Modern medicine has solved some problems, but created others. In past centuries, death in childbirth was an ever-present danger. Today, with better monitoring equipment, the risks are lessened. But a new problem has emerged. It may be that C-sections are now sometimes done too early. This, in turn, can lead to the type of birth injuries associated with premature births.
South Carolina birth injury attorneys and other professionals in the field are paying close attention to the emerging research on this issue.
Frequency of C-Sections
The Cesarean section rate in 2010 declined from the prior year, from 32.9 percent to 32.8 percent, for the first time in ten years. The preterm birth rate dropped to 12 percent and is down for the fourth year in a row.
Some suggest there may be a link between the C-section rate and the preterm births. The C-section rate was five percent in 1970 and rose dramatically over the next 40 years. The reasons for the increase include:
- The ability to monitor the fetus
- Fewer natural births after a prior c-section
- Convenience of planning the delivery
Convenience of the C-Section
The obstetrician and the patient may see certain benefits to the C-section. The ability to plan the delivery is very convenient for the health professional. The patient also knows exactly when the procedure will occur and avoids the hours of labor and delivery. Scheduled C-sections are very fast and easily scheduled around other possible conflicts.
C-sections eventually came to be scheduled earlier and earlier in the gestation period. Sometimes they were even scheduled before 37 weeks, which leads to preterm births. Early C-sections that lead to preterm births pose risks to the mother and to the child.
Risks to the Child
Late preterm births in the 34-36 week period increase the chances of complications to the newborn dramatically. The studies suggest that even C-sections in weeks 37 and 38 could be avoided by waiting a couple of extra weeks.
The risk of infant fatalities and serious breathing problems decrease significantly every week leading up to the 39-week gestation. Waiting until week 39 does pose the risk of the woman entering labor naturally, and many patients seek to avoid this natural process and schedule the C-section earlier.
Public Health Reaction
Many public health officials have enforced policies against optional deliveries before 39 weeks after seeing much of the data. Complications decreased significantly when clinicians enforced a similar policy in Utah, according to an Intermountain Healthcare study.
When women avoid a C-section for their first baby, they are better able to avoid the continued use of the procedure in pregnancies that follow. A policy that encourages waiting until 39 weeks for elective deliveries has decreased births at 37 weeks and reduced some of the hazards of preterm births.
