Have Cesareans Driven Evolution Toward Bigger Babies?
“The great tragedy of Science: the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.” Thomas Huxley Reverberating through the internet is an article by a group of scientists theorizing that cesarean availability has altered the course of human evolution, resulting in an epidemic of babies with heads too big to pass through their mother’s […]
Cesarean Survival Essentials: postpartum binding
“Cesarean Survival Essentials: postpartum binding” by Wendy Foster This article is a reprint from the Winter 2015 edition of The Clarion, the official publication of ICAN. Become a member today to support ICAN and to subscribe! As a former volunteer EMT, I was taught to ensure the scene was safe before entering; scanning the environment and weighing the […]
Lucy’s Cesarean Birth After Cesarean
by Lucy O’Connor This birth story is shared by Lucy O’Connor, and appeared originally on csectionmums.com. I found out I was pregnant in July 2008. I had a miscarriage only a matter of weeks earlier and hadn’t even got my period back! A scan (in the absence of a LMP) set my due date as St Patrick’s […]
The Birth of Baby B
By Melissa Debach This birth story is a reprint from the Spring 2015 edition of The Clarion, the official publication of ICAN. Become a member today to support ICAN and to subscribe! Photos courtesy of Erin Monroe Photography. After the birth of my daughter ended in an unnecessary cesarean, I was determined that my second […]
There’s No Such Thing as a Failed VBAC- A Letter to the CBAC Mom
This post was submitted to us by writer Aprille Donaldson. The original post can be found on her website www.beautifulinhistime.com. Dear CBAC Mom: I just want you to know that I get you. For nine months you carried your baby within you. And for nine months – maybe even longer – you dreamed about pushing that baby out of […]
Cesarean Birth After Cesarean
by Kmom Reprinted from the Spring 2015 Edition of The Clarion, ICAN’s quarterly online publication. Subscribe today to get yours! Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. – Helen Keller Eighteen years ago this spring, my second child was born. He was born by repeat cesarean after a long, […]
How to support a mom during cesarean recovery
Since relatively few families plan to birth via cesarean, it’s easy for moms and their support people to be taken off guard when what started as a normal birth turns into a surgical experience. Here are some tips for ways friends and family can support a mom during a cesarean recovery. Help mom assess her […]
World Doula Week: a doula at a cesarean?
Guest article by Lisa Kehoe IBCLC, CLD, CPD, in honor of World Doula Week (March 22-28). Your vision of birth probably did not include having surgery. You were thinking of a natural, unmedicated, maybe even home birth, and now you’re having a cesarean. You may feel uneasy about this, but, for whatever reason, it’s the only choice […]
FREE Viewing of the Film ‘Trial of Labor’ for ICAN Members!
Beginning on March 20, 2015, ICAN will be providing its members with a FREE viewing of the film Trial of Labor, directed and produced by Rob Humphreys and Dr. Elliot Berlin, until March 30th. ICAN will also be hosting a number of screenings for the general public in select cities beginning in April. Look out […]
Giving Tuesday
On December 2nd, ICAN will participate in Giving Tuesday in the hopes of raising $10,000 in 24 hours. We take our job of being a source of support and a gateway to resources for birthing families seriously, and that is why we would so appreciate your help. Our chapters in the United States and […]
ICAN Announces Changes to Board of Directors
We have some exciting changes to announce regarding our Board of Directors. I am writing this letter to you today as the outgoing President of ICAN. My term will end Dec. 31, 2014. It has been a huge honor to serve as your President. We have just returned from our annual ICAN Board of Directors […]
5 ways a cesarean impacts a new family and what we can do about it
“I hated him”. Sarah took a deep breath. “I know it’s not logical, there wasn’t anything he could do, but that’s how I felt. I hated him for not protecting me.” A Caesarean Section is both the most common and least necessary surgery conducted in the United States. It is also the only surgical procedure […]