c-section

Under Louisiana's abortion ban, doctors face penalties of up to 15 years in prison, $200,000 in fines and loss of their medical license. Dr. Neelima Sukhavasi, a Baton Rouge OB-GYN, says that doctors are scared. Here, Dr. Sukhavasi poses for a portrait in Baton Rouge, La., on Monday, March 18, 2024.

Health & Safety

Standard pregnancy care is now dangerously disrupted in Louisiana, report reveals

5:14pm March 19, 2024

by Rosemary Westwood

A troubling new report from Louisiana shows how the state's abortion ban from 2022 is forcing doctors to delay or withhold medical care in ways that make pregnancy more dangerous.

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Some insurers using this new payment model offer a single fee to one OB-GYN or medical practice, which then uses part of that money to cover the hospital care involved in labor and delivery. Other insurers opt to cut a separate contract with the hospital.

A New Way Of Paying For Maternity Care Aims To Reduce C-Sections

1:38pm September 20, 2019

by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez

Instead of paying doctors piecemeal for prenatal appointments and delivery of the baby, some insurers now offer medical practices one lump sum to cover it all.

In 2018, U.S. birthrates fell for nearly all racial and age groups, the CDC says. Here, mothers and babies attend a yoga class in Culver City, Calif., in March.

U.S. Births Fell To A 32-Year Low In 2018; CDC Says Birthrate Is In Record Slump

1:51pm May 15, 2019

by Bill Chappell

"The birthrate is a barometer of despair," demographer Dowell Myers says. Not since 1986 has the U.S. seen so few babies born.

Dr. Ruth Levesque (right) hands Shaun McDougall his newborn son Brady at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Mass. The birth of the second twin, Bryce, was much trickier than Brady's. Good communication between the health team and parents was crucial to saf

Twin's Difficult Birth Put A Project Designed To Reduce C-Sections To The Test

3:47pm November 24, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

A woman had twins in a hospital south of Boston last summer. For doctors aiming to reduce cesareans, the second baby's tricky arrival tested the limits of teamwork.

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Surgeons perform a cesarean section. A new report raises concerns about rising rates of this procedure around the world, from Brazil to China.

Rate Of C-Sections Is Rising At An 'Alarming' Rate, Report Says

2:38pm October 12, 2018

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A report in The Lancet says the rate of cesarean sections has tripled globally since 1990. In some hospitals, more than 70 percent of births occur by C-section, putting moms and babies at risk.

Inducing labor at 39 weeks may involve IV medications and continuous fetal monitoring. But if the pregnancy is otherwise uncomplicated, mother and baby can do just fine, the latest evidence suggests.

Pregnancy Debate Revisited: To Induce Labor, Or Not?

12:22am August 09, 2018

by Richard Harris

Young women with simple pregnancies can safely ask a doctor to induce labor, a study finds. It doesn't increase their risk of needing a C-section after all and can even offer potential benefits.

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California is starting to push hospitals throughout the state to lower their rates of medically unnecessary C-sections.

California's Message To Hospitals: Shape Up Or Lose 'In-Network' Status

11:55am May 23, 2018

by April Dembosky

Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange, will exclude hospitals from insurance networks if they don't reduce their numbers of C-sections, back scans and opioid prescriptions.

A doula is trained to provide advice and support for women through pregnancy and childbirth.

Health & Safety

Doula Support For Pregnant Women Could Improve Care, Reduce Costs

6:03pm January 15, 2016

by Tara Haelle

Doulas provide emotional support for a woman through pregnancy and childbirth. A study finds that women with doulas are less likely to have cesarean or preterm births.

Pregnant doctors are less likely than other women to deliver their babies via C-section, recent research suggests. Economists say that may be because the physician patients feel more empowered to question the obstetrician.

Money May Be Motivating Doctors To Do More C-Sections

8:57am September 03, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

Many obstetricians make more money for C-sections than for vaginal deliveries. In a recent study, these doctors were more likely to perform the costly procedure than doctors paid a flat salary. But when the pregnant women were also physicians, doctors seemed less swayed by financial incentives.

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