese moms face their own special health risks, too. These newborns are at increased risk of being born prematurely, having certain birth defects and needing special care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Some studies even suggest that babies born too big are more likely to face obesity in their childhood, which is a growing problem in the U.S.

While you don’t want to go on any “fad diet” during pregnancy, it’s important that you make healthy food choices.  Watch our video on healthy food choices during pregnancy.  Talk to your health provider for more nutrition tips.

Image: Juushika Redgrave, Flickr

I stayed home from work one day last week with a bad cold. It gave me the chance to catch-up on my favorite day-time shows on The Learning Channel. I watched three consecutive episodes of a Baby Story and then two episodes of another show I had never seen before called Brining Home Baby. Very cute!

After watching 2.5 hours of straight TV I decided I had enough and it was time for a nap. I closed my eyes and then it dawned on me. Every episode had one major thing in common. Every woman featured in all 5 shows gave birth to their babies via c-section. Only one woman out of the five had an emergency c-section because the baby was in distress. Is anyone else concerned about this?