What makes the obstetrics experience at River City OB/GYN different?
Dr. Christopher Paoloni believes the best way to reduce the overall cesarean section rate is to reduce the number of medically unnecessary cesarean births among first-time pregnant patients with low-risk pregnancies. This means that the patient has a single, full-term baby in the head-down position. The cesarean birth rate in this population is called the NTSV cesarean birth rate.
What does NTSV stand for?
N= Nulliparous, or first-time moms
T= Term pregnancy (>37weeks gestation)
S= Singleton (not twins, triplets or more)
V= Vertex, meaning the baby is head-down
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for 2018 (released May 15, 2019) shows that in the United States 25.9% of the NTSV (“low-risk”) population had cesarean births. The CDC created a target NTSV cesarean birth rate for 2019 of 23.8%. River City OB/GYN opened in September 2018 and many of the initial obstetrics patients were already pregnant patients who transferred to us from other practices where they had established care. However, those who initiated new obstetrical care with River City OB/GYN began to deliver in May 2019. In the twelve months that have followed the River City OB/GYN NTSV cesarean birth rate has been 8.3%. This means that 91.7% of our NTSV moms successfully have had vaginal deliveries. We are very proud of these statistics!
Some of the reasons for this success include:
- Early establishment of care with accurate ultrasound dating of a pregnancy.
- Promoting that pregnancy is a natural state of being.
- Counseling throughout pregnancy, stressing health and diet in order to minimize maternal weight gain and reduce the risk of common comorbidities, including gestational hypertension, diabetes, and fetal macrosomia. Investing the patient in these changes in order to improve their long-term health beyond the pregnancy is also a priority.
- All of your OB visits are with your physician so that issues and concerns are addressed and plans of care created that invest both the patient and the physician in their success.
- Appropriate, but not formulaic, use of consultation with maternal-fetal medicine physicians and other specialists.
- Commitment of your obstetrician to attend your labor and delivery.
- Setting the expectation that, assuming good health, spontaneous labor is ideal with your first pregnancy and we will patiently wait a safe amount of time past your due date for it to occur before we induce labor.
- Labor induction for non-medical reasons should only take place after 39 completed weeks of pregnancy on a well-counseled patient who has a cervical exam consistent with successful vaginal birth.
- Understanding by both the obstetrician and the patient that the labor process is not always adherent to time constraints and labor curves.
- Medical interventions in labor are for the purpose of facilitating vaginal deliveries.
- Anticipating success and enjoying the birthing process.
If you are having your first baby or you are already a parent and are expanding your family, consider River City OB/GYN and Dr. Christopher Paoloni for pregnancy care. Schedule an appointment with us by visiting us online. We can’t wait to see you!
