Recognizing Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request as a Social Problem

Abstract

Nearly one in three babies in the United States are now born surgically. While many causes for this surge in cesareans have been suggested, the phenomenon of cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) has been the subject of the most controversy. Utilizing Hilgartner and Bosk’s public arenas model, this article examines the ways in which CDMR has been framed and a collective definition of the problem established. Recognizing CDMR as a social problem is the first step to creating policies to ensure that the health and safety of mothers and babies are protected.

Keywords

cesarean delivery on maternal request elective cesarean policy maternal health perinatal health

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allen

V. M.

O’Connell

C. M.

Baskett

T. F.

(2006). Cumulative economic implications of initial method of delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 108(3), 549-555. doi: 108/3/549[pii]10.1097/01.AOG.0000228511.42529.a5108/3/549[pii]10.1097/01.AOG.0000228511.42529.a5

American College of Nurse-Midwives. (2006). Collaborative Agreement between physicians and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) position statement. Silver Spring, MD: Author.

American College of Nurse-Midwives. (2008). A summary of research on midwifery practice in the United Sates. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved July 5, 2011, from http://www.midwife.org/ACNM/files/ccLibraryFiles/Filename/000000000045/nurse_midwifery_in_2008.pdf

American College of Nurse-Midwives. (2010). Essential facts about midwives. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://www.midwife.org/Essential-Facts-about-Midwives

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2005). Cesarean birth. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved November 11, 2010, from http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp006.cfm

ACOG Committee on Ethics. (2008). Surgery and patient choice. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 395. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 111, 243-247.

ACOG Committee on Obstetric Practice. (2007). ACOG Committee Opinion No. 394, December 2007. Cesarean delivery on maternal request. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 110(6), 1501-1504. doi: 110/6/1501[pii]10.1097/01.AOG.0000291577.01569.4c110/6/1501[pii]10.1097/01.AOG.0000291577.01569.4c

Bergeron

(2007). The ethics of cesarean section on maternal request: A feminist critique of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ position on patient-choice surgery. Bioethics, 21(9), 478-487.

Boley

J. P.

(1991). The history of caesarean section. 1935. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 145(4), 319-322.

10.

Burns

L. R.

Geller

S. E.

Wholey

D. R.

(1995). The effect of physician factors on the cesarean section decision. Medical Care, 33(4), 365-382.

11.

Defrances

C. J.

Lucas

C. A.

Buie

V. C.

Golosinkskiy

(2008) National Center for Health Statistics. 2006 National Hospital Discharge Survey (National Health Statistics Report, Vol. 5). Hyattsville, MD.

12.

Ecker

J. L.

(2004). Once a pregnancy, always a cesarean? Rationale and feasibility of a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 190(2), 314-318. doi: S000293780300869X[pii]S000293780300869X[pii]

13.

Feinmann

(2002). How to limit caesareans on demand—too NICE to push? Lancet, 359(9308), 774. doi: S0140-6736(02)07918-7[pii]10.1016/S0140-6736(02)07918-7S0140-6736(02)07918-7[pii]10.1016/S0140-6736(02)07918-7

14.

Galyean

A. M.

Lagrew

D. C.

Bush

M. C.

Kurtzman

J. T.

(2009). Previous cesarean section and the risk of postpartum maternal complications and adverse neonatal outcomes in future pregnancies. Journal of Perinatology, 29(11), 726-730. doi: jp2009108[pii] 10.1038/jp.2009.108jp2009108[pii] 10.1038/jp.2009.108

15.

Guise

J.-M.

Eden

Emeis

Denman

M. A.

Marshall

. . . McDonagh

(2010). Vaginal birth after cesarean: New insights (Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Vol. 191). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16.

Hangsleben

K. L.

Taylor

M. A.

Lynn

N. M.

(1989). VBAC program in a nurse-midwifery service. Five years of experience. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 34(4), 179-184.

17.

Hatem

Sandall

Devane

Soltani

Gates

(2008). Midwife-led versus other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews(4).

18.

Hilgartner

Bosk

C. L.

(1988). The rise and fall of social problems: A public arenas model. American Journal of Sociology, 94(1), 53-78.

19.

Joseph

K. S.

Young

D. C.

Dodds

O’Connell

C. M.

Allen

V. M.

Chandra

Allen

A. C.

(2003). Changes in maternal characteristics and obstetric practice and recent increases in primary cesarean delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 102(4), 791-800. doi: S0029784403006203[pii]S0029784403006203[pii]

20.

