National Cesarean Rate Hits a New High
Release Highlights:
- Cesarean rate at record high in U.S.
- Cesarean rise coincides with CDC report that maternal death rate rising for the first time in decades.
- World Health Organization data shows that mothers die at a higher rate in the U.S. than 40 other countries.
- Consumer Reports includes cesarean on “10 overused tests and treatments”
Redondo Beach, CA, December 5, 2007 – The National Center for Health Statistics has reported that the cesarean rate has hit an all-time high of 31.1 percent.
CDC's Preliminary Data for 2006
“There’s no doubt that cesarean surgery is being overused,” said Pam Udy, president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network. “Unfortunately, despite its reputation as a harmless surgery, many women and babies are paying the high price of complications from this surgery.”
Read more . . .
Cesarean Rates Rise Again
Sneak Preview - A Success!
ICAN Sponsors Leesburg, VA Sneak Preview
Sneak Preview on October 29, 2007: "The Business of Being Born"
Birth is a miracle, rite of passage, a natural part of life. But birth is also big business. Join us for an exclusive, sneak preview of a movie that is bound to be the major consciousness-raising documentary film of the year.
When celebrity actress and talk show host Ricki Lake, delivered her first baby, it was a fairly typical birth, yet the experience left her wanting something more. Her second birth experience was so life-changing that she felt compelled to make a movie examining the way we birth in America.
She approached Emmy-award winning filmmaker Abby Epstein to collaborate on "The Business of Being Born" to examine birth culture in America and challenge what we THINK we know. The fundamental question: should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potential medical emergency?
Surprising answers are uncovered in "The Business of Being Born," a must-see movie for anyone even thinking about having a baby!
The doors will open at 6:45 pm. Showtime is 7:30 pm.
Seating is limited. Tickets are $10 each. Proceeds will be donated to ICAN of Northern Virginia (501c3).
Tickets
You can buy tickets using Google Checkout. Please click on the button above to order your tickets.
Location and Map
The sneak preview will be held at the Tally Ho Theatre in Leesburg, Virginia. Please click on the map to the right for a more detailed view.
Press
Read about The Business of Being Born" in local news:- Birth of a Notion: Ricki Lake brings pregnancy documentary to Drafthouse
The Arlington Connection, October 5, 2007 - Film aids revival of home birth
The Washington Times, October 12, 2007
Watch Ricki Lake on "The View":
2005 Cesarean Rates by Hospital
Rising Cesarean Rates Bad for Mothers and Babies
New Year, New Board!
Cesareans At An All-Time High
- The Cesarean Rate for 2004 is 29.1%
- The Rate is up from 27.6% in 2003
- US Cesareans have risen 40% since 1996
- VBAC Rate fell to 9.2%
- Since 1996, the VBAC rate in the US has plummeted 67%
Read CDC Report
ICAN in USA Today
Study Shows Home Birth Lowers Cesarean Risk
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.
(Read the rest of the
Press Release)


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