Public Citizen Spotlights Unnecessary Cesarean Sections in New York State

by Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorSome of you may remember Public Citizen’s 1997 report “Nurse-Midwifery: The Beneficial Alternative.” Yesterday, the group released a new report called “Guide to Avoiding Unnecessary Cesarean Sections in New York State.”They chose to spotlight New York not because of its high rate of cesarean births (At 33.7%, only nine states have higher rates than NY),

Washington State Stacks Financial Incentives in Favor of Vaginal Birth

The state of Washington is taking an innovative step toward tackling rising cesarean section rates by eliminating the profit motive. Beginning this month, the state’s Medicaid reimbursement for uncomplicated cesarean sections dropped from approximately $3,600 to about $1,000—the same reimbursement provided for complicated vaginal birth.Because the cost of vaginal birth is lower than the cost of

Denis Walsh, mommy wars, and coming together On Common Ground

Originally published on Science and Sensibility by Amy Romano, CNM, for Lamaze InternationalLast week, I was thrilled and humbled to be asked to contribute to the On Common Ground collection at RH Reality Check. My assignment was to write a piece from the maternity care perspective that represents common ground for people on opposing sides of the abortion debate. I was asked to help readers who

SOGC Says No More Automatic Cesareans for Breech Babies

Whether you’re aiming for a hospital, birth center, or home delivery, if you get the news that your baby is in the breech position, chances are you’ll be advised to have a cesarean section. But on Wednesday, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) released new guidelines for health professionals that turn the breech issue upside down. They state that health professionals