Kolås

Saugstad

O. D.

Daltveit

A. K.

Nilsen

S. T.

Øian

(2006). Planned cesarean versus planned vaginal delivery at term: Comparison of newborn infant outcomes. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 195(6), 1538-1543.

21.

Lavender

Hofmeyr

G. J.

Neilson

J. P.

Kingdon

Gyte

G. M. L.

(2009). Caesarean section for non-medical reasons at term. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews(3).

22.

Lee

A. S. M.

Kirkman

(2008). Disciplinary discourses: Rates of cesarean section explained by medicine, midwifery, and feminism. Health Care for Women International, 29(5), 448-467.

23.

Low

(2009). Caesarean section—past and present. Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Canada, 31(12), 1131-1136.

24.

MacDorman

M. F.

Menacker

Declercq

(2008). Cesarean birth in the United States: epidemiology, trends, and outcomes. Clinics in Perinatology, 35(2), 293-307. doi: S0095-5108(08)00022-5[pii]10.1016/j.clp.2008.03.007S0095-5108(08)00022-5[pii]10.1016/j.clp.2008.03.007

25.

Martin

(2001, May 22). Caesarean celebrities who are “too posh to push.” The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2006/04/19/too_posh_to_push/index.html

26.

Martin

J. A.

Hamilton

B. E.

Sutton

P. D.

Ventura

S. J.

Mathews

T. J.

Kirmeyer

Osterman

M. J. K.

(2010). Births: Final data for 2007 (National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 58). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

27.

Michaluk

C. A.

(2009). Cesarean delivery by maternal request: What neonatal nurses need to know. Neonatal Network, 28(3), 145-150. doi: V456047M04W37578[pii]V456047M04W37578[pii]

28.

Munro

Kornelsen

Hutton

(2009). Decision making in patient-initiated elective cesarean delivery: The influence of birth stories. J Midwifery Women’s Health, 54(5), 373-379. doi: S1526-9523(08)00497-2[pii]10.1016/j.jmwh.2008.12.014S1526-9523(08)00497-2[pii]10.1016/j.jmwh.2008.12.014

29.

National Center for Health Statistics. (1996). Supplements to the monthly vital statistics report (Vital and Health Statistics, Vol. 24). Hyattsville, MD: Author.

30.

National Institutes of Health. (2006). Cesarean delivery on maternal request. Paper presented at the NIH State-of-the-Science Conference, Bethesda, MD. Retrieved from http://www.nih.gov

31.

Nilstun

Habiba

Lingman

Saracci

Da Fre

Cuttini

(2008). Cesarean delivery on maternal request: Can the ethical problem be solved by the principlist approach? BMC Medical Ethics, 9, 11. doi: 1472-6939-9-11[pii] 10.1186/1472-6939-9-111472-6939-9-11[pii] 10.1186/1472-6939-9-11

32.

Rosenblatt

R. A.

Dobie

S. A.

Hart

L. G.

Schneeweiss

Gould

Raine

T. R.

. . . Perrin

E. B.

(1997). Interspecialty differences in the obstetric care of low-risk women. American Journal of Public Health, 87(3), 344-351.

33.

Russo

C. A.

Wier

Steiner

(2009). Hospitalizations related to childbirth, 2006 (HCUP Statistical Brief #71). Rockville, MD: U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

34.

Sewell

J. E.

(1993). Cesarean section—a brief history. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine.

35.

Silver

R. M.

(2010). Delivery after previous cesarean: Long-term maternal outcomes. Seminars in Perinatology, 34(4), 258-266. doi: S0146-0005(10)00030-3[pii]10.1053/j.semperi.2010.03.006S0146-0005(10)00030-3[pii]10.1053/j.semperi.2010.03.006

36.

Spetz

Smith

M. W.

Ennis

S. F.

(2001). Physician incentives and the timing of cesarean sections: Evidence from California. Medical Care, 39(6), 536-550.

37.

Viswanathan

Visco

A. G.

Hartmann

Wechter

M. E.

Gartlehner

J. M.

. . . Lohr

K. N.

(2006). Cesarean delivery on maternal request (Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 133). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

38.

Zhang

Troendle

Reddy

U. M.

Laughon

S. K.

Branch

D. W.

Burkman

. . . van Veldhuisen

(2010). Contemporary cesarean delivery practice in the United States. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 203(4), 321-326. doi: S0002-9378(10)00838-0[pii]10.1016/j.ajog.2010.06.058S0002-9378(10)00838-0[pii]10.1016/j.ajog.2010.06.058