Caesarean section rates: Consider this when deciding where to take your baby

Caesarean section rates: Consider this when deciding where to take your baby - There have been criticisms that the caesarean rate is very high because the highest rates are not translated into improved maternal and child health for many years. 

Many moms feel strongly to have a natural vaginal birth and want to do everything possible to avoid a C-section. But for some, a cesarean section may seem a good choice for a variety of reasons. And for others, a cesarean section may be essential to protect the health - or life - mom and baby. 

In some parts of the world where caesarean sections are not readily available, complications of vaginal delivery often lead to serious consequences, including loss of life for the mother and baby. However, the rapid access to caesarean sections has its own problems.

Especially, cesarean section is a safe procedure. But it has higher risks than vaginal delivery, including the rate is three times higher infection, bleeding and organ damage. It also has a longer recovery period.

So how many cesareans are is a number deserve attention.

Find the optimal cesarean rate 

Consequently, there is a sweet spot - a certain "type" of caesarean sections necessary to prevent the terrible suffering and consequences that can occur when a baby can not move or the birth canal, or when there is an emergency requiring immediate delivery. 

Recently, a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the School of Medicine at Stanford University found that the ideal rate of cesarean section appears to be about 19% of all births. This number is higher than previous guidelines have recommended, but lower than the rate in most US hospitals - which can be as high as 70%. 

How do researchers get this number? Caesarean rates of 194 countries analyzed and compared with the rates of maternal and infant mortality. Their analysis suggests that babies and mothers is not better wear when caesarean section rates are above 19%. The Caesarean section rate below 19% were associated with more complications related to childbirth and the poorest results.

This research also suggests that some of the reasons often cited for the high rate of caesarean sections - the moms who are older or obese, or who have had multiple births earlier, with the fear of being sued doctors - can not be only one small part of the bigger picture. In particular, these examples do not account for why some doctors and hospitals are simply more (or less) cesarean than others. 

Dr. Neel Shah is one of the co-authors of the study and an obstetrician in my department at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Shah has discovered some previously unknown that help explain the variation in the factors cesarean rates.

For example, his research suggests that time pressure in some hospitals may lead to more caesarean sections compared, vaginal delivery may take a long time and staff resources. Provide the clinical team with access to better information and technology can help to make better decisions based on the volume of patients, staff and global resources to support safe care.

What this means for parents

If you are a healthy woman and have a low risk pregnancy, the hospital plans to use can determine the likelihood that you're going to have a caesarean section more than any other factor. So find out the caesarean section rate in the hospital where she will give birth. Talk to your doctor about this also. If you are early in your pregnancy, you can opt to choose your doctor on the basis that he or she exercises.

Finally, it is important to remember that there are times when a cesarean is the only sure way to give birth. When this happens, the woman may feel a sense of loss of the birth experience she had hoped for. But do your homework about the quality of care can help ensure that your delivery has been determined for the right reasons.
By: Hope Ricciotti, MD.