Cesarean Rate Edges Slightly Downward Again

In the just released 2013 Preliminary birth data, the cesarean rate fell slightly from 32.8% of all birth to 32.7% of all births. There was also a drop in the rate of preterm birth for the seventh straight year. The number of births to older mothers increased, but there was a decline in births to women in their 20s. About 44% of births are to unmarried women, also slightly down.

So what does this mean for the average pregnant woman? Not much in terms of everyday life. I think it's important to look at the statistics to get an idea of the trends in pregnancy and birth. It helps you guide your questions and educate yourself. What do you do with the data?

If you want to see the rates broken down by state - head on over to the The Unnecesarean.

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from About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth http://ift.tt/1lTSDBY

Take a Hospital Tour Early in Pregnancy

Many moms choose a hospital based on what is close to their house, or what they see on television, or even what a neighbor says about her birth. Giving birth isn't like buying a camera. You may have needs that you don't even know about, particularly early in pregnancy. You can't leave this important decision up to polished bits of information in the media or from people who may have different needs then you have. You actually have to go and look yourself.

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from About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth http://ift.tt/1oEF9hf

Couple who lost a twin after mistakes by obstetrician still search for answers

Vicki and Owen Page's son Harry died less than 24 hours after difficult delivery for him and brother Olly at hospital in Oxford

Vicki and Owen Page were happy beyond words when they became parents. Married for five years, and feeling financially stable and settled in their careers, they had been keen to deepen their bond by having children. "We were happy with our lives and felt that having a baby would be the cherry on top of the cake," recalls Vicki.

In the end they got two babies, not one. At 11 minutes past one in the morning on 15 December 2012, Vicki gave birth to one boy and then, 13 minutes later, to another twin brothers whom the Pages named Olly and Harry. Neither delivery was straightforward. The medical staff at John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford needed forceps to get Olly out, while Harry's arrival in the world involved what his mother remembers as "a lot of pulling and tugging" and uncertainty about what was going on. She assumed that this was due to him being in the breech position the wrong way up as he had been for weeks.

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from Pregnancy | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1nMLBRX

Memorial Day Advice in Pregnancy

This weekend is a huge travel weekend. It is also a big weekend for pools opening, trips to the beach, and yes, tons of picnics. That said, there are special considerations that you will want to think about if you are pregnant.

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from About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth http://ift.tt/1opA2l6

You can't just cut open pregnant women because you disagree with their choices | Jessica Valenti

The same thinking behind 'personhood' arguments is being used to force pregnant women to have surgery against their will

Having a doctor perform surgery on you without permission literally cutting into you while you protest is the stuff of which horror movies are made. Yet that's just what happened to 35-year-old Rinat Dray when a doctor at Staten Island University Hospital performed a C-section on the Brooklyn mother, against her will and verbal protests.

Her right to bodily integrity and freedom was taken away with a swipe of a pen the director of maternal and fetal medicine, Dr James J Ducey, wrote in Dray's medical records, "I have decided to override her refusal to have a C-section." Dray is suing the hospital and doctors for malpractice.

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from Pregnancy | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1jK2iPL