LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Jodine Chase <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 4 Jun 2002 12:58:49 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (60 lines)
> From: Donna Hansen <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Well, this isn't strictly breastfeeding related but it's certainly an
> eye opener on birth  <snip>

The feature was a special section which my husband had already set aside for
my reading pleasure at our morning newspaper/coffee fest. "I knew you'd want
to read this," he said.

There was also table that detailed stats on various procedures from across
the country, and I've already emailed to reporter to find out why they
didn't consider including breastfeeding initiation stats...

The article that describes the statistical tables is here:

http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20020603/430138.htm
l&qs=Iqaluit's%20

I want to draw your attention to the c-section and episiotomy stats at the
Iqaluit Baffin Regional hospital:

> About 19% of all births in Canada are by Caesarean section, but rates vary
> between different communities. About 16% of women at Winnipeg's Victoria
> General Hospital have a C-section birth, compared to closer to 30% at some of
> the Vancouver hospitals. Only 8% of women who give birth at Iqaluit's Baffin
> Regional Hospital have a Caesarean, a startling statistic due primarily to the
> fact that mothers in the region are considerably younger than in the rest of
> the region.
>
<Snip>
> The [episiomoty] procedure, which used to be routine, particularly for
> first-time mothers,
> is now practised at a rate that varies widely depending on the hospital, the
> practitioner, and even the province. For Canada as a whole, the rate is 13%.
> Across the country, it ranges from about 12% at Vancouver's St. Paul's
> Hospital to 61% at St. John Regional Hospital. In Iqaluit, the episiotomy rate
> is only 2%.
>
I have asked the reporter to tell me where she got the info that the low
intervention stats at the Iqaluit hospital are due to the age of the
mothers. It may be that high-risk moms are flown out of the region as was
the practice back in the days when I worked for the federal health
department.

At any rate, it is too bad this reporter chose to not include bf initiation
as part of this research. Perhaps this National Post special feature will
become an annual standard, similar to the MacLean's Magazine annual
university survey. The latter, of course, generates significant public
relations efforts on the part of universities - the ones who are ranked high
publicize that fact, and the ones who don't fare so well have been known to
launch counter-campaigns criticizing MacLean's methodology.

-- Jodine Chase

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2