Here's a story that caught my eye: a survey of nine Asian nations found that C-sections have reached "epidemic proportions" in many countries worldwide.

China leads the way, with nearly half of all babies delivered via C-section-- a quarter of them not medically necessary-- according to the World Health Organization survey.

China’s 46 percent C-section rate was followed by Vietnam and Thailand with 36 percent and 34 percent, respectively. The lowest rates were in Cambodia, with 15 percent, and India, with 18 percent...

In Asia, some women opt for the surgery to choose their delivery day after consulting fortune tellers for "lucky" birthdays or times. Others fear painful natural births or worry their vaginas may be stretched or damaged by a normal delivery. Some women also prefer the operation because they mistakenly believe it is less risky.

In Vietnam, one doctor blamed the high C-section rate on mothers who overeat:

As the capital’s largest maternity hospital, it receives the most complicated cases, with many women undergoing emergency surgery. But he said another reason is women with small frames whose babies are simply too large for them to deliver naturally.

"The babies are bigger, even than in Western countries," he said. "Vietnam was a country where we didn’t have enough food to eat. Now we have a surplus of food. The women think that if they eat a lot, their babies will be healthy."

I've got birth on the brain, for obvious reasons. My last birth was vaginal, and as uncomplicated as it gets. But that hasn't eased my fears of:

1. needing a C-section

2. needing an episiotomy

3. giving birth before my DD's 5th birthday party this Saturday.

I know women have C-sections and episiotomies every day, and that the most important outcome is a healthy baby. And I don't even know why I fear the procedures so much, apart from the obvious physical trauma and recovery; but I suspect it also has to do with my need to control events in my life as much as possible. An emergency C-section just isn't in my plans, ya know?

Then again, neither was infertility, or a miscarriage, or uncertainty over my baby's gender. After a textbook-perfect first pregnancy, this pregnancy has humbled me in many ways. So while I continue to fear a C-section, I have made peace with the fact that I will do whatever it takes to deliver my little guy into the world.

Just please do Mami a favor and wait until Sunday at the earliest, OK sweet baby? :-)

What do YOU think? Are rising C-section rates reason for worry? What was your C-section like? What were your fears about labor and delivery, and how did you manage them? Do tell!

What's up?

Sorry, I had guests all weekend and had no time to put together an open thread.

But I keep hearing about the "balloon boy" story. Authorities in Colorado are now saying it was a hoax and they plan to press charges against the parents, according to CNN.

Target was fined $600,000 for knowingly selling toys that had lead paint in them, according to ParentDish.

Another nightmare healthcare story: A Colorado mom who had a c-section recently testified before a Senate committee that her health insurance company wanted her sterilized because it considered her a risky investment, according to Strollerderby.

What else is in the news? What's up with you?

Two new studies by the University of California in Berkeley suggest that maternity leave has health benefits for both mother and baby.

From the website MedicalNewsToday.com:

One study found that women who started their leave in the last month of pregnancy were less likely to have cesarean deliveries, while another found that new mothers were more likely to establish breastfeeding the longer they delayed their return to work.

Both papers were part of the Juggling Work and Life During Pregnancy study, funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and led by Sylvia Guendelman, professor of maternal and child health at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. The research takes a rare look into whether taking maternity leave can affect health outcomes in the United States.

In related news, pregnancy has become a liability in the recession and attorneys are filing more pregnancy-bias lawsuits, according to the Miami Herald. How are your employers reacting to your maternal status and/or pregnancy?

I spotted these news stories in the Expecting Words blog, by the way.

(Originally posted on Non-Toxic Kids)

When my sister in law told me that her hospital in rural Vermont didn't perform VBACS, I was surprised. After all, they seemed to have a progressive birthing unit with midwives and nurses that support and encourage natural birth. Essentially, they eliminated that option for my sister in law. She's have to drive an hour north or south to deliver her baby in a hospital that supported VBACs. Not an easy thing to do in the typically snow heavy early spring when she was due.

So then I pick up Time magazine, and see this article, entitled, The Trouble with Repeat Cesareans. I guess my sister in law is not alone. Time cited a study where 49% of hospitals either don't allow VBACs, or don't have anyone willing to perform them. Almost half. The choices of moms in rural areas are completely limited by this fact.

So I had a quick ultrasound yesterday to check up on baby girl (long story...I had a mild electric shock at work and wanted to make sure she was OK) and the doctor who was monitoring it informed me that my daughter is in a breech position right now.