Joined
·
461 Posts
Memorial Hospital at Easton is now the ONLY hospital in Maryland that doesn't allow women to choose to have a VBAC. Any Easton moms want to get involved in getting this reversed?
-Barbara Stratton [email protected]
<<Memorial state¹s only hospital not offering VBAC
By SARAH ENSOR PEARCE
Staff Writer
EASTON < The Memorial Hospital at Easton is the only hospital in the state
not offering vaginal birth after Cesarean section (VBAC) now that Frederick
Memorial Hospital has decided to again offer the procedure, according to
Barbara Stratton, leader of the International Cesarean Awareness Network
Baltimore Chapter.
Although Frederick Memorial stopped performing the procedure in fall 2004,
activists protested what they perceived as a ban. Easton Memorial has not
allowed the procedure since September 2003. In fall 2004, Shore Health
System spokesman Patti Willis said some patients were unhappy when Easton
Memorial stopped performing VBACs, but there were no organized protests
outside the hospital.
VBAC is a procedure during which a mother gives birth to a baby vaginally
after she has given birth to another child via Cesarean section. The
procedure carries a risk of uterine rupture along the Cesarean line of
incision.
³Cesareans certainly carry their own risks,² said Stratton.
Stratton said she supports a woman¹s right to choose how she gives birth.
She said VBACs can be very safe as long as labor is not artificially induced
or rushed. Only a fraction of uterine ruptures are catastrophic, she said,
defining catastrophic as loss of baby¹s or mother¹s life. The bikini-cut
incision, which is more common now than traditional vertical incisions, is
less likely to rupture, Stratton said.
³I feel strongly that VBAC is a very reasonable choice for women,² she said.
Some caregivers were sued when women or babies died during induced VBACs,
Stratton said. Then, care-givers and insurance carriers began backing away
from VBACs altogether.
Stratton said women who cannot have a VBAC at Easton Memorial have to drive
a long distance to give birth elsewhere, when giving birth closer to home
would be safer.
But safety is the primary reason Easton Memorial does not offer VBACS.
Patty McNeal, manager of the birthing center and pediatrics at Easton
Memorial, said Easton Memorial does not offer the procedure because the
hospital does not have in-house anesthesia services. Although the hospital
can do Cesareans, an anesthesiologist may not be available as quickly as
necessary, should a VBAC have complications.
McNeal said women sometimes want a VBAC because pain is less severe and
recovery time is much shorter than for a Cesarean.
According to Easton Memorial¹s policy, ³The Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has adopted the American
College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) standards applicable to
hospitals performing VBAC deliveries. The ACOG Standards include the
immediate ability to perform emergency cesarean section for failed VBAC
delivery. OImmediate¹ means that the surgeon/gynecologist, the
anesthesiologist and the OR (operating room) team are either on site or can
be on site within minutes.²
In fall 2004, Willis said physicians at Easton Memorial have helped find
care elsewhere for patients who insist on VBACs.>>
-Barbara Stratton [email protected]
<<Memorial state¹s only hospital not offering VBAC
By SARAH ENSOR PEARCE
Staff Writer
EASTON < The Memorial Hospital at Easton is the only hospital in the state
not offering vaginal birth after Cesarean section (VBAC) now that Frederick
Memorial Hospital has decided to again offer the procedure, according to
Barbara Stratton, leader of the International Cesarean Awareness Network
Baltimore Chapter.
Although Frederick Memorial stopped performing the procedure in fall 2004,
activists protested what they perceived as a ban. Easton Memorial has not
allowed the procedure since September 2003. In fall 2004, Shore Health
System spokesman Patti Willis said some patients were unhappy when Easton
Memorial stopped performing VBACs, but there were no organized protests
outside the hospital.
VBAC is a procedure during which a mother gives birth to a baby vaginally
after she has given birth to another child via Cesarean section. The
procedure carries a risk of uterine rupture along the Cesarean line of
incision.
³Cesareans certainly carry their own risks,² said Stratton.
Stratton said she supports a woman¹s right to choose how she gives birth.
She said VBACs can be very safe as long as labor is not artificially induced
or rushed. Only a fraction of uterine ruptures are catastrophic, she said,
defining catastrophic as loss of baby¹s or mother¹s life. The bikini-cut
incision, which is more common now than traditional vertical incisions, is
less likely to rupture, Stratton said.
³I feel strongly that VBAC is a very reasonable choice for women,² she said.
Some caregivers were sued when women or babies died during induced VBACs,
Stratton said. Then, care-givers and insurance carriers began backing away
from VBACs altogether.
Stratton said women who cannot have a VBAC at Easton Memorial have to drive
a long distance to give birth elsewhere, when giving birth closer to home
would be safer.
But safety is the primary reason Easton Memorial does not offer VBACS.
Patty McNeal, manager of the birthing center and pediatrics at Easton
Memorial, said Easton Memorial does not offer the procedure because the
hospital does not have in-house anesthesia services. Although the hospital
can do Cesareans, an anesthesiologist may not be available as quickly as
necessary, should a VBAC have complications.
McNeal said women sometimes want a VBAC because pain is less severe and
recovery time is much shorter than for a Cesarean.
According to Easton Memorial¹s policy, ³The Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has adopted the American
College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) standards applicable to
hospitals performing VBAC deliveries. The ACOG Standards include the
immediate ability to perform emergency cesarean section for failed VBAC
delivery. OImmediate¹ means that the surgeon/gynecologist, the
anesthesiologist and the OR (operating room) team are either on site or can
be on site within minutes.²
In fall 2004, Willis said physicians at Easton Memorial have helped find
care elsewhere for patients who insist on VBACs.>>
