Hospitals vary considerably in the frequency with which they induce labor and perform Caesarean sections. But a new study finds that these differences do not seem to affect how newborns fare in these facilities.
Dr. J. Christopher Glantz, a professor of obstetrics at the University of Rochester, reviewed records of almost 30,000 births from 10 upstate New York community hospitals without specialized neonatal intensive care units. Some hospitals relied heavily on induced labor and Caesarean sections, while others performed the procedures much less often.
[From C-Sections and Induced Labor Don’t Mean Better Outcomes for Infants, Study Finds – NYTimes.com]
This would seem to challenge the practice of interventions like c-sections and induced labor. Moms are recommended to discuss these procedures with their OB/GYN and incorporate their wishes in a birth plan. Hospitals that rely on these procedure as a matter of course don’t have a higher safety rate, and aren’t necessarily choosing the safer route for mom and baby.