Cesarean Awareness Month
WHAT IS IT?
- April is Cesarean Awareness Month. Cesarean Awareness Month (CAM) focuses on all topics surrounding cesareans including: reducing preventable C-sections, the patient experience of cesarean delivery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).
- National Accreta Foundation participates in CAM because rising rates of cesareans are the primary cause of increased Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS) disorder. Decreasing unnecessary cesareans helps #preventaccreta.
- Cesarean birth can be life-saving for the fetus, the mother, or both. However, the rapid increase in cesarean birth rates without clear evidence of improved maternal or infant outcomes raises significant concern that cesarean delivery is overused.
- In 2020, cesareans occurred in nearly 1 in 3 births. That’s more than 1.1 million deliveries. The risk for developing PAS in a future pregnancy increases with each C-section.
- Use these campaign materials to celebrate Cesarean Awareness Month with your family and friends, your hospital and within your community. Join our special live-stream event on April 22, download the social media toolkit full of images below and post them to your social media accounts with a call to action.
IMPORTANCT FACTS TO KNOW…
- Cesareans can be life-saving and necessary procedures, but we do too many.
- Nearly 1 in 3 babies in the U.S. are delivered by cesarean. That’s more than 1.1 million babies born by cesarean in 2020 alone.
- Each cesarean increases the mother’s risk of developing Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS).
- Experts estimate as many as half of the cesareans performed in the U.S. could be safely avoided, which would decrease the amount of women who are at risk of developing Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS).
- Reducing non-medically necessary cesareans can lead to better outcomes for moms and babies.
- Cesarean birth can be life-saving for the fetus, the mother, or both – and most PAS survivors wouldn’t be here today without this life-saving surgery.
- Good news – Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) rates are increasing.