Revised Edition: What Every Pregnant Woman Needs To Know About Cesarean Section (2006)

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About What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Section

Although most pregnant women are healthy and have good reason to expect uncomplicated childbirth, the U.S. cesarean rate is at a record level and rising. The increase is due to many medical, legal, social, and financial factors, including "defensive medicine" and changing attitudes of caregivers and pregnant women.

To help pregnant women understand harms and benefits of cesarean delivery compared with vaginal birth and make wise decisions, Childbirth Connection worked with many leading national organizations and individual childbirth educators, consumers, doctors, labor support professionals, midwives, nurses, and researchers. We sorted carefully through hundreds of studies to identify the full range of concerns that are at stake in decisions about how to give birth. Then we put together a comprehensive booklet that can help you learn about the issues, plan carefully, and make informed decisions.

What Every Pregnant Woman Needs To Know About Cesarean Section helps a pregnant woman understand: maternity care trends that may influence her birth her legal right to "informed consent" and "informed refusal" what is at stake in the decision about whether to have a vaginal or cesarean birth situations that can lead to surgical birth tips to follow in pregnancy and at birth to increase her chances for a safe and healthy birth.

Click to download our free cesarean booklet

The best way to use the cesarean booklet is to read it early in pregnancy, use it to make your plans, and go back to it as needed. You can use it to discuss the issues with your partner and your doctor or midwife. If a topic is difficult to understand, ask your caregiver for help.

The 2006 revised edition updates rates of cesarean and other procedures, the list of endorsing organizations, and website addresses. We have also added more details to the companion at-a-glance summary comparing risks of cesarean and vaginal birth.

Spread the word about how to avoid unnecessary cesarean section

Download the cesarean booklet flyer (PDF) and spread the word about how to avoid unnecessary c-section. You can distribute it at events, in mailings, attach it with an email and spread the word to help women make informed decisions about cesarean section and protect themselves and their babies. Cesarean Trends: Graphs and Links also gives up to date c-section resources on the rising U.S. cesarean rate.

Many organizations have endorsed this cesarean booklet

Many consumer and professional groups recognize the importance of helping women make informed decisions about cesarean and vaginal birth. Over 30 non-profit organizations have officially endorsed the new booklet. Click here for a current list of endorsing organizations.

How were conclusions drawn? How was this booklet on cesarean section developed?

To learn about the scientific basis for information in the cesarean booklet, read an article describing why and how we carried out a scientific review and what we found (PDF).

To learn in detail how we developed the information in the booklet, you can download the following:

• description of methods and sources, including full bibliography (PDF)
• list of main questions and outcomes, a table of contents for evidence tables (PDF)
• first file of evidence tables (PDF)
• second file of evidence tables (PDF)