ICAN of New Jersey

09/02/2025

The majority of US counties do not offer support for planned labor after cesarean.
What’s the situation in NJ? Per the state of NJ’s own data, four NJ hospitals had ZERO VBACs in 2023 (and prior years), and five more had fewer than 1% of all births happen via VBAC.
Help us hold NJ hospitals accountable and compile data on the availability of evidence-based care in our state - reach out via DM if you’d like to help us with our VBAC Ban Database!

08/25/2025

Why do U.S. obstetricians intervene with surgery far more often than those in France, Sweden, or Finland? Why did the U.S. cesarean rate explode 500% in 50 years? And why can simply driving 15 minutes to a higher-quality hospital affect your odds of major surgery as a first-time birthing person? Recent reporting from Business Insider examines these questions.

The hospital you choose can affect how likely you are to get a C-section — and experts say profit is one reason.

08/22/2025

Since the 1980s, ICAN has been holding space for women with cesarean scars - advocating for better care, supporting birthing people, and educating.
Help our international leadership team examine our work and chart a path forward. Join the new advisory committee if you feel called!

ICAN is creating an Advisory Committee and is seeking volunteers to help us shape its focus and scope. This is a unique opportunity to contribute from the ground up as we build a team dedicated to enhancing our organization's practices and better serving our diverse community.

As a member of this committee, you'll engage in an ongoing examination of ICAN’s internal and external practices.

If you are passionate about helping ICAN become a more inclusive and equitable organization, we encourage you to volunteer and help us make a meaningful difference.

Comment below for more information!

08/20/2025

The cesarean rate has grown 500% in the past 50 years in the United States. New Jersey has historically been among the worse-performing states in the country when it comes to this metric. You can see a comparison here, beginning in 1990. https://www-doh.nj.gov/doh-shad/indicator/view/BirthMOD.USNJ.html
It is good to know that these trends are reversing in our state. We share this, not to shame birthing people (since we have all had cesareans here at ICAN!) but to recognize this important step towards a safe, high-quality, and evidence-based maternity care system.

Dr. Slawa Rokicki, assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at , spoke with NJ Spotlight News about findings f...

08/17/2025

We are a proud chapter doing what we can to advance the mission of the organization, helping as many birthing people and babies as we can. Now is a great time to make sure a friend knows about this work!

ICAN's mission is to improve maternal-child health by reducing preventable cesareans through education, supporting cesarean recovery, and advocating for vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). We are a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers. Visit www.ican-online.org

08/12/2025

Please join us for our monthly meeting at 8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, 8/12) online! We will focus on setting our intentions for our next season tonight. ICAN of New Jersey has invited you to join a video meeting on Google Meet.

Join the meeting: https://meet.google.com/tji-yzwp-ibd

08/10/2025

Invite your friends for our Tuesday meeting, 8 p.m. on 8/12! The more the merrier as we make a difference for each other and birthing people throughout NJ.

08/08/2025

How we plan for and process our births impacts us and our families. Join a welcoming group of birthers to discuss how we heal ourselves and the birth climate in our state. 8 p.m. on Tuesday (8/12). https://meet.google.com/tji-yzwp-ibd

08/07/2025

Please mark your calendar for our Tuesday, August 12 meeting at 8 p.m.! Join us to change the world one birth story at a time. https://meet.google.com/tji-yzwp-ibd

07/29/2025

Please join us for our monthly meeting at 8 p.m. tonight online! We will focus on advocacy tonight. ICAN of New Jersey has invited you to join a video meeting on Google Meet.

Join the meeting: https://meet.google.com/tji-yzwp-ibd

07/23/2025

Please mark your calendar for 8 p.m. on July 29 for our next online ICAN Meeting with a focus on advocacy.