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CNN Live At Daybreak

C-Section Births Increasingly Common

Aired December 17, 2002 - 06:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Turning our attention to health now. When it comes to giving birth, America has become a C-section nation. Nearly one-quarter of all U.S. babies are delivered now by cesarean section and that has some experts concerned.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen tells us why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The statistics are clear, more and more babies in the United States are being delivered by cesarean section. In 2000, 22.9 percent; in 2001, 24.4 percent were delivered by C-section, an increase of 7 percent in just one year.

Some people are horrified by these statistics. They point out that C-sections are major surgery and riskier than vaginal births. They say some doctors do C-sections just because they get more money for them or because they're too impatient to wait for a woman to labor. But other physicians say this increase isn't a bad thing. They say C-sections save baby's lives and mother's lives and there is a reason why the rates are up year to year.

One reason, women today are older when they give birth. Older mothers have more complications like multiple births that sometimes make C-sections necessary. Another reason, more doctors are unwilling to vaginally deliver babies who are breech. And third, there's more evidence that after a woman has one baby by cesarean section it may be safer to have the next baby that way too.

Many doctors say statistics about national C-section rates are not the point. They say a decision about how to deliver a baby varies from case to case, a decision best left up to each individual doctor's judgement, taking into account the wishes of each individual mother.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, Elizabeth, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 17, 2002 - 06:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Turning our attention to health now. When it comes to giving birth, America has become a C-section nation. Nearly one-quarter of all U.S. babies are delivered now by cesarean section and that has some experts concerned.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen tells us why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The statistics are clear, more and more babies in the United States are being delivered by cesarean section. In 2000, 22.9 percent; in 2001, 24.4 percent were delivered by C-section, an increase of 7 percent in just one year.

Some people are horrified by these statistics. They point out that C-sections are major surgery and riskier than vaginal births. They say some doctors do C-sections just because they get more money for them or because they're too impatient to wait for a woman to labor. But other physicians say this increase isn't a bad thing. They say C-sections save baby's lives and mother's lives and there is a reason why the rates are up year to year.

One reason, women today are older when they give birth. Older mothers have more complications like multiple births that sometimes make C-sections necessary. Another reason, more doctors are unwilling to vaginally deliver babies who are breech. And third, there's more evidence that after a woman has one baby by cesarean section it may be safer to have the next baby that way too.

Many doctors say statistics about national C-section rates are not the point. They say a decision about how to deliver a baby varies from case to case, a decision best left up to each individual doctor's judgement, taking into account the wishes of each individual mother.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, Elizabeth, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com