MCMH should brag more about low c-section rates

Montgomery County Memorial Hospital has an image problem.

Not the entire hospital mind you, just one very important part: the obstetrician department.

When my wife and I first moved to Red Oak with a newborn in tow, casual social conversations quickly included questions about if we planned on having another child.

When we responded affirmatively, a follow-up comment was one about the local hospital having an abnormally high c-section rate.

As parents who were well educated on the benefits of natural versus cesarean deliveries, my wife and I were both concerned by these numerous, consistent reports.

Seemingly everyone we talked to all said the same thing: if you want to have the baby naturally, you have to drive to Omaha.

Having to drive an hour with my wife in labor didn’t sound very appealing, but if that is what it would take, then so be it.

So after the Robert Johnson Foundation came out with their county health rankings and I decided to focus this edition on local health related issues, I decided one of those stories would focus directly on the cesarean section rate, and why it was so high.

What I learned though, was that high cesarean rate wasn’t high at all. In fact, it was really low compared to the state and national averages.

An immediate question that comes to mind is why the rampant misconception of MCMH’s delivery rates.

More than one person explained to me that the low c-section rate wasn’t always the case, and that about 20-25 years ago, MCMH’s rate was much, much higher.

However, the doctors have changed, and with the new faces came all new approaches, practices and philosophies, and accordingly, all new rates.

But what didn’t change was the perception. And let’s face it … perception is reality, especially in the mind of the consumer.

Consumer. That’s an important word to remember in this discussion, because that’s exactly what parents are.

Generally speaking, hospital staffs love delivering babies. It’s something fun, and is positive publicity for the hospital. In fact, it may be the only time you are happy about going to a hospital.

So needless to say, hospitals like that kind of business, and actively recruit it.

Because of that, I would expect Montgomery County Hospital to be more vocal about their cesarean rates, and the fact that mothers are about twice as likely to deliver naturally there, compared to the state and national averages.

Considering natural births are better for the mother and infant, in most cases, those are numbers to be proud of. And most importantly, those are numbers parents need to be aware of when they are deciding where to have their next child.

MCMH’s staff OB/GYN Dr. Robert Johnson said that low cesarean rate might be the best kept secret at the hospital. It’s time for that to change.

Gregory Orear is the General Manager/Editor of the Red Oak Express, and can be contacted at publisher@redoakexpress.com