A Woman Making a Difference
It has become clear to me that one of the most deep-rooted causes of our problems is the way we treat children and above all babies. I am equally convinced that no program of social and political change that does not include and begin with changes in the ways in which we bear and rear children has any chance of making things better. ~ John Holt, education reform author
Ani DiFranco wasn’t the only righteous woman at the Floyd World Music Festival (Floyd Fest) who inspired me to the point of tears this past weekend (see previous post). My husband, Joe, came back from the early hours of the festival set-up with this story:
Steve Cochran, a friend and advocate of midwifery, told Joe that there would be a Cesarean Prevention booth on the festival site this year. “One of the women running the booth asked me if I knew Colleen Redman,” Steve told Joe. When Steve answered ‘yes,’ the woman replied. “She’s my cousin.”
For quite a few years, I had first cousins, who had also migrated from Massachusetts (and then Connecticut), living in the Smith Mountain Lake area of Virginia, and I didn’t know it. After a while, I “heard tell” they were there, but I wasn’t completely sure until one morning, not so long ago, I got a phone call from one of my cousins inviting me to a family reunion at Smith Mountain Lake.
Tammy, the co-leader of ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) of Southwest Virginia is my cousin Brian’s daughter. I had met her once before briefly and was excited to see her again at Floyd Fest. She wasn’t hard for me to pick out, the one who looked like various aunts and cousins on my father’s Irish/Swedish side of the family.
As I listened to her talk and watched her face morph into those of our various relatives, I got shivers up and down my arms, feeling like we were 2 long lost twins re-united and comparing notes. Not only did we talk about our families, attachment parenting, and the current cesarean rates, we also talked about the possibility of an afterlife and messages we feel that we’ve received from our passed on loved-ones. She doesn’t like driving in cities. She gets shivers easily too. “Oh, one of those big softy-heart Redmans, I see,” I said to myself. Exploring and discussing the deeper aspects of life is also a Redman forte.
As a mother of two sons who were born via c-sections that I believe could have been avoided, cesarean prevention is close to my heart. In fact, 23 years ago, I was helping to launch a cesarean prevention newsletter in Texas similar to the one that Tammy works on today. I wish I could say that the cesarean rate has gone down since I was involved in the cause in 1982. But sadly, according to “Birthing Rite,” the Southwest Virginia ICAN newsletter that Tammy writes for, “The cesarean rate in the U.S. has risen once again to 27.6% in 2003. The cesarean rates in Virginia have also been on the rise. In 2003 the cesarean rate in VA was 28.3% — much higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommended 10-15%!”
A cesarean can be a life saver, but frequently the procedure is done unnecessarily. Having a cesarean can interfere with the mother/infant bonding process, and it increases the risk of complications that come with surgery. Ironically, the mortality rates for mother and child are actually higher with cesareans than they are with vaginal births. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that countries with some of the lowest perinatal mortality rates in the world have cesarean rates under 10%.
The reason that talking to Tammy brought tears to my eyes was because I feel so proud of her, not only because she is a wise woman volunteering her time to help others, but because she is a living testimony to self-empowerment. In 2003 she had a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) after 3 cesarean births!
August 5th, 2005 10:08 am
WOW…she looks like Susie. Excellent post!!
I once did a report in Nursing school on this exact same subject. There was rise in c sections in the 80’s along with the doctor & hospital making more money. Also it is quicker then waiting for nature to take its course. xoxo
August 5th, 2005 10:21 am
Michelle sent me! I’ve had two children and thankfully was able to have both of them vaginally.
August 5th, 2005 11:06 am
Oh Colleen! Thank you so much for posting this!!! I am sitting here in tears…ok, more than just tears, I’m crying my eyes out! I don’t feel any more special than any other woman, but I do believe every woman should have the chance to see just how very special she is! I recieved an email last year from a woman who talked with me at another festival and she wanted to let me know that after our talk, she did some research on VBAC. She didn’t know she could have one after 2 c-sections before she met me. She contacted us to let us know that she had a successful VBAC. I realized, I had just changed the world!:)
Sherry–I’ve been told I look like Susie before!
