Black Maternal Health Week Arrives Soon!
Black Maternal Health Week (April 11 – 17) falls right in the middle of Cesarean Awareness Month and ICAN is gathering stories to raise awareness of the racism and discrimination people of color face in pregnancy and childbirth. Please help us in this effort! Submit your story here. Apply for ICAN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee here.
Cesarean Myths: “Mothers are Demanding Cesareans!”
Originally published July 2009 A report on Enterprisenews.com would have us all believe that the cesarean rate in the U.S. is being driven in some significant way by mothers demanding elective cesareans with hapless obstetricians following their orders. But is this true? While the Enterprise article cites the experiences of medical personnel in one Massachusetts city, researchers […]
Cesarean Myths: “A Healthy Baby is All that Matters!”
Guest post by Sheila Stubbs, originally published June 2009 Sooner or later, it seems every woman who has had her baby delivered by cesarean section hears those words. While we’re very thankful for our healthy babies, the statement can leave a mother feeling like she doesn’t matter. I’ve been trying to think of some kind of analogy […]
ICAN Addresses ACOG Practice Bulletin 184: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery
We, the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN), would like to address the recent publication of Practice Bulletin 184 from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), titled: “Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery”. ICAN is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by reducing preventable cesareans through education, supporting cesarean recovery, and […]
ICAN Accreta Awareness Month – Closing Our 2017 Campaign!
As October ends, we would like to thank everyone who supported ICAN Accreta Awareness Month! The more our information was shared, the more mothers spoke out about how they and their families were affected by accreta. Conversations about placenta accreta, especially those including loss, can be very difficult. Though fear and anxiety make these discussions […]
ICAN Accreta Awareness Month – The National Accreta Foundation
During the month of October, ICAN focuses on bringing awareness to the condition of placenta accreta, when the placenta attaches too deeply into the uterine wall. Today, we are sharing a new organization assisting in the effort to reduce preventable accreta cases, the National Accreta Foundation. Founded in April 2017, the Foundation is a non-profit […]
CAPS for VBACS
In 2014, I was led down a path that I later learned often resulted in a C-Section. I knew I wanted to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean before I even knew what a VBAC was. Not even a couple months postpartum, I searched to learn what my options were for my future births. […]
Should a Woman’s Ethnicity Decrease Her Access to Birth Mode Options?
If you have ever wondered what the leadership of your local ICAN chapter does, the following is a good example of our work to promote ICAN’s mission of improving maternal-child health by reducing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Recently, in September 2016, an […]
Should Mothers be Denied Option of VBA2C? ACOG Clarifies.
If you have ever wondered what the leadership of your local ICAN chapter does, the following is a good example of our work to promote ICAN’s mission of improving maternal-child health by reducing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). In September, a member […]
Day 29 – Virtual Blood Drive (con’t)
October is nearly over, but the need for blood donations isn’t. Even if you weren’t able to donate this month, we implore you to find time throughout the year to make a difference to those at risk from accreta and other birth-related blood loss. This one small act of kindness can potentially save three lives! The […]
Day 21 – A Breakdown of Risk: Comparing VBAC & Repeat Cesarean
When women with a prior cesarean are discussing the possibility of VBAC with their provider, uterine rupture takes center stage. Uterine rupture is a real but rare complication that is increased when women attempt a vaginal birth after a cesarean. When discussing the possibility of repeat cesarean, placenta previa and accreta are far less likely […]
Day 18 – Virtual Blood Drive
Blood donation can be the difference between life and death for women with accreta, so select ICAN chapters are holding blood drives this month to help bring awareness to accreta and other birth-related blood loss. For those that do not have a local chapter blood drive but still want to donate, a virtual blood drive is available. You can make […]
