Lamaze International has long been a leader in providing resources for both parents and birth professionals that promote safe and healthy birth for women and babies. Evidence based information, appealing handouts, useful webinars for both parents and professionals, continuing education opportunities and more can all be found within the Lamaze International structure. In May, 2012, Lamaze International released (and later went on to be a co-winner for the 2013 Nonprofit PR Award for Digital PR and Marketing) the Push For Your Baby campaign, which encouraged families to 'push for better' and 'spot the best care,' providing resources to help parents wade through the overabundance of often inaccurate information swimming past them, and make choices that support a healthy pregnancy, a healthy birth and a healthy mother and baby.

Today, as I make my way to New Orleans, to join other professionals at the 2013 Annual Lamaze International Conference, 'Let the Good Times Roll for Safe and Healthy Birth,' Lamaze International is pleased to announce the release of a useful and appealing infographic titled 'What's the Deal with Cesareans?' In the USA today, 1 in 3 mothers will give birth by cesarean section. While, many cesareans are necessary, others are often a result of interventions performed at the end of pregnancy or during labor for no medical reason. For many families, easy to understand, accurate information is hard to find and they feel pressure to follow their health care provider's suggestions, even if it is not evidence based or following best practice guidelines.

Families taking Lamaze classes are learning about the Six Healthy Birth Practices, which can help them to avoid unnecessary interventions. Now, Lamaze childbirth educators and others can share (and post in their classrooms) this attractive infographic that highlights the situation of too many unneeded cesareans in our country. Parents and educators alike can easily see what the risks of cesarean surgery to mother and baby are, and learn how to reduce the likelihood of having a cesarean in the absence of medical need.

In this infographic, women are encouraged to take Lamaze childbirth classes, work with a doula, select a provider with a low rate of cesarean births, advocate for vaginal birth after cesarean and follow the Six Healthy Care Practices, to set themselves up for the best birth possible. This infographic clearly states the problem of unneeded cesareans, the risks to mother and baby, and provides do-able actions steps.

It is time for women to become the best advocate possible for their birth and their baby. With this appealing, useful and informative infographic poster, families can and will make better choices and know to seek out additional information and resources.

Educators and other birth professionals, you can find a high resolution infographic to download and print here.

Send your families to the Lamaze International site for parents, to find the infographic and other useful information on cesarean surgery.

For Lamaze members, log in to our professional site to access this infographic and a whole slew of other useful classroom activities, handouts and information sheets.

I am proud to say that I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, and that my organization, Lamaze International, is leading the way in advocating for healthier births for mothers and babies through sources such as the 'What's the Deal with Cesareans?' infographic and other evidence based information and resources. Thank you Lamaze!

What do you think of this infographic? How are you going to use it with the families you work with? Can you think of how you might incorporate this into your childbirth classes or discuss with clients and patients? Let us know in the comments section, we would love your feedback! And, see you at the conference!

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