August 5th, 2005 2:08 pm
Hi, Michele sent me.
uh… Go Vagina! Yipee!
August 5th, 2005 2:12 pm
All 3 of my kiddos were C Sections. My oldest well the C section probably saved her life and mine. But it took me 3 months to recover. In those 3 months the bonding process was hard.. VERY hard. I was out of it because of the mass amount of pain I was in due to my doctor butchering me(long story). The pain and length of my recovery forced me to have help with the duties of tending to and caring for my daughter. Therefore she bonded with my Mother In Law not me. All I could do for months was sleep and hurt. I think a big reason the rate has gone up in the past few years is that alot of women(in my experience teenagers(this is personal experience.people I have been around) ) opt for a csection rather than to give birth naturally. I would have loved to have had one of mine naturally. The risks with my other 2 were too high for a VBAC. No one was willing to try it. I hated having a csection after 11 hours of labor with my oldest. Let down. Sure birth hurts but there is no other experience like it. I know people who have requested from their doctors to have a c section just to avoid the pain of actual labor and birth. Its sad.. The recovery time and the risks of Csection are not worth it. Not to simply avoid the pain of birth. Great Post Colleen!
August 5th, 2005 2:13 pm
Hello, Michele sent me.
I am bookmarking you to read more when I have a chance. I am a mother of 4. I too wish women would educate themselves and take a stand in their own birthing experiences. I can’t help but think that if women only knew a tiny bit more fewer uneccesary c-sections, as well as a ton of other medical procedures would occur. Keep on with the good work!
August 5th, 2005 2:31 pm
I have two children, both born vaginally (thank goodness!)
I love Fluke Starbucker’s comment! 🙂
August 5th, 2005 2:32 pm
Hi there! Michele sent me. Interesting blog!
August 5th, 2005 3:03 pm
Colleen – this is awesome! One of my sisters-in-law was told by her doctors that she shouldn’t give birth vaginally and some of her children were delivered via C-section. After the first couple of C-sections, she said, “screw this!” and gave birth vaginally with no problems whatsoever. I am often shocked by how women are treated by medical professionals before and during childbirth… unnecessary c-sections, being forced to give birth flat on their backs, unnecessary drugs, procedures, etc. It’s ridiculous. I am already planning to be a demanding shrew whenever it is time for my husband and I to become parents… and the first thing I plan to do is find a doctor who isn’t completely clueless!
August 5th, 2005 3:29 pm
start by looking for a midwife instead of a doctor…or perhaps a female doctor who has actually given birth without unnecessary interventions…
alas, i do fear ivy has a correct insight on part of the problem being the ever increasing lameness of some of our young people. granted they were educated and socially normed by our schools, malls and media. They’ve learned to be pain fearing people who expect pills and procedures to rid them of any inconvenience life might offer.
Kudos to all mothers everywhere, anyway ! We all arrived here helpless and every mother sacrifices much of her own comfort and freedom to nurture us.
BUt extra brownie points to the folks who figure out how to birth and suckle babes in the righteous ways of intelligent design. They reap much for their children and themselves as Col alluded to regarding attachment.
August 5th, 2005 4:42 pm
Great post – both my babies were delivered c-section
August 5th, 2005 6:50 pm
I guess it’s a bit of the other way around where I live (Norway), which is probably why I have problems relating to your post and the others’ cheers. Here you have to fight in order to actually _get_ a c-section, not to avoid having one. I have two kids, both caesarians, the first one after having been in labour for close to two days (and 21 days overdue..), the other one was decided beforehand. Attachment parenting is absolutely close to heart to me – however, I don’t see preventive or even life saving surgery as a no-no in that regard.
