Cesarean Awareness Rally - GA

Mark your calendars! A Cesarean Awareness Rally, "Cutting Through the Fear" is hosted by the Georgia Birth Network and ICAN of Atlanta. "Cutting Through the Fear" will be a visual reminder of the current cesarean rate. Each participant will receive a free t-shirt, to be worn at the rally. We will provide you with either a red or white shirt, every 3rd person in attendance will receive a red shirt to signify that 1 in 3 women are having surgical births. All participants should make signs to bring to the rally. For sign suggestions please email us!

Cesarean Facts
•The World Health Organization recommends a 10%-15% cesarean rate.
•The national cesarean rate is 31.8%.
•An estimated 920,000 Cesarean births are performed each year.
•More than half the women that receive a cesarean do so with no medical reason.
•This poses unnecessary risk to moms & babies.
•The national VBAC rate is only 9.2%.

***You are welcome to have your families join you after the rally, but we request that you not bring small children (babes in arms are okay) due to the safety concerns of being near major roadways. Contact us by email to RSVP so that we have a good head count & to receive details about parking for the rally.***

Northside Hospital
1000 Johnson Ferry Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30342

Sponsor Information

We are looking for sponsors for the Cesarean Awareness Rally! Support the cause by becoming a sponsor.

Sponsors will receive:

Promotional material to be laid out at the reception for people to pick up.
Recognition on the GBN website as a sponsor for the event. This includes information about your services, contact information and a link to your website. This will remain online for 3 months.

Sponsoring Costs:

$30.00 for current members of GBN.
$40.00 for non-members.

If you are not a member of GA Birth Network but would like to be, you can become a member & sponsor for….

$60.00 as a support member.
$80.00 as an advertiser member.
$134.00 as a group member.

Please visit www.gabirthnetwork.com to learn more about the membership benefits of GBN.

Please contact us at [email protected] as soon as possible if you are interested in sponsoring!

Rally Reception
Join us after the rally from 5pm - 8pm at Life University for the reception. Elaine Mills of ICAN of Atlanta will be talking about the cesarean epidemic in the United Sates & discussing ways to reduce the chances of experiencing a surgical birth.
Craft supplies will be available for kids or for the adults! You can also enjoy FREE food and a viewing of a birth film.
For more information feel free to contact us at [email protected].

Life University
1377 Barclay Circle
Marietta, GA 30060
Annex C, Room C127

It's getting closer! And here is the press release that went out today to many local outlets. Be sure to RSVP!

UNNECCESSARY CESAREANS ENDANGER 17,412 ATLANTA AREA WOMEN AND BABIES A YEAR
May 16 Rally To Raise Awareness of Cesarean Dangers and Prevention

Atlanta, GA - Over 35% of birthing mothers in Metro Atlanta have a cesarean section, and 57-92% of those are preventable, unnecessarily endangering the lives of those women and their babies. Studies continue to show much higher risks for both mothers and babies undergoing cesarean as compared to vaginal birth. The Georgia Birth Network and the Atlanta Chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) are co-sponsoring a rally outside Northside Hospital on May 16 from 2-4 pm to educate the public about the growing cesarean epidemic and ways women can reduce their risk of needing a cesarean.

The rate of cesarean surgeries in the United States continues to rise, reaching 31.8% in 2007 according to the CDC. The rate for metro Atlanta is even higher - 35.1% of local women gave birth by cesarean in 2007.

Of course cesareans can and do save lives, but are over 1/3 of mothers and babies in danger during labor and birth? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the answer is no. The WHO recommends a cesarean rate of 10-15% as optimal, saving as many lives as possible while putting as few mothers and babies at unnecessary risk as is reasonable. The U.S. Healthy People 2010 guidelines have a goal of a 15% cesarean rate by next year.

Like all surgeries, cesareans pose risks. When a mother or her baby are in danger, those risks are worth taking. When they are not, the risks can be quite problematic. Following a cesarean delivery, the mother may have an infection, extensive blood loss, nausea, vomiting, and/or severe headache, a blood clot in a vein, trouble breastfeeding, re-admission to the hospital for complications or, rarely, death. Cesareans always require a longer hospital stay and 2-6 times as much healing time as a vaginal birth. A newborn delivered by cesarean has a higher risk of being injured during delivery, spending time in the NICU, and breathing problems, which may continue into childhood as asthma. There is also a greater risk of placenta problems, uterine rupture, and other complications in later pregnancies, putting both mom and baby at more risk.

To help women avoid these risks for themselves and their babies, the Atlanta chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) and the Georgia Birth Network are co-sponsoring a Cesarean Awareness Rally, "Cutting Thru the Fear," near Northside Hospital on May 16 from 2-4pm. The general public is welcome to participate, but please leave small children home because of the proximity to a busy road. A reception will follow at Life University (1377 Barclay Circle, in Room 127 of Annex C) in Marietta from 5-8 pm. Families are welcome at the reception. For information about the rally, please visit www.gabirthnetwork.com. For more information about cesarean risks and prevention, please contact either GBN at (678) 264-4944 or www.gabirthnetwork.com or ICAN of Atlanta at 404-609-9873 or http://atlanta.ican-online.org.

Hi everyone!

Here is what everyone needs to know in regards to getting to the rally and reception on Saturday.

Parking for the rally…

At the light in front of Northside Hospital, Turn onto Meridian Mark between the Suntrust Bank and Scottish Rite Hospital. At the next light, turn Right to reach the parking deck to Northside Professional Center. Parking Deck is open with no charge on Saturday's. Proceed back to the SunTrust bank to pick up your T-shirt and information. The rally will be on the sidewalk in front of Northside Hospital.

Going from the rally to the reception at Life University…

A) Northside Ob Gyn PC, 993 Johnson Ferry Rd NE # C120, Atlanta, GA 30342 US
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1. Start out going WEST on JOHNSON FERRY RD NE toward GLENRIDGE POINT PKWY NE. (go 0.4 miles)
2. Turn RIGHT onto GLENRIDGE CONN NE. (go 0.1 miles)
3. GLENRIDGE CONN NE becomes GLENRIDGE DR NE. (go 0.1 miles)
4. Merge onto I-285 W/GA-407 W via the ramp on the LEFT. (go 5.7 miles)
5. Take the I-75 N exit, EXIT 20, toward MARIETTA/CHATTANOOGA. (go 1.2 miles)
6. Take the WINDY HILL RD exit toward SMYRNA. (go 0.3 miles)
7. Keep LEFT at the fork in the ramp. (go 0.0 miles)
8. Keep LEFT at the fork in the ramp. (go 0.0 miles)
9. Turn LEFT onto WINDY HILL RD SE. (go 0.9 miles)
10. Turn RIGHT onto COBB PKWY SE/FOUR LANE HWY S/US-41/GA-3. (go 2.3 miles)
11. Turn LEFT onto BARCLAY CIR SE. (go 0.5 miles)
12. End at 1269 Barclay Cir SE Marietta, GA 30060
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B) Life University College, 1269 Barclay Cir SE, Marietta, GA 30060 US

Life University has moved us very last minute to a different space due to some sort of testing they are going to be having in Annex C. We have now been moved to Annex B, room B137 aka "The Bingo Hall". There are a couple different options for parking outside of the building but if you want to go to the parking that is closest to the room we will be in, you would instead of turning on Barclay avenue, turn onto Lifes' Way just past Barclay Circle next to the Toyota dealership. Go to the left to reach the backside of the University. Continue to go left until you see the loading docks. This parking is close to the Bingo Hall.

If you know of anyone planning to come, please pass this information along to them.

Here is a link to a map of the Life University campus….

http://www.life.edu/node/353