Cutting Down on Unnecessary C-Sections

 For the past three decades, pregnant mothers -- especially first-time moms -- have been opting for C-Section birth rather than natural birth. Experts attribute the large rise to mothers making the personal choice to give birth via Cesarian for a number of personal reasons. The reasons mothers may give for their choice often times can be for vanity reasons, but the majority of optional cesarians are performed due to the mothers apprehension for the birthing process.


Anxiety cause by the though of giving birth naturally can leave some new mothers completely paralyzed with fear. In these instances, doctors often plan for a C-section early on in the pregnancy, in order to ease the mother's fears, allowing her to complete gestation without stress and anxiety negatively affecting the fetus.

Though the choice of a doctor to approve C-Sections based on this fear seems a very caring decision, some doctors take advantage of this opportunity and perform unnecessary cesarians simply because it is a significant increase to the final bill. Not all doctors opt for cesarians strictly for financial gain, but it does happen, and C-Sections are the most performed operation in the United States.

Today, there is a movement gaining steam, a movement of women aiming for a return to a greater number of natural births. Therapy groups are popping up all around the country in hospitals, community centers, and health clinics; these therapy groups look to ease the fear that women have, not by the promise of a cesarian, but with care and support in a group environment or 1 on 1.

With the rise of these new support groups, health officials are lobbying for a stricter criteria on approving this operation, and offering young mothers more viable options for delivery, if they have worries about the process.