As for using the statistics, remember that they don’t say anything about why the risks are so high. In quite a lot of cases I would reckon that it isn’t the surgery itself, rather the reason for the surgery, which causes the damages. It is after all a surgery often used in emergency situations.
My experience has not been that the c-sections has taken anything away from me – and defintiely not in regards to bonding with my kids. The only negative thoughts I’ve had was around the time my oldest kid was a year old, as I was getting flashbacks about the hours before the c-section and how I felt as fighting windmills to get my point across. My grandma lost her firstborn two weeks overdue, my mum had me with c-section after a tough labour, then almost died when having my sister 7 years later – and presenting these facts to the hospital only had them shrug their shoulders and tell me that this was about my uterus, not my mum’s. Imagine then, having to go 21 days overdue, being induced for two days, and still not delivering the baby.
I guess the main cause which we have to promote is not either against or pro c-sections, it’s more of letting the woman have the choice – and give her adequate information and support when taking her decision.
PS I came here through Ivy 😉
August 5th, 2005 8:05 pm
Birgit- My first c-section was after 4 1/2 hours of pushing. My second, I chose a repeat cesarean (no medical reason, although she was big…10 lbs. 7 oz.), my third, I chose a repeat section again. My fourth, I was lucky and had been given a choice by my OB. I chose to VBAC. It changed my life!
ICAN has no qualms with doing a cesarean section if it is going to save the baby/mom. But, about 50% of the c-sections done in the US are unnecessary.
There are major complications that the surgery can cause. Dr’s don’t explain this to the patients. Each time the uterus is cut, it causes scar tissue to build up. This can cause problems in subsequent pregnancies such as placental attachment problems and miscarriage. The surgery itself carries all the risks that any major surgery carries…including hemorraging and death.
We want women to make informed decisions about how they birth their babies. Having a cesarean doesn’t mean that you are going to care any less about your baby! It can sometimes mean that the bonding takes a little longer than if the baby was born vaginally. We are here for the moms who do have cesarean sections also. We are a support group for them.
Right now, over 300 hospitals in the US have BANNED VBAC!!! Women here are losing their voice on how they birth in so many areas. We are trying to raise awareness and give support at the same time.
Off my soap box now!;)
August 5th, 2005 11:00 pm
this is a very interesting post! i have had 2 c-scetions myself…the first one was after being in labor for about 12 hours…with my second child…the doctor didnt even discuss VBAC with me…he just told me that i would have to have another c-section…end of discussion…now i wonder if it was necessary the second time…
by the way, i saw your comment on my sister marti’s blog…just so you know…SAHM means ‘stay at home mom’…. 🙂
August 5th, 2005 11:09 pm
I didnt go into detail about my experience and why i had the c section. I plan to do that tonight on my blog.. As I said earlier its a long story.. But I was fortunate enough to have a good doctor with my 4 and 2 year old that he did discuss my options with me and the risks involved for a VBAC was just too high to chance it.. Alot of people have no problem with bonding with their child after a C section. I had no problems bonding with my younger two. The problem with my oldest was that I was unable to care for her due to the massive amount of pain and the amount of drugs I was on after the c section..Now i’m off to blog about my csection..LOL
August 5th, 2005 11:18 pm
Great “small world” story! And great work as well. I’d read that c-sections have been skyrocketing in this country, and am appalled at the decreasing options given women, often at times of greatest vulnerability.
August 5th, 2005 11:30 pm
I was given a choice with my second child, after a planned C-section with my first, who was breech. I chose the C-section again.
I had labor with the second child because he decided to come 2 weeks early. I got to about 5 centimeters before they were ready for surgery
and thanked God I was having a C-section! I know God spared me hours of labor pain because He knew I was a big chicken. (And the Morphine, the lovely Morphine!)
I was awake through surgery both times and I think I bonded just fine with my children. I was young and had no one to help me, so when I went home I did not lay in bed and get waited on, I HAD to bond with my children!
Don’t get me wrong, I greatly admire women who give birth naturally. I am in total AWE. I just don’t feel that for ME personally, that I missed out on anything.
