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).
Why Does it matter?
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 2022, cesareans occurred in nearly 1 in 3 births. That’s more than 1.1 million cesarean deliveries in the US every year. The risk for developing PAS in a future pregnancy increases with each c-section.
Ways to spread awareness:
Use these campaign materials to celebrate Cesarean Awareness Month with your family and friends, your hospital and within your community. Download the social media toolkit full of images and scripts to help you post them to your social media accounts with a call to action. Watch the Accreta Expert Series with Dr. Shah and find out why cesareans are on the rise in the US. Donate & fundraise by startinga fundraiser or visiting our gear store and choosing gear that starts a conversation. You can even pitch your story to a local paper and get the word out with our template!
Key Messages
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 2022 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.
Public health expert Dr. Neel Shah in honor of cesarean awareness month:
A history of prior C-Section is the most common risk factor for developing the pregnancy complication Placenta Accreta Spectrum (PAS). In honor of Cesarean Awareness Month, Obstetrician Dr. Neel Shah, MD joined NAF for a special live presentation on how cesareans have become the most common surgery in the United States, how this has affected rates of placenta accreta and what we can do about it.
Viewers joined via our Facebook and YouTube channels to watch the live presentation where they were able to participate by posting their own questions and comments real time throughout the live stream event.
Donate & Fundraise for National Accreta Foundation
Another way to help the cause is to raise funds for National Accreta Foundation to continue our efforts to increase awareness of cesarean overuse and downstream risks like placenta accreta. Host a fundraiser in honor of Cesarean Awareness Month to help bring attention to improving maternal health.
PITCH YOUR OWN STORY!
Get your local paper and favorite media sources involved. Use our template Letter to the Editor to share Cesarean awareness in the news sources you care about. When your story is posted let us know so we can feature it too!
Show your accreta pride
Increase awareness with what you wear! These gear items do more than just cloth you, they start conversations!
THANK YOU for your help to make this the best cesarean awareness month ever.
We couldn’t do it without you
National Accreta Foundation is an entirely volunteer staffed and donation funded 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to placenta accreta advocacy. If you find our content of value, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us continue this work.