I have no political affilications but Love Sandra Kanck’s press release of today.
SANDRA KANCK DEMOCRATS MLC
MEDIA RELEASEMonday 17th November 2008
WE COME TO DAMN CAESAR
South Australia’s rate of 32.3% of babies being born by caesarean section – over double the World Health Organisation recommendation – is an obstetric scandal says Democrat MP, Sandra Kanck.
The WHO guidelines recommend 5 – 15% of births as a safe level of caesareans. How then has SA managed to get it so wrong?
The WHO states:
A rate higher than 15% indicates over-utilization of the procedure for other than life-saving reasons. This is also dangerous for women’s lives because of the unnecessary risk associated with any major surgical operation.Yet in South Australia the breakdown of Caesarean rates are 28.4 per cent for all public hospitals, both metro and country, and 43.7 per cent for metro private hospitals. The caesarean section rates in the five metropolitan private hospitals ranged from 35.1 per cent to a massive 54.8 per cent.
Because choice in childbirth needs to be informed choice, I urge the Minister for Health to ‘name and shame’ the worst performing hospitals. Prospective mothers need to know which hospitals are performing at below World Health Organisation standards by surgically delivering more than half of all babies.
Clearly, choosing to give birth in at least one hospital in Adelaide more than triples the risk of surgical intervention.
Women need to know which hospitals to avoid if they do not want that option.
And if fear of pain is a reason for choosing a caesarean, then education and the support of a midwife is a likely antidote. Women must be given information about the circumstances which might require a caesarean, and understand the risks involved.
“It is vital that a caesarean is not seen as an option of convenience for either obstetrician or mother,” said Ms Kanck.
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Yeah, Sandras a good woman. 4YI: party is this coming saturday!
Thanks for sharing that Lisa! It’s great to see people speaking out about such a serious matter.
Obviously the option of caesarean is important in serious medical situations but these stats suggest they are being used far more frequently than is necessary (something I guess some of us already knew).
My mother was at a hair dresser a few months back and somehow they got on the topic of mum’s home births. The woman was not only shocked that mum had us at home but just as shocked she had a natural birth!!! “Wow you’re so brave!! How amazing” She said, followed by “I could never even contemplate having children unless I knew I could have a caesarean!”. Mum was gob smacked!
I understand that home birth is not for everyone but who on earth is telling these poor women that they’re not even capable of having a natural birth in a hospital?? What sorts of horror stories of pain and discomfort are being told to make these women think having major surgery would be less painful and risky? Although I have not had a Caesar myself, I have heard many women who have, express their concern about this rising trend.
How sad that we have come to this. We live in a world where people are so conditioned to think they aren’t good enough, that they even think they are incapable of experiencing one of the most natural and normal life events.
It was wonderful to meet you at the coffee morning and to meet so many other people for who birth is such a joyus and natural thing. As I said to you on the day, I always grew up thinking I was a little weird for being born at home…as much as I usually enjoy to be a bit different, it was also nice to finally be in a place where I was not “weird” at all. xo