Obesity Increases Cesarean Rate

Study published in February 2007 issue of AJOG indicates a significantly higher cesarean rate among obese mothers.

A recent study shows an interesting correlation between BMI and the likelihood of cesarean. Published in the February 2007 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Danish researchers have discovered that women with a BMI below 25 (normal weight) had a 3.6% chance of a cesarean. Mothers with a BMI of 35 or above had a 18.5% chance of having a cesarean.

"There are a number of mechanisms by which excess weight could make it more difficult for women to deliver their infants vaginally," the researchers say.

The one thing to bear in mind about these studies is that it is not a given if you are overweight or obese that you will have a cesarean! Know that you still have many ways to increase your chance of a vaginal birth including taking a good childbirth class, hiring a doula, giving birth outside a hospital, using a midwife to attend your birth, laboring at home as long as is safe for you, eating and drinking in labor, avoiding getting pain medication too soon, waiting for spontaneous labor instead of being induced, not to mention staying as mobile as possible throughout labor.

For the record, I have worked with several women who were obese as their doula. None of them have had a cesarean.

Warmly,

Brenda