Delivery Method

Mode of delivery can highlight important clinical practice patterns in perinatal health which can have implications for birth outcomes for moms and babies. Cesarean birth can prevent injury and death for both mom and baby during the delivery process, however it can also increase unexpected complications ¹ such as infection, organ injury, blood clots or the need for a blood transfusion. PeriStats provides data for multiple indicators that can be used to assess trends in vaginal and Cesarean delivery methods.

In this section you will find data on:

• Vaginal deliveries to birthing people who had a Cesarean birth (VBAC) in a prior pregnancy
• Total, repeat and primary Cesarean births
• Low-risk Cesarean births, defined as births when the baby is a single infant, is positioned head-first and the mother is full-term (at least 37 weeks), and has not given birth prior.

Healthy People 2030 aims to reduce Cesarean births among low-risk women with no prior births to 23.6% of all births to new mothers.

1. Healthy People 2030. Available at: https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/pregnancy-and-childbirth/reduce-cesarean-births-among-low-risk-women-no-prior-births-mich-06