Author: Shanon

Lately, there has been increasing discussion regarding cesareans made more mother-friendly. The concept came out of some videos in the UK and is now being popularized and sold in the US as the answer to helping women cope with the trauma of cesarean.

There is a basic flaw with the sales of this because every birth should be respectful. Providers shouldn’t have to sell skin to skin contact as if they are the only provider in the US that does it. Mothers shouldn’t have to beg to touch their babies before hours in recovery. This shouldn’t be an issue because it should be standard of practice.

The reason I chose to write about this is another simple reminder that moms shouldn’t have to sell their births to get a respectful cesarean either. Every birth should be respectful. Every birth should be as gentle as it can be made to be. Women shouldn’t have to agree to surgery to be treated well and this should not be advertising to convince women out of options like vaginal breech birth. If your provider uses this as a selling point, then consider the question, “will my choices be respectfully treated if I do not choose this elective procedure” if the answer is no, is this really who you want to be helping you transition into motherhood?

Yes, he might. She might. It’s a good threat and some providers even go so far as to write letters stating they have terminated you.

Your midwife might, as well.

However, it’s not in their ethical best interests and sometimes, they can be liable for it legally. BirthAction.org will be posting state-by-state regulations regarding patient care termination but here’s the American Medical Association’s take on it:

Opinion 8.115 – Termination of the Physician-Patient Relationship

There are various ways to find cesarean rates in every state, some are easier than others. Www.Cesareanrates.com is currently compiling statistics for each state but sometimes, we tumble to freebie links where someone else has conveniently posted the information.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/21/5002674/see-c-section-rates-at-every-california.html posted the following chart:

