The Cesarean birth, more commonly known as the C-section, is obviously not a new procedure. Legend dates it back to the days of Julius Caesar, although in reality this procedure has been used for centuries and all over the world. The C-section was historically used when the mother of a child was dying, and it was a last resort attempt to save the child. In modern times, the C-section has become extremely common, and it’s even been used by choice in many births. As a result, the number of C-sections performed in the United States has jumped significantly in recent years.
The USA Today recently published an article that details what has been happening in terms of the prevalence of Cesarean births in the United States, and a link to the article can be found here. The reason for the article was to publicize the call made by two different medical societies to begin to bring down the number of C-section births that take place currently. The reason for these calls is that C-sections increase the dangers for mothers.
The following facts were provided regarding the current state of Cesarean births in the United States:
- The rate of C-section births has climbed by a factor of 60 percent in the United States over the past 15 years.
- As of now, one-third of all baby deliveries in the United States are done by way of C-section.
- 13 mothers giving birth via C-section lose their lives for every 100,000 procedures in the United States.
- That’s three times the mortality rate for mothers giving birth vaginally.
As a result of these findings, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have released new guidelines that urge mothers and doctors to allow for more patience during labor and to not be as quick to decide on a C-section as many have been in the past.
Another reason that these two groups are hoping to reduce the number of C-sections in the United States is because the standards for defining a stalled labor are decades old, and new information has since provided a more accurate idea of what risks are involved at certain stages of delivery. Basically, the groups are intimating that impatience is leading to too many bad decisions regarding C-sections and that mothers are being put in unnecessary positions of risk in some of these instances.
Deciding whether or not to perform a C-section delivery is a decision that many times has to be made quickly, and it’s up to the medical professionals who are overseeing these births to recommend the proper course of action. If mistakes are made, things can and sometimes do go terribly wrong. If this has happened to your family, you need to stand up for your legal rights. You can do so by contacting the New York medical malpractice lawyers at the Fitzgerald Law Firm, P.C. today to schedule a free initial consultation.