Group rallies for less C sections

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Several people rallied on the corner of Hillegas and W. Jefferson Boulevard in Fort Wayne Monday. It's a part of a national rally for fewer C-sections and more birth options with a twist on the "Labor" Day theme.

The group carrying picket signs were with the Improving Birth National Rally for Change . Leaders said people in 45 states rallied toward more options and information for expecting mothers, our sister station WANE reports.

"We want women to have more choices in birth. We want them to have vaginal birth after cesareans. We want fewer inductions. We want our cesarean rate as a nation to go down," said Lyndsey Gillespie, head coordinator with the Fort Wayne group. "We just want moms to have all their options available to them. A lot of times they aren't informed because the doctors aren't providing adequate information or the moms don't know that they have options."

Dr. David Pepple, a Fort Wayne family physician, has been delivering babies for 41 years and said he has definitely seen an increase in mothers being induced and C-sections. Pepple said this is partly because of better technology monitoring a baby's heart rate.

"We watch for decreases, big depressions, decelerations in the fetal heart rate that indicates that the baby is in real trouble," Pepple said. "When we see those things occur, we either know that mother needs to be induced for the safety of the baby or if those changes are severe, she may need an immediate C-section."

But Pepple explained, much of the increases have to do with the mothers' requests.

"Our general rule is that we will not do elective inductions until 39 weeks," Pepple said. "I won't go so far as to say there are too many women being induced. I think there are women being induced in the seven days ahead of 40 weeks… that the doctor is influenced by their requests and demands."

Pepple said in the 1970's about five to six percent of his deliveries were C-sections. 40 years later, that percentage has increased to between 15 and 17 percent of his deliveries.

Leaders with the Improving Birth National Rally for Change said they are not against C-sections or women being induced. They simply think expecting mothers need to be more informed before making that decision.