Welcome to My Birth Matters! This is a website to help pregnant women and birthing people of all backgrounds learn more about their birthing options.

Below you'll find health information from experts. They also have information to help you learn how to avoid having a C-section, also called a "Cesarean delivery," if you don't need one.

 

Talk to Your Doctor

Did you know that one out of every two Cesarean deliveries could be avoided?

 

Some women and birthing people have complications during their pregnancy. And for them, a Cesarean delivery is the best and safest way to have their baby. But did you know that one out of two Cesarean deliveries aren't needed?

Healthy, first-time pregnant women and birthing people have the highest chance of having a Cesarean deliveries they don't need. And, once you have one Cesarean delivery, there's a 90% chance that you'll have a Cesarean delivery with your next baby.

Some hospitals do more unnecessary Cesarean deliveries than other hospitals. One reason is that some hospitals want your labor to go faster than it’s naturally going. This could lead to a Cesarean delivery that you don’t need.

Another reason that some hospitals are doing more Cesarean deliveries is because of new technology. For example, when you’re in labor, you might use a machine called a Fetal Heart Rate Monitor. This machine checks your baby’s heart rate while you’re in labor. But, it might give false alarms. And, this could also lead to a Cesarean delivery that you don’t need. 

Talk to your doctor, nurse, and healthcare team. Tell them you don’t want a Cesarean delivery unless you or your baby really need it.

 

Cesarean deliveries and Vaginal Birth

It’s important to understand your options for your baby’s birth.

Babies are born two ways: Through the vagina or by a Cesarean delivery. A Cesarean delivery is major surgery. If you have a Cesarean delivery, you will deliver your baby through a cut in your belly. 

Sometimes, you might have medical problems during your pregnancy. This might make a Cesarean delivery the best and safest way to have your baby. But, Cesarean deliveries are major surgery. And, like any major surgery, you should only have it when it’s really needed.

If you have a Cesarean delivery, you’re at greater risk of having complications after you have your baby. This may include bleeding and infections. It also could include damage to organs like your uterus, ovaries, and bladder. And, each time you have a Cesarean delivery, the chance of these complications increases. 

Babies born by Cesarean delivery are also at greater risk of having complications. This includes breathing problems and asthma. It could also mean that your baby has to go to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) after he or she is born.

What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Birth will tell you more about the risks and benefits of Cesarean deliveries and vaginal births.

 

Create Your Birth Care Team

There are several kinds of healthcare providers who might help you have your baby.

Before you have your baby, you’ll want to create your birth care team. These are the people who will help support you while you’re in labor and having your baby.

If you have your baby in a hospital, you will have a labor and delivery nurse to help you. You will also have an OB/GYN doctor while you’re in labor. Or, if your pregnancy is low-risk, you might have a nurse-midwife. If your pregnancy is high-risk, you might see a high-risk pregnancy doctor, called a maternal fetal medicine specialist.

To find who you think is best to care for you, you can interview your healthcare providers, like your OB/GYN or nurse-midwife. You can use these checklists to ask your nurse-midwife or your OB/GYN at your first pre-natal appointment. If you decide you want to change healthcare providers, it’s easier to do it early in your pregnancy. You’ll also want to ask your insurance which healthcare providers they’ll pay for.

Some women and birthing people have a doula to help them during labor and birth. Doulas are not nurses or doctors. And, insurance does not usually pay for them. But, if someone is with you and helps you during your entire labor and birth, you are less likely to have a Cesarean delivery. Many women and birthing people say that having a team of people, or a labor support team, makes their birthing experience better.

When you go into labor, bring your labor support team with you, if possible. Build a team that makes you comfortable. If you have questions or do not have a support team to bring with you, try to:

  • Connect with local community-based organizations that prioritize pregnancy, birthing, and breastfeeding.
  • Identify and reach out to local doulas, birth educators, and lactation consultants.
  • Use social media and the web to connect with pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, and parenting groups that you feel comfortable with.
  • Ask for remote or virtual help from doulas, family, and friends who you trust.

If you’d like a doula as part of your labor support team, these resources can help you find one:

 

Learn More About Your Hospital

Some hospitals do more Cesarean deliveries than others.

 

Do you know what one of the biggest risk factors is for having a Cesarean delivery that you don’t need? It’s the hospital and healthcare providers you use. One out of every two Cesarean deliveries could be avoided. Click on the links at the bottom of this page to learn about the Cesarean delivery rate at your hospital.

No matter which hospital you’ll deliver at, talk to your doctor, nurse, or midwife at your pre-natal appointments. Let them know that you only want a Cesarean delivery if it’s absolutely needed.

An additional risk factor for having a Cesarean delivery is bias and racism. Black women have higher Cesarean delivery rates than white women. This difference cannot be explained by age, income, educational level, or health insurance status. Research shows that bias and racism -- not race -- are important reasons for the differences in maternity care and birth outcomes for Black women/birthing people and their babies.

Before you go into labor, make sure the people who will be with you in the hospital know that you only want a Cesarean delivery if it’s absolutely needed. Also make sure that they understand when a Cesarean delivery is actually the best delivery option for you. Consider having extra support or advocacy help with you while you’re in the hospital. This could mean bringing a doula or a trusted friend or family member with you. It’s your birth.

What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Birth will tell you more about the risks and benefits of Cesarean deliveries and vaginal births. The more you know, the better you can advocate for yourself and your baby.

You can also learn more below about the hospitals where you live, including how often they perform Cesarean deliveries.

Live in California? Use these links to see how your hospital’s Cesarean delivery rates compare to other hospitals:

Live outside of California? Check here to see how your hospital’s Cesarean delivery rates compare to others in your area. (Sort by “maternity care.”)

 

Tips for a Healthy Birth

There are 5 important steps you can take to prepare for a healthy labor and delivery, and reduce your risk of a C-section:

Want to learn more? OB/GYNs recommend these ways to have a safe, natural labor and delivery if your pregnancy is low risk. And, Childbirth Connection and the National Partnership for Women and Families recommend this for a pathway to a healthy birth.

Already know what you want your labor to be like? If so, fill out your birth plan and, share it with your OB/GYN or nurse midwife. Make sure to talk to your OB/GYN or nurse midwife about your birth plan at your pre-natal appointments instead of at the very last minute.

Do you need to schedule a Cesarean delivery for medical reasons? These are some tips to help you get ready for it and recover from it.

 

Web Resources

Have more questions? Check out these sites for more information from experts:

More Information:

 Tools:

Patient Experience Video: 

  

Funding Acknowledgement

My Birth Matters was created by the California Health Care Foundation in partnership with CMQCC.