Sept. 29, 2007
Roanoke, VA
(details)

Cesarean Awareness Month

ICAN supporters around the world observe April as Cesarean Awareness Month by wearing burgundy ribbons pinned upside down.
The burgundy color symbolizes birth.
The pinning of the ribbon upside down symbolizes the state of distress many pregnant women find themselves in when their right to choose the method of birth for their child is dismissed.
The loop of the inverted ribbon represents a pregnant belly with the tails of the ribbon denoting arms outstretched in a cry for help.

Welcome to ICAN of Southwest Virginia.

The International Cesarean Awareness Network, Inc. (ICAN) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).

The cesarean rate in Virginia in 2005 was 31.4% . . . nearly 1 in 3 women giving birth in VA have a cesarean! This is far above the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 10-15% cesarean rate.

SW VA Chapter volunteers work to further ICAN's mission locally.
We hold free meetings on the 2nd Thursday of each month.
Testimonials: Please share how ICAN of Southwest Virginia has been helpful to you.
Email us at info@icanofswva.org and we'll add it to the site.
ICAN is not anti-cesarean. There are times when a cesarean is a life saving necessity. Unfortunately, in the U.S. many cesareans are done for reasons other than the health of mom and baby. Cesareans carry very significant risks and ICAN is dedicated to informing women of these risks.

Know the Cesarean Rates!!

Local (SW VA) Hospital Rates

National Rates

The Center for Disease Control has reported the following national statistics:

The Cesarean Rate for 2005 is 30.2%, which is a rise of 4% since 2004
The Rate is up from 27.6% in 2003
US Cesareans have risen 46% since 1996 (from 20.7%)
VBAC Rate fell to 9.2%
Since 1996, the VBAC rate in the US has plummeted 67%

CDC Preliminary Report for 2005

Read ICAN's recent Press Release:
"Research Shows Rising Cesearean Rate Bad for Mothers and Babies"

Excerpts from recent literature:

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (December 2006) 195, 1538–43

Planned cesarean versus planned vaginal delivery at term:
Comparison of newborn infant outcomes

"Devendra and Arulkumaran²⁵ report that, despite dramatic improvements in the safety of anesthesia and surgery, mortality and morbidity rates for both mother and child are greater for elective cesarean deliveries compared with vaginal deliveries."

"The incidence of perinatal death probably will not be reduced by a policy of universal elective cesarean delivery, because this procedure carries a risk of iatrogenic neonatal morbidity and death. The legal and ethical issues of request cesarean deliveries are complex, and the validity of informed consent for nonindicated surgery is unclear.^1,2,25"

"For the child, the stress of vaginal delivery seems superior to elective cesarean delivery in many situations. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of limiting planned cesarean deliveries to cases with proven benefit for the mother and/or child. When a planned cesarean delivery is chosen, the operation should be as close to term as possible."