Birth Q&A

Teen Pregnancy:
The teen birth rate was 50% higher in 1957 than now. (http://www.community/michiana.org/famconn/teenpreg.html)

Intended Pregnancies:
1/2 of pregnancies are unintended and 1/10 newborns have been "unwanted" (http://www.women.webmd.com/tc/abortion-reasons-women-choose-abortion)

Reasons for Abortion:
Birth control failure, to prevent birth defects, rape, incest, and physical/mental conditions that endanger the woman's health. (http://www.women.webmd.com/tc/abortion-reasons-women-choose-abortion)

Average Age of Childbirth:
Women 25.5 years old give birth in America on average.(http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5419a5.htm)

Maternal Deaths:
Throughout the years the rate of maternal deaths have declined due to the development of asepsis ("Asepsis is the practice to reduce or eliminate contaminants (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) from entering the operative field in surgery or medicine to prevent infection"), use of caesarean section, fluid management and blood transfusion. The current rate for maternal deaths in america is 11 in 100,000. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_death)

Most Effective Form of Birth Control:
The main effective form of birth control is abstinence. Second to that is hormonal birth control.
(http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-most-effective-form-of-birth-control.htm)

The Percentage of Women Who Get C-sections during birth:
30% of births in America are Cesarean deliveries.

(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17796664/)

Reasons for C-sections:
Recently older women have been giving birth through c-section, and the obesity rate has gone up as well in America causing problems with giving birth to babies who are bigger as well. But also relating to what Andy mentioned."To a man holding a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" so in this case, to every doctor who is capable of performing a c-section, every problem during the labor can be resolved with a c-section, resulting in the 30% of births being of c-section.

What Are Other Ways To Give Birth?:
Home birth, natural child birth, medicated birth, C-section, Free birth-unassisted birth (no help from outside the home), Water birth, Hypno-birthing-no pain and no stress using hypnosis, Non recumbent birthing position-not lying on your back, Chiropractics-going to a chiropractor before giving birth eases the pain, reflexology-activating certain pressure points help manage pain, Acunpuncture and Acupressure also helps ease the pain, Herbs-Herbal remedies can help tonify the woman's uterus, prepares her body for childbirth, and even quell or invoke contractions to soothe discomfort, and aromatherapy keeping the women focused.

(http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor_birth/photos_ways_to_give_birth/13)

What's More Common, Adoption or Abortion?:
"The younger generation have abortions more often, but there is still a lot of young women who give their child up for adoption."

(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_people_give_their_child_up_for_adoption_or_do_they_get_an_abortion_more)