Half of premature babies are delivered via c-section and many more are induced, usually because there is some risk to the mother or baby at holding the baby to term.

Such as inducement for preeclampsia, which in prior years accounted for ~15% of premature births in the U.S.: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/preeclampsia.aspx

Like with coronary and cardiovascular diseases, I imagine long-term impacts won't be known for several years.

c-sections are money makers, we left our hospital in Boston when we found they had a 50% c-section rate, ha

The pressure to schedule an induction up to a week or so early is also very strong. The sales pitch is "we can schedule at a convenient time for you and ensure that you'll have a bed". Implying that you're being super irresponsible by letting nature decide when the baby's ready. It all just feels like the OB/GYN is worried about their schedule more than the baby's or mother's well-being.

And c-sections are definitely subtly encouraged even if there's not a real need.

That's straight-up cyberpunk horror territory. What the actual fuck

Could many of those C-sections be at the request of the mother? I know quite a few professional women who have scheduled C-sections (or just induced births) so they can "manage" the delivery better. Seems crazy to me, but not my body, child, or career.

Unless there's a medical need it's not ethical to give a c-section as it creates greater risk of complication (including and especially death), more long-term effects, worse effects on the child, and just so happens to make the hospital more money. Of course if there is a medical need then they should be done, but it's not like tonsilectomy.

That also seems horrifying & cyperpunk to me but I doubt a significant chunk of women choose it, let alone independently.

In India, it's something of a fashion and women choose it because its convenient, etc.

India is cheating

Based on time-of-day data, it seems the scheduling is more likely to convenience the doctors.

It could be a ward that specializes in handling risky pregnancies, so a desired result.

I find it doubtful that the people researching this phenomenon didn't think of that, don't you?

I think the surprising truth is that women may, inconsciously or to some extent, influence the time of birth.

If you look at the distribution of birth per calendar days there are unusual spikes and distributions on special days such as valentines day and i'm not sure this could explain by people deciding to have specifically more sex 9 month before considering the "supposed" randomness of the day of birth aound the 9 month mark..

http://thedailyviz.com/2016/09/17/how-common-is-your-birthda...

I could be wrong but I thought that was explained by c section scheduling. Doctors love nothing more than a tight schedule and birth is anything but that.

Had a child due around Christmas in our family, and I think both you and parent are both correct. The mother really didn't want to miss Christmas and the doctor offered to schedule an early induction. They didn't offer to induce on Christmas Day, eve or the day after. The baby came a couple days after Christmas.

That would be kinda sad though

But you can 'hold in' cancer?

It's not about cancer deaths, it's cancer diagnoses. Don't go to the hospital/doctor => no diagnosis

Oh if that's what the commentor I replied to meant, I misunderstood completely. :thumbs-up: