Are you worried about having an unnecessary c-section? In this post, we’ll cover what you need to know about c-section rates. You will discover how to find the c-section rate by hospital in your area. So that you can compare your choices and choose the safest hospital to give birth in near you.
Don’t worry – you won’t need to be an expert to find the best hospital (or even opt out of your local hospitals if a birth enter or home birth is for you!) And it will take less than five minutes.
My goal is to leave you feeling empowered with the right information to make informed choices about your birth. .
Are you ready? Let’s find those c-section rates by hospital!
How To Find My Local C-Section Rates By Hospital
Not every hospital has made their c-section rates public information. However, most have. And finding the c-section rates for the hospital near you is easier than ever.
Yes, you can find this information in less than 5 minutes flat.
Here is what you are going to do:
- Click this link to LeapFrog Group’s hospital search. This will open the largest data base of United States Hospital ratings.
- In the search by tabs, click the option that says location. Enter your zip code.
- A list of hopitals will show up with the nearest ones to you at the top.
Now – this is where it gets a bit tricky. You cannot compare each hospital side by side. You have to look at each hospital individually. But don’t worry, it’s a quick and easy process!
4. Scroll through the list of hospitals until you see the hospital you are considering. Click the green button that says View Hospital Ratings.
5. When the hospital information shows up, you need to scroll down to look through the green bullet points. Look for the one that say +Maternity Care. Click on it.
6. Once the Maternity Care Tab opens ceserean sections will be the first category. You now need to click the ORANGE words saying Show More On This Hospitals Performance and it will show you that specific hospitals c-section rates .
7. On the right, there is a green bar showing how close to Leapfrog’s standards the hospital has come. (Only 20% of hospitals meet their high standards, if you found one, celebrate!)
Click through several hospitals in your area to get a good idea of what hospital has you as their top priority.
Why Should I Look At C-Sections Rates By Hospital In My Area?
One of the things I teach about in my free ebook, The 11 Worst Things About Labor, is that not every hospital is the same. In fact, some hospitals are much safer than others and some hospitals are much more dangerous than others.
In fact, c-section rates vary across the US so greatly that some hospitals have c-section rates as LOW as 7%. Let’s celebrate these places!
However, other hospitals have c-section rates as HIGH as 70%. (I think it goes without saying, these are the places you want to avoid if possible.)
Studies tell us that this huge difference is not a result of the health of mothers, but of the atmosphere and culture at each hospital.
How Might A C-Section Affect Me?
Yes, at the right time, a c-section can be necessary and can save a woman’s life or her child’s life. However, a c-section also has negatives.
In general, c-sections have greater risks to you and baby than a vaginal birth.
Here are some risks women face in a c-section:
- More blood loss
- Higher risk of infection
- Higher risk of blood clots
- Future pregnancies are more complicated and risky with each C-section you have
- A higher risk of death
- Even if everything goes perfectly, you have a longer recovery period
- Extra challenges breastfeeding and a possible delay of your milk coming in (check out this article for information on breastfeeding successfully after a c-section.)
I’ve personally had a c-section and been with many women through their c-sections. Yes, a c-section can be a good experience and it can be a beautiful way to give birth.
I share this information not to scare you, but to give you the information you need to make educated and informed decisions that are best for you.
Why Are C-Section Rates So High?
You may be wondering why c-section rates are so high in some places. You see, some c-sections are obviously necessary. Some are planned in advance for either the mother or doctor’s convenience. But most, most c-sections happen in the space of a grey area.
In cases where a doctor sees something on a chart that doesn’t indicate immediate danger, but could potentially, possibly turn into a complication in the future, they often choose to do a c-section right away.
While vaginal births are in general safer, c-sections are easily scheduled, quickly finished, and pay more than vaginal births.
When a doctor has to choose between potentially avoiding a problem and waiting to see what happens, all of these factors nudge a doctor in the direction of the c-section.
What Does This Mean About Doctors?
Studies have shown that when doctors get paid the same amount of money for c-sections as they do for vagial births, they tend to allow many more vaginal births. Some women wonder what this means about their doctor or OB’s in general. Can they be trusted? Will they have your best interests in mind?
I personally do not think that doctors’ preferences for c-sections make them evil or against a birthing mother. I have seen lives saved by c-sections (hey-including my own!) and can completely understand where they are coming from. Here’s why:
You see, a doctor went to eight years (or more) of school, plus a minimum of three intense years interning. They did all this work to be an expert at how to USE MEDICINE to STOP EMERGENCIES.
When a doctor is using his or her judgment to do a c-section and chooses medical intervention, they are simply using their training to the best of their ability in a situation that will always have unknowns and that could unfold many different ways if they wait and see.
So How Can You Protect Yourself From An Unnecesary C-Section?
Avoiding an unnecessary c-section is a worthy goal. And one you should be supported in. Choosing your care provider and birth location are two of the most important decision you will make when are trying to avoid a c-section.
In general, midwives have lower c-section rates than OB’s. That is because a midwife’s professional training is using non-medical support to reduce risk and solve problems that make a birth more difficult or dangerous than it needs to be. They also are trained in how to find problems that NEED medical intervention.
If your needs escalate past their scope of practice, they transfer your care to a more specialized, high risk doctor. They are very good at doing this.
In the countries with the lowest c-section rates, most women never see a doctor during their pregnancy or birth, unless their pregnancy becomes high-risk. Instead, women begin by seeing midwives.
In fact, there is not a single European country where physicians provide primary care to women during pregnancy in most cases. And all European countries have better birth outcomes than the United States.
If avoiding a c-section is a high priority for you, finding a well-respected midwife, who is backed up by a great OB, is a great place to start.
In this case, you can easily have the best of both worlds – a midwife who is trained to help you overcome challenges naturally, and work with the process of birth, and an OB who can intervene when necessary.
When these two professions work together, women and babies are much safer!
Questions To Ask Your Care Provider About The C-Section Rates At The Hospitals Near You
Look, many women feel like they have to go along with the system that is in front of them. That is not the case. You are smart, and you likely have more options than you know. Having high quality conversations with your doctor that allow you to gather the right information can help you understand what you find out when you look up the c-section rates by hosptial in your area.
Ask your doctor these questions:
- How is the hospital we have chosen taking steps to reduce c-sections?
- What kind of support will I have in the hospital?
- How much time will a nurse be with me? Are they there to provide me labor support or do they mostly chart and take care of medical things? How many women will they be attending at one time?
- How often will you be checking in with me?
- Do you recommend inductions to everyone at a certain time or only when medically necessary?
- Can I have a doula?
- Will I be allowed to move freely? Eat? Drink?
These questions will provde you with information that will help you both navigate your chosen birth location and compare it to other choices in your area.
Why Are C-Section Rates Rising?
It’s true, c-section rates are higher than ever. In fact since the early 70’s, the likelihood of a mother having a c-section in the United States has increased by 500%. That’s not good.
And even though the idea of using more c-sections is to keep moms and babies safe, the increased use of c-sections has not corresponded with healthier moms or babies. In fact, for babies born close to their expected due date, survival and brain injury rates remain the same.
And for mothers, the story is worse. Women are 50% more likely to die in the period surrounding childbirth than their own mothers were. This risk is even higher for Black mothers compared with white mothers.
Unfortunately, many hospitals are not set up well to support a woman through a natural progression of labor. This makes c-sections more frequent because they are more predictable – they can be scheduled and finished quickly – whereas a naturally unfolding labor ould take anywhere from a few hours to a coupledays.
C-sections also require less staff and time. So even though a family will pay more for a c-section, a hosital (and usually the doctor) will make significantly more money for this type of birth.
TL/DR C-Section Rates By Hospital
Avoiding a c-section is a worthy goal, and one that may take some planning and effort. Not every hospital is the same. In fact c-section rates y hospital vary fro 7% to 70%. That is a HUGE difference.
A mother can protect and advocate for herself by first, finding out the c-section rates by the hospitals near her. Choosing a hospital that has a lowe c-section rate if possible and properly communicating with her care team.
For a low risk mother, choosing a midwife as a primary care provier can significantly reduce her risks for a c-section.
You can look up c-section rates by hospital at ratings.leapfroggroup.org
The post C-Section Rates By Hospital: Your Step To Step Guide To Finding The Safest Hospital Near You appeared first on She Births Bravely.
source https://shebirthsbravely.com/c-section-rates-by-hospital/
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