4 Reasons You Will End Up Having An Unnecessary C-Section

So in case you haven’t heard, one in three women now has a c-section in the United States when delivering her baby — the highest it has ever been. To give you some indication as to how this number is increasing, only 31.8 percent of women in 2007 gave birth via c-section. As a pregnant woman developing her birth plan, here are four reasons you might end up finding yourself under the knife:

1. A Lack of Regard for Women’s Abilities To Birth– A lot of times, c-sections are administered when women aren’t delivering babies “fast enough.” Simple tactics like letting women move around or choose other positions can facilitate labor. Many doctors refuse to even discuss the option of vaginal birth with women in some circumstances.
2. The Commonality of C-sections– Because so many women are now delivering babies this way, many patients forget that a c-section is still considered surgery. Make no mistake — a c-section is a major abdominal surgery with all the same risks implicit in other surgeries such as infection, surgical injury, blood clots, emergency hysterectomy, and intense and long-lasting pain.
3. Fear Of Malpractice– Since vaginal births aren’t as “by the book” as a standard cesarean, performing them is often considered “low risk” by health professionals looking to avoid being sued.
4. Keeping Costs Down– The average vaginal birth is considerably longer than a quickie c-section, which means more hours, pay, and resources for hospitals. If women are giving birth on the hour, every hour, than work schedules as well as money can be kept in check.