For Reference: C-section risks

I'm gathering all my links together for easy reference . . .

Vaginal Birth after Cesarean in California: Before and After a Change in Guidelines. The 1999 ACOG recommendation on VBAC resulted in a marked decrease (from 24% to 13.5%) of vaginal deliveries of women scarred from previous cesarean surgery. Neonatal and maternal mortality rates did not improve.

Cesarean Delivery Triples Maternal Death Risk. French National Perinatal Survey as reported in Obstetrics & Gynecology, September 2006. Yes, I'm sure you don't know anyone who has died from the c-section. Thank God, neither do I. But when we look at the numbers -- not just our personal anecdotal evidence -- we learn what we're missing: Deaths, resulting from blood clots, infection or complications from anesthesia -- at 3.6 times the rate of mothers birthing vaginally.

Cesarean Delivery increases Infant Death by 2.85x. Infant and Neonatal Mortality for Primary Cesarean and Vaginal Births to Women with "No Indicated Risk," United States, 1998–2001 Birth Cohorts. Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, September 2006

The Risk of Adhesions after Gynecologic Surgery. Dr. Gregory Fossum, September 2006. Those little side effects that are usually ignored by the larger studies of mortality and complications: Adhesions are bands of tissue that form between organs in response to injury caused during surgery. in one report, adhesions formed in 73% of primary C-section patients. Resulting injury includes small bowel obstruction, chronic pelvic, and infertility.

Cesarean Spike Drives up Medicaid Costs. Study by Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, August, 2006. The epidemic of surgical delivery isn't just the pet issue of birth fanatics like me. It's your problem, too.