If you are visiting from the TODAY show blog, welcome and thank you for visiting. :) If you haven’t yet read my guest post on the TODAY show, you can read it here: Viewer: Learn more about cesarean births. I’d love it if you would like to contribute to the discussion and leave a comment over there.
Because there was only so much information I could include in my guest post, I’ve put together some additional resources here for those of you who are interested in learning more about c-sections, VBAC, giving birth vaginally to larger babies, and more. I believe in informed consent. Knowledge is power.
Information about Cesarean Sections and VBAC:
- International Cesarean Awareness Network – “The International Cesarean Awareness Network is a non-profit advocacy and support group whose mission is to improve maternal and child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, provide support for cesarean recovery, and promote vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).”
- Childbirth Connection’s Cesarean Section Resources
- The Reality of C-Sections by A Mama’s Blog – Heather writes about the many things about c-sections that she didn’t know and wished she had been told before she had her own c-section, as well as includes pictures of actual c-sections (something we didn’t get to see on the TODAY show).
- VBAC Facts – Jennifer, teacher of The Truth about VBAC classes, deeply believes that women, after educating themselves on the risks and benefits, should be the ultimate decision makers on their medical care – not OBs or insurance companies.
- Maternal Death Rates Rise, C-sections Now Considered a Factor – another post by Heather from A Mama’s Blog
- The Unnecesarean – The Unnecesarean provides information about preventing an unnecessary cesarean and resources for making fully-informed decisions about childbirth while offering an irreverent take on the maternity care crisis in the United States and beyond.
Giving Birth Vaginally to Large (Macrosomic) Babies – Information & Birth Stories:
Although your doctor may suspect that you might have a larger baby, that does not mean you should automatically schedule an induction or a c-section. Ultrasound exams are notoriously inaccurate for predicting the weight of a baby and can be off by a pound or more in either direction. There’s no way to know how much a baby will actually weigh until it is born and weighed. If you are told you are going to have a large baby, weigh the risks and benefits of any intervention and make the choice that is right for you and your baby.
- Big Baby Bull****
- Baby Julian – My son (pictured above) was born at home and was a surprise footling breech. He weighed in at 9 lbs. 8 oz., and was 22 inches long.
- Baby Lazlo – Justine gave birth to her 11 lb., 23-inch son at home
- Baby “D-Man” – Kat’s son weighed in at 11 lbs., 3 oz.
- Baby “Muski” – Kate’s son was a VBAC and weighed 10 lbs., 3 oz.
- Baby Peggy – Annette‘s daughter was 9 lbs., 6 oz.
- Baby Jaxon – Jaclyn’s son weighed 9 lbs., 4.4 oz.
- Baby Iris – Sybil‘s daughter was 9 lbs., 14 oz.
- Baby Mikko – Lauren’s son was 11 lbs., 13 oz.
- Baby Emma – Jessica’s daughter was 9 lbs., 2 oz.
- Baby “Boychick” – Arwyn‘s son was 10 lbs., 6 oz. and born at home
- Baby Julian and Baby Emma – Annie‘s two kiddos (not twins) were 9 lbs. and 9 lbs. 8 oz.
- Baby “Junior” – Candace’s son was 10 lbs., 4 oz. and sunny side up
- Baby “M” – Jennifer’s son was 9 lbs., 10 oz. – a home birth after cesarean (HBAC)
Additional Childbirth Resources:
- Business Of Being Born – A documentary that “interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system.”
- Pushed Birth a book by Jennifer Block – “The painful truth about childbirth and modern maternity care”
- Ina May Gaskin – Author of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. “Discover the proven wisdom that has guided thousands of women through childbirth with more confidence, less pain, and little or no medical intervention.”
- Doulas of North America – A doula is “a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period. Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.”
- Considering an induction? Use the Bishop’s Score for Labor Success – “This tool measures certain components with regard to the mother’s cervix and baby’s position to evaluate her readiness for an induction and ultimately increase the chance of having a vaginal birth. This scoring system can also be used to determine the likelihood of spontaneous labor.”
- Post-Partum Crotch Care 101 – A humorous, but very practical list. This is one of those things that nobody ever talks about, but is good information to have.
Are there any childbirth resources YOU think should be on this list? Leave a comment and let me know. Thank you. :)
Disclaimer: The information included on this blog is not medical advice and should be used for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a medical professional (doctor or midwife).
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February 7th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Stephanie says:
My 5th baby (3rd homebirth) was a 45min L&D and she weighed in at 10lbs 9oz. My first baby was a c/s.
http://themoralesfamily.us/jaylenbirth.htm
February 7th, 2010 at 2:18 am
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February 7th, 2010 at 2:44 am
Jen@theevolvinghomemaker.com says:
Great job Amy! Can’t wait to read the Today Show post!
Reading over your list I do feel like I was majorly unprepared for something actually going wrong.