August 6th, 2005 12:30 am
“lay in bed and get waited on”.
With my oldest I had no choice.. with my other two. I had zero help. Not even my husband. It was just me and the baby.. Oh and toddlers as well..;) lol
August 6th, 2005 6:07 am
Nice post. I had my daughter via C-section, but it was purely necessary in this case. I researched it to death before making my decision. It ended up being an emergency section anyway in the long run … and seven weeks early.
Very interesting piece, Colleen!
August 6th, 2005 6:15 am
I found this an interesting post and get the feeling that we use c-sections a lot less here than over there. I was born via c-section purely because it had reached life or death stage for a natural birth. My sister had the same problem a few months ago giving birth to my niece and after 36 hours the conclusion was reached that one of them would die if they didn’t operate. In fact I don’t know of anybody who opts in to have a c-section unless there’s a medical reason for them to do so. Most people I know have had to have them or were born via them through purely emergency conditions.
August 6th, 2005 7:28 am
Colleen, wonderful post on a very important topic. Always amazed at your incredible connectedness to people. Your conversation with Tammy gave me chills because of all the “small world ” similarities. You are both on such a similar journey!
August 6th, 2005 9:51 am
I absolutely loved reading this post! I am Colleen’s baby sister. My first born son (Matthew) came into the world by c-section. With Matthew, I had an OB who (during my labor) gave me the distrinct impression that he had more important things to do than help me. He would come and go during my labor like the wind…..sometimes taking off for 2 hours at a time. My first labor went 21 hours and I wasn’t progressing. I barely made it to 5 centimeters and there was meconium present that was a concern for the medical staff. Matthew was born a whopping 9 pounds, 3 ounces and he was placed in critical care for the first 24 hours due to meconium aspiration. I had no problem bonding with him but it always bothered me that the first time I held him, he was already like 15 hours old. He recovered 100% from the meconium aspiration and difficult birth(thank god) and he and I bonded completely both spiritually and physically after what was obviously a rocky start. 2 1/2 years later, I got pregnant again and knew I would not be calling that OB. Though I’m certain my c-section was likely a necessary one (w/ the meconium complication and failure to progress), I wanted more the second time around and have always believed that anything is possible! I wanted someone who would give me the time and attention that I felt I deserved, so I called a midwife who I had heard was good. She spent a good 60 minutes on the phone with me the first time I called her! After 15 hours of labor, I had achieved a successful VBAC with the birth of my second son Patrick! The labor was incredible with my midwife helping me the whole time. The pushing stage lasted about 45 minutes and the birth was the most powerful experience I’ve ever encountered. I could have done cartwheels within 30 minutes of birth, I felt so good! I’ve recommended VBAC to many woman since having mine and I’m often baffled when they look at me with disinterest and say “my doctor has already scheduled me for my second c-section!” and they seem to think this is a wonderful thing. Scheduling a birth just doesn’t feel right for me. I wanted my baby to come into this world only when it was completely ready. I know this is a long post but I just had to tell my story and to say to “Tammy” (also my cousin) and all the other woman out there who took matters into their own hands…..”YOU GO GIRLS!”
August 6th, 2005 10:13 am
Here via Michele.
Our son was born via c-section and my doctor was wonderful during the entire process, trying everything she could to encourage a vaginal delivery. I don’t believe it affected our bonding process at all. I have been surprised at the movement away from VBAC recently.
August 6th, 2005 12:55 pm
Family similarities can be uncanny. When people segregate outselves off to other places we can forget we are not lone in the world unique but part of our own kin and wider patterns, in a good sense.
You probably are already familiar with oxytocin and bonding link, but there’s some fascinating stuff on it in humans and other mammals in A General Theory of Love.