Hospital: County: SearchView all Hospital County C-Sections (2011) Rate Per 100 Births Los Angeles Community Hospital Los Angeles 108 64 East Valley Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles 108 55 Bellflower Medical Center Los Angeles 755 55 East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles 410 52 Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Los Angeles 248 46 Citrus Valley Medical Center – Queen of the Valley Campus Los Angeles 1763 46 El Centro Regional Medical Center Imperial 487 44 Monterey Park Hospital Los Angeles 642 44 Verdugo Hills Hospital Los Angeles 258 44 Colusa Regional Medical Center Colusa 67 43 Torrance Memorial Medical Center Los Angeles 1223 43 Coastal Communities Hospital Orange 558 42 Community Hospital of San Bernardino San Bernardino 890 42 Palo Verde Hospital Riverside 64 42 Memorial Hospital of Gardena Los Angeles 465 41 Beverly Hospital Los Angeles 322 40 Hemet Valley Medical Center Riverside 355 39 Montclair Hospital Medical Center San Bernardino 325 39 Garfield Medical Center Los Angeles 1152 39 Glendale Adventist Medical Center – Wilson Terrace Los Angeles 819 39 Central Valley General Hospital Kings 663 39 Lodi Memorial Hospital San Joaquin 396 39 Hi-Desert Medical Center San Bernardino 137 39 Glendale Memorial Hospital and Medical Center Los Angeles 713 39 Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center Orange 684 39 Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego 2745 38 Valley Presbyterian Hospital Los Angeles 1367 38 Plumas District Hospital Plumas 24 38 Greater El Monte Community Hospital Los Angeles 164 38 Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital Los Angeles 418 37 Foothill Presbyterian Hospital – Johnston Memorial Los Angeles 321 37 San Ramon Regional Medical Center Contra Costa 231 37 Ridgecrest Regional Hospital Kern 191 37 West Hills Hospital and Medical Center Los Angeles 272 37 Huntington Memorial Hospital Los Angeles 1003 37 San Antonio Community Hospital San Bernardino 742 37 Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Los Angeles 1331 37 San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Los Angeles 692 37 Good Samaritan Hospital – San Jose Santa Clara 1001 36 Northridge Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles 695 36 Providence Tarzana Medical Center Los Angeles 701 36 Clovis Community Medical Center Fresno 1099 36 Centinela Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles 358 36 Victor Valley Community Hospital San Bernardino 491 36 Memorial Hospital Medical Center – Modesto Stanislaus 648 36 Scripps Memorial Hospital – La Jolla San Diego 1219 35 Western Medical Center – Santa Ana Orange 721 35 Sierra Kings District Hospital Fresno 347 35 Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center – Torrance Los Angeles 761 35 Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center San Diego 888 35 Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Los Angeles 265 35 Kaweah Delta Medical Center Tulare 1270 35 Los Angeles County/Harbor – UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles 245 35 Pacific Alliance Medical Center, Inc. Los Angeles 649 34 Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center Ventura 527 34 Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Orange 1788 34 Saint Francis Medical Center Los Angeles 1598 34 Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Los Angeles 765 34 Saint Joseph Hospital – Orange Orange 1469 34 Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center Los Angeles 289 34 Fairchild Medical Center Siskiyou 69 34 Saint John’s Health Center Los Angeles 448 34 Los Angeles County/Olive View – UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles 175 34 Sutter Tracy Community Hospital San Joaquin 199 34 Valleycare Medical Center Alameda 389 33 Cedars Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles 1917 33 Sonora Regional Medical Center – Greenley Tuolumne 147 33 Saint Agnes Medical Center Fresno 1207 33 Whittier Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles 642 33 Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital San Benito 135 33 Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Los Angeles 353 33 White Memorial Medical Center Los Angeles 1139 33 Oak Valley District Hospital Stanislaus 82 33 San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Riverside 139 33 Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center Riverside 574 32 Tulare Regional Medical Center Tulare 366 32 Antelope Valley Hospital Los Angeles 1551 32 Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center San Luis Obispo 348 32 Earl and Lorraine Miller Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 1409 32 Doctors Medical Center Stanislaus 1074 32 Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center Orange 844 32 Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center – Euclid Orange 895 32 Pioneers Memorial Hospital Imperial 530 32 Grossmont Hospital San Diego 1007 32 Washington Hospital – Fremont Alameda 553 32 Oroville Hospital Butte 124 32 Doctors Hospital of Manteca San Joaquin 221 32 Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Los Angeles 728 31 Sequoia Hospital San Mateo 424 31 Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Los Angeles 1926 31 John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital Riverside 661 31 Sutter Amador Hospital Amador 92 31 Sierra View District Hospital Tulare 557 31 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Riverside Riverside 906 31 Sutter Memorial Hospital Sacramento 1417 31 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – San Diego San Diego 1113 31 Barstow Community Hospital San Bernardino 64 31 Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Placer 55 31 Mercy Medical Center – Merced Merced 754 31 Adventist Medical Center Kings 304 31 Marian Medical Center Santa Barbara 747 30 Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Los Angeles 856 30 Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center Orange 448 30 UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego 619 30 Madera Community Hospital Madera 476 30 Palomar Medical Center San Diego 968 30 Pomerado Hospital San Diego 319 30 Saint Mary Medical Center Los Angeles 819 30 Scripps Memorial Hospital – Encinitas San Diego 405 30 Dameron Hospital San Joaquin 343 30 Banner Lassen Medical Center Lassen 75 30 Saddleback Memorial Medical Center Orange 642 30 Saint John’s Regional Medical Center Ventura 644 30 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Moreno Valley Riverside 314 30 Riverside Community Hospital Riverside 1013 29 Community Memorial Hospital – San Buenaventura Ventura 652 29 San Joaquin General Hospital San Joaquin 539 29 Tri-City Medical Center – Oceanside San Diego 750 29 Community Regional Medical Center – Fresno Fresno 1522 29 Mercy Medical Center – Redding Shasta 490 29 Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego 1058 29 Loma Linda University Medical Center San Bernardino 595 29 Paradise Valley Hospital San Diego 299 29 Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital – Montgomery Sonoma 248 29 Peninsula Medical Center San Mateo 471 29 Eden Medical Center Alameda 297 29 Watsonville Community Hospital Santa Cruz 398 29 Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center – San Pedro Los Angeles 187 29 Riverside County Regional Medical Center Riverside 594 29 Memorial Hospital Los Banos Merced 196 29 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Sunset Los Angeles 559 28 Desert Regional Medical Center Riverside 826 28 Good Samaritan Hospital – Los Angeles Los Angeles 1154 28 Methodist Hospital of Southern California Los Angeles 418 28 Simi Valley Hospital and Healthcare Services – Sycamore Ventura 172 28 California Hospital Medical Center – Los Angeles Los Angeles 1079 28 San Dimas Community Hospital Los Angeles 110 28 Marshall Medical Center El Dorado 138 28 UC Irvine Medical Center Orange 259 28 George L. Mee Memorial Hospital Monterey 137 28 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Downey Los Angeles 845 28 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Fresno Fresno 285 28 Downey Regional Medical Center Los Angeles 328 28 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Hayward Alameda 602 28 Arrowhead Regional Medical Center San Bernardino 713 28 Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles 541 28 Queen of the Valley Hospital – Napa Napa 221 28 Rideout Memorial Hospital Yuba 538 28 North Bay Medical Center Solano 343 27 Mercy General Hospital Sacramento 751 27 O’Connor Hospital – San Jose Santa Clara 810 27 Saint Jude Medical Center Orange 502 27 Corona Regional Medical Center – Main Riverside 381 27 Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara 569 27 Western Medical Center – Anaheim Orange 448 27 Redlands Community Hospital San Bernardino 625 27 Desert Valley Hospital San Bernardino 127 27 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Anaheim Orange 1184 27 Seton Medical Center San Mateo 154 27 Fallbrook Hospital District San Diego 113 27 Sutter Lakeside Hospital Lake 70 27 Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Monterey 417 26 El Camino Hospital Santa Clara 1128 26 Natividad Medical Center Monterey 664 26 Southwest Healthcare System – Murrieta Riverside 900 26 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – San Francisco San Francisco 590 26 Saint Louise Regional Hospital Santa Clara 163 26 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Fontana San Bernardino 1014 26 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Oakland Campus Alameda 494 26 Community Hospital Monterey Peninsula Monterey 294 26 Lompoc Valley Medical Center Santa Barbara 111 26 Petaluma Valley Hospital Sonoma 104 26 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Baldwin Park Los Angeles 667 26 Ventura County Medical Center Ventura 521 26 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Woodland Hills Los Angeles 352 26 Sutter Solano Medical Center Solano 183 26 Ukiah Valley Medical Center Mendocino 201 26 Los Alamitos Medical Center Orange 368 25 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Harbor City Los Angeles 448 25 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Panorama City Los Angeles 405 25 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Santa Rosa Sonoma 440 25 UC Davis Medical Center Sacramento 412 25 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – West Los Angeles Los Angeles 364 25 Sutter Roseville Medical Center Placer 663 25 California Pacific Medical Center – Pacific Campus San Francisco 1174 25 Delano Regional Medical Center Kern 182 25 Mercy Hospital – Bakersfield Kern 532 25 Mercy San Juan Hospital Sacramento 534 25 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Rehabilitation Center Vallejo Solano 497 25 Sutter Coast Hospital Del Norte 81 25 Saint Helena Hospital Napa 54 24 Northern Inyo Hospital Inyo 44 24 Barton Memorial Hospital El Dorado 88 24 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Walnut Creek Contra Costa 687 24 Mercy Hospital – Folsom Sacramento 206 24 Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford Santa Clara 847 24 Saint Rose Hospital Alameda 240 24 Enloe Medical Center – Esplanade Campus Butte 285 24 John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek Campus Contra Costa 548 24 AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center Orange 399 24 Kern Medical Center Kern 732 24 Marin General Hospital Marin 294 24 Saint Elizabeth Community Hospital Tehama 150 24 Tahoe Forest Hospital Nevada 77 24 Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Santa Clara 883 24 Regional Medical of San Jose Santa Clara 75 23 Mammoth Hospital Mono 25 23 Saint Joseph Hospital – Eureka Humboldt 123 23 Saint Joseph’s Medical Center of Stockton San Joaquin 523 23 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Manteca San Joaquin 479 23 Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento 234 23 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Santa Clara Santa Clara 815 23 Dominican Hospital – Santa Cruz/Soquel Santa Cruz 171 23 Saint John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital Ventura 49 23 Sutter Delta Medical Center Contra Costa 200 23 Alameda County Medical Center – Highland Campus Alameda 226 23 Mendocino Coast District Hospital Mendocino 35 22 Twin Cities Community Hospital San Luis Obispo 154 22 Feather River Hospital Butte 198 22 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Sacramento** Sacramento 954 22 Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Alta Bates Campus Alameda 1384 22 Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz 196 22 Saint Bernadine Medical Center San Bernardino 407 22 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Roseville** Placer 954 22 Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Kern 672 21 Emanuel Medical Center, Inc. Stanislaus 262 21 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Antioch Contra Costa 275 21 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – San Jose Santa Clara 366 21 Mad River Community Hospital Humboldt 90 21 Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Contra Costa 403 21 Sonoma Valley Hospital Sonoma 38 21 Saint Mary Regional Medical Center San Bernardino 499 21 French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo 145 21 Saint Helena Hospital – Clearlake Lake 39 21 Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa Sonoma 289 20 California Pacific Medical Center – St. Luke’s Campus San Francisco 166 20 San Joaquin Community Hospital Kern 500 20 Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta Siskiyou 26 19 UC San Francisco Medical Center San Francisco 277 19 Redwood Memorial Hospital Humboldt 59 19 Woodland Memorial Hospital Yolo 114 18 Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Nevada 76 18 San Francisco General Hospital San Francisco 179 17 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – South Sacramento Sacramento 351 16 Kaiser Foundation Hospital – Redwood City San Mateo 187 16 Sutter Davis Hospital Yolo 184 16 La Palma Intercommunity Hospital Orange 27 15 Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta Riverside 12 15

