3 ms·

You are confusing induced labor with c-sections. Many natural births are scheduled and labor is medically induced...there are fewer babies born on weekends for

You are confusing induced labor with c-sections. Many natural births are scheduled and labor is medically induced...there are fewer babies born on weekends for this reason. Basically once you're within a week of the due date, doctor and mom have wide discretion to induce labor and begin the natural birth.

Mz 10y ago
I don't think so: We know that the risks of C-sections are greater than risks of vaginal birth, at least with your first pregnancy. So why are women opting for C-sections, even for their first birth? Some theorize that the combination of improved C-section safety, along with increased maternal age, has lead to women being able to control when and how they are going to give birth. This type of control is attractive to women who are balancing family and career -- they can perfectly plan maternity leave, right down to the date of the last conference call. Another popular theory is that some women, fearing the pain of vaginal delivery and wanting to avoid urinary incontinence, jump at the chance to give birth via C-section. http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/labor-delivery/c-section4.htm http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/preg... I do know of cases where women are genuinely terrified of giving birth, as the GP suggests, and will opt for a C-section for that reason. But I think a more common reason is that women increasingly have careers. I had both my children vaginally. I was a full-time wife and mom for many years. Two career couples have a much greater need to control the timing of things, including processes that, organically, cannot be relied upon to happen at a set time. The slack in my family was generally provided by the fact that I was a full-time wife and mom, so only my husband really needed to have a highly scheduled life. I was relatively free to be available as needed. Two career couples have no one in that position. (Also: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about 33 percent of American women who gave birth in 2011 had a cesarean delivery. (The c-section rate in the United States has risen nearly 60 percent since 1996.) http://www.babycenter.com/0_c-sections-giving-birth-by-cesarean-section_160.bc http://www.babycenter.com/0_c-sections-giving-birth-by-cesar...)

Mz 10y ago

I don't think so: We know that the risks of C-sections are greater than risks of vaginal birth, at least with your first pregnancy. So why are women opting for C-sections, even for their first birth? Some theorize that the combination of improved C-section safety, along with increased maternal age, has lead to women being able to control when and how they are going to give birth. This type of control is attractive to women who are balancing family and career -- they can perfectly plan maternity leave, right down to the date of the last conference call. Another popular theory is that some women, fearing the pain of vaginal delivery and wanting to avoid urinary incontinence, jump at the chance to give birth via C-section. http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/pregnancy/labor-delivery/c-section4.htm http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/preg... I do know of cases where women are genuinely terrified of giving birth, as the GP suggests, and will opt for a C-section for that reason. But I think a more common reason is that women increasingly have careers. I had both my children vaginally. I was a full-time wife and mom for many years. Two career couples have a much greater need to control the timing of things, including processes that, organically, cannot be relied upon to happen at a set time. The slack in my family was generally provided by the fact that I was a full-time wife and mom, so only my husband really needed to have a highly scheduled life. I was relatively free to be available as needed. Two career couples have no one in that position. (Also: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about 33 percent of American women who gave birth in 2011 had a cesarean delivery. (The c-section rate in the United States has risen nearly 60 percent since 1996.) http://www.babycenter.com/0_c-sections-giving-birth-by-cesarean-section_160.bc http://www.babycenter.com/0_c-sections-giving-birth-by-cesar...)