August 6th, 2005 12:58 pm
Steve Cochrane’s link has a typo, http://www.vbfree.org/
August 6th, 2005 1:12 pm
Thanks, Pearl. I had the right address for Steve, but I had two https in it! I’ll check out “A Genral Theory of Love” for more on the natural love hormone. Is that the stuff that also makes us capable of jumping in front of a moving train if it means saving our babies?! My all time favorite book on childrearing etc. was “The Continumm Concept.” (written by a Margaret Meade type/forget her name now). Wonder if it’s still in print?
August 6th, 2005 1:18 pm
This is a great article! I know Tammy personally and she is a great woman and is working so hard to change the birth climate here.
Even after being a doula for some time, it amazes me how many women find out that their c-section could have probably been avoided and that many “life threatening” reasons for emergency c-sections are actually caused by the unnecessary interventions used on them by their trusted care provider. Interventions like continuous monitoring, laboring in bed, epidurals, narcotics, artificial rupture of membrane, unnecessary vaginal checks, IV’s, inductions, augmentations, directed “purple pushing”, and birth in the lithotomy or semi-reclining position all contribute to the rising c-section rate. None of these practices have been shown statistically to improve mom/baby outcomes, but yet they are used anyway. Reasons are simple: liability insurance, profit, easier patients, routines, improper training, fear of natural birth, etc.
I know so many women that find out years later that maybe their emergency cesarean could have been prevented just by giving birth with a different provider at a different location. Obviously, some c-sections are necessary and beneficial. But where women are scared, uneducated, and made to be passive participates in their own birth, you will see a trend of increasing c-sections.
The best way to tell that there are unnecessary c-sections being performed is to look at the data. Even though the c-section rate continues to rise, the perinatal mortality rates do not go down. In fact in many places they are going up. So if they are saving so many lives, why are moms and babes doing worse?
My 2 cents,
Crystal
August 6th, 2005 2:29 pm
Two of my three girls were born via C-Section. My middle child Sarah would have passed away during the birth if she had been born natural becasue she had a serious birth defect called an Omphalicle. The small bowel was in a sac the size of a grapefruit on the outside of her abdomin and pushing her through the birth canal would have tore this off and caused her to die instantly. My third daughter was born scheduled C-Section this section could have been avoided but because they didn’t have the patience to induce and I was having problems with my blood, my body was starting to reject her they didn’t have the patience with me so they did a section.
August 6th, 2005 11:57 pm
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anyone here, in particular. I meant there are lots of women who even have babies naturally and are feeling fine, and have a wonderful husband and mother or sister or other family that pitch in and help with the new baby, or help around the house.
Yeah, I’m jealous.
August 7th, 2005 9:16 am
There’s another Colleen commenting here. The above Colleen is not Loose Leaf Colleen. I talked about my births at Ivy’s site. My posts are signed with a small c in colleen.
August 7th, 2005 9:58 am
Hello Colleen…Hi Sherri!!!…I think Tammy looks like Susie and Diane too!…
Colleen…You look so much like Patty and Nana!…
I had to pop in and give my 2 cents…We’re so proud of Tammy and all she’s doing for ICAN…
I cried when I read her piece about having her 4th child naturally…I didn’t realize how important it was to her…She did her research and gave it all she could to have a natural birth..and succeeded..there are situations..c-sections are necessary…Tammy is a product of a c-section..(transverse)(2 months premature)I had no choice…but I do recommend trying if you can to have your children naturally…It’s a beautiful natural thing a mom should experience if she can..God Bless to all of you…much love from Va…Brain and Arlene
August 7th, 2005 4:07 pm
Hi Arlene…I miss you….I am going to look up your old email address and write. xoxoxo
August 8th, 2005 11:22 pm
I am a huge supporter of midwifery. It really frustrates me that the City of Austin’s hospitals have made it very difficult (read next to impossible unless you have loads of money) to use a Midwife and have proper medical back up. And as high risk due to my age and history, what few avenues to using a midwife that remain are cut of. If I do get pregnant, I’ll be stuck with a ob/gyn infact I go meet her on Wenesday.