:)
February 7th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Jill--Unnecesarean says:
Thank you for the link, Amy.
February 7th, 2010 at 10:31 am
A Mama's Blog says:
Wonderful source of resources for those who are not convinced that a C-section is the way to give birth.
As I found out, a C-section can have so many more issues involved with it, other than just the surgery.
Thank you for providing the links to two of my C-section blog posts. I’m glad there is a list of resources for women who are researching this topic.
February 7th, 2010 at 11:08 am
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February 7th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
justine says:
Terrific list of resources! I am sure to find a few new favorites to add to my blogroll! Thanks, Amy!
February 7th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Lauren @ Hobo Mama says:
Yea, thanks for including me on the big-babies list! I was really happy that our big baby was born healthy and whole and in an uncomplicated and natural vaginal birth. I’m glad we had midwives who never suggested that I would have to have a c-section as a matter of caution. Mikko even had a nuchal arm, but I didn’t have any difficulties with that, either.
I really appreciated your response on the TodayMoms blog, too, and thanks for these compiled resources.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
erin k says:
I had a VBAC homebirth on January 1, 2010. My wee one was big, but not BIG (8 lbs 13 oz) but he did have two nuchal hands…
February 7th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
hillary says:
Great resource! Thanks so much Amy. I’m going to bookmark it for future clients.
February 7th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
katepickle says:
What a fabulous list of resources, so pleased to be a part of it! And so important to mention that ultra sounds estimations of size are often way out… despite being scanned 3 days before his birth no one picked that he would be ‘big’. His weight was estimated at 3.8kgs (sorry no idea in pounds) and he was actually 800grams heavier!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
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February 7th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Sheridan says:
Thanks for posting my Big Baby Bull page! :)
I hope that moms learn that they have a CHOICE and get information and use their intuition to choose what is best for them!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Annette says:
Thanks for including me. I also agree that ultrasounds can’t really tell the size of the baby. Peggy was an SUA baby, I was getting regular ultrasounds and stress tests at the end. Everyone was surprised when she came out looking like a 2 month old at least! Because of the SUA, we were expecting a much smaller baby. A lot of moms with this condition are told that they will need to be induced early, or have a csection because of stress on the baby or the cord. This may be true in some cases, but Peggy was 2 1/2 weeks overdue. I had a great doctor though, who scoffed at the idea that I would have to have a csection because of the SUA.
Thanks again for letting me share!
Annette
February 7th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Candace says:
Junior was 10 lbs, 4 oz … and “sunny side up”:
http://mamasaga.blogspot.com/2008/09/sonny-side-up.html
He was 10 days “late” and they were seriously pressuring me to do a c-section: http://mamasaga.blogspot.com/2008/08/hes-not-heavy-hes-my-brother-41-weeks.html
Thank you for getting the word out that a big baby does not necessarily equal a c-section.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Jen @ VBACFACTS.com says:
Amy, Thanks for including me on your list! I’d also like to add my sweet home birth after cesarean babe to your big baby list. My ‘little’ man was 9lbs 10oz with a nuchal hand (hand was up by his face.) His birth story can be read at http://vbacfacts.com/hbacbirth.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish says:
Congratulations on your guest post, Amy!
February 7th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
erica says:
you are just plain awesome! my sis was 9 1/2 lbs born at home.
February 8th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
MarfMom says:
Our local news just did a really interesting segment on maternal death. It seems that CA has a higher than average maternal death rate (I think average meaning the average for the USA) and the doctors attributed this in large part to the number of c-sections that we do. The particular doctor who was interviewed from the research team said CA does WAY too many c-sections and that that, combined with an increasingly obese population (which I guess is something that makes OBs want to do c-sections?) is the cause.
I hope the OBs here will take that to heart!
February 8th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Sybil says:
Great work Amy!
February 8th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Sarah says:
My little Tommy wasn’t so little, 12 pounds 4 oz., and I gave birth to him in my kitchen!
If only the Today show would have been here to do that live birth!
February 9th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Andi says:
I’ll add my sweet Annie to the bunch. 10 pounds & born naturally with one long push. She was way easier than my 8 pound, 5 ounce baby boy!
February 10th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
LemonMom says:
I don’t have a blog, but wanted to chime in! I gave birth to a 9lbs 9oz baby girl two years ago through vaginal birth. She was two weeks late too. Never once my doctor, or the doctor who delivered the baby mentioned c-section. Not that I would agree, but still, I am thankful to them for keeping my mind clear of such thoughts. Unfortunately, such doctors will never have their time on Today Show.
February 12th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Anisa says:
another good one Amy. So glad you’re always on it!
February 19th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
QoB says:
12lb baby born at home in the UK, with independent midwives:
http://www.kentmidwiferypractice.co.uk/2006/birthstories/sharon.htm
February 26th, 2010 at 2:59 pm