Data:Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
Powered by Daemon Fusion, under an MIT license. NOTES: Excludes hospitals with fewer than 20 births in 2011. 

 

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There are several ways to get to see Florida’s Cesarean and Vaginal Birth Rates, these examples come from following a how-to link at http://tampa.ican-online.org/csrates.htm explaining one way to get these numbers. You’ll notice that above, the Vaginal Birth rate at Cape Coral is nearly the same as the Cesarean Rate, almost 50% cesareans.

You can also go through the Florida CHARTS system or go to www.cesareanrates.com where the information is compiled for you.

What kind of activist are you?

Some of us are born mothers. We activate others to make better mothering choices simply by our being good mothers and an example.

Others are born to write about activism and educate the masses or the minor support groups of a particular need Both are important.

Some of us are icily strong in the face of danger, standing up to those who must be stopped. Others are fire, burning everyone in their path who opposes them.

Some moms write letters, some forward emails and Facebook statuses. Some mothers go on to be in government, stand up to government, change government.

Some speak to the spiritual, some to the literal, some to the mainstream and some to the far edges. We each have a voice we are activating.

Every one of us has been an example to someone else in some way of the action we wish others would be.

Find what your action is, know what it is, build it stronger. BE the change you want in the world.

So, babe, what’s your activism all about today?

For every mother out there having a baby, there are others who are struggling through varying degrees of inability to conceive. They are also trapped in the obstetric world, dealing with the same issues that pregnant women deal with every day.

-Informed Consent
-Full Information
-Procedures without Understanding
-Provider Trust Issues

Most days, I’m not sure how to help mainstream pregnant women become more aware of these issues or how to react to them in order to receive proper respectful care and treatment and here I am including the even more broad environment of fertility issues.

Women, we are not broken as people even when our bodies betray us, we are not stupid and we deserve information, answers, consent and more than simple vacillation from our care providers who expect us to do as told in order to walk away with a healthy baby. There are more routes to birthing and parenting than compliance.

Arm yourself with information, empower yourself with the knowledge that gives you the rights to say no and make choices based on health, safety and instinct, not convenience. Anything less could easily be a shirking of responsibility.