C-Section Births Reach an All-Time High in the U.S.: Why?

The U.S. has now seen a drastic hike in the amount of c-section births that are being performed in the U.S. with many puzzled over why there has been such a sudden increase. The c-section rate has gone up a disturbing 50% since 1996! While almost all agree that c-sections births are sometimes a necessity to save the mother's life or the baby's life many people including researchers, are wondering if doctors are being too quick to give a c-section these days. Here is a look at a couple of reasons c-sections seem to be on the rise.

The most common reason c-section births have risen is due to the fact that many doctors are afraid of being sued for malpractice. While there is very little chance that a mother or baby will be hurt during a vaginal delivery for those who have had a normal pregnancy and where the baby is considered healthy doctors are still concerned over the fact that something would go wrong and they would be pulled in the middle of a nasty medical malpractice lawsuit. Doctors are afraid that unless they help a woman have a "perfect" birth process resulting in a "perfect" baby they will be sued. They are claiming that this pressure is influencing their decision to just go ahead perform a c-section instead of trying a vaginal delivery.

Another reason for a spike in c-section births that is not talked about often is that more patients are wanting to opt for a c-section rather than just see how a vaginal delivery goes for them. This could be for many reasons. Many claim they are afraid of the pain that comes with childbirth, they have heard family horror stories of women in their family being in labor for hours or days at a time or even some women just choosing a c-section merely for vanity reasons. It is rumored that many celebrities have chosen to have c-sections for vanity reasons although none will admit to it openly. While not all doctors will allow the patient to choose to have a c-section there are many who do. Patients seem to over-look the fact they are opting to have major surgery where things could go wrong and a longer recovery period. In addition to these factors they are also looking at a longer hospital stay and an increased chance of other delivery problems should they decide to have more children in the future.

In conclusion, while many doctors and patients think they are choosing the "easier" way by opting for a c-section birth many have to wonder if it is really the other way around and they are just making it harder for both the mother and the doctor in the end.