Cesarean & Other Rates as of 2005 from CDC

According to the US Center for Disease Control, the following is the latest information about the latest birth-related rates.

The cesarean-delivery rate rose by 4% in 2005 to 30.2% of all births, another record high. The preterm birth rate continued to rise (to 12.7% in 2005), as did the rate for low birth weight births (8.2%). The infant mortality rate was 6.79 infant deaths per 1000 live births in 2004, not statistically different from the rate in 2003. Pronounced differences in infant mortality rates by race and Hispanic origin continue, with non-Hispanic black newborns more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic white and Hispanic infants to die within 1 year of birth.

Elective Cesareans

More and more professionals are speaking up about the elective cesarean. Why is there any controversy in the first place? Expectant mothers need to be educated that this is not just another way to give birth - it is major abdominal surgery, which had an original purpose to save lives, not make birth more convenient. Many of the arguements used for elective cesareans (scheduling, sexual dysfunction, fear of pain) are abandoned once expectant mothers read the facts.

There is no arguement that cesareans do save lives and there are times when cesareans are necessary. Cannot we show our children from the very beginning that we are concerned about their well-being by putting their health first? After all, isn't that part of what parenting is?

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Childbirth Today Blog is designed for maternity professionals to blog about the state of care today. Professionals can include nurses, doulas, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, pregnancy massage therapists - anyone who educates or informs or provides care to women and families during the childbearing year.