Statistics show babies delivered at one local hospital are more likely to be born by Cesarean section.

An article published in Consumer Reports shows Covenant Women's and Children's Hospital ranks among the top 10 hospitals in the nation with high C-section rates.

The information used in the analysis was compiled from 2014 data available through public records, according to the article.

A Covenant Health official said the information used is voluntarily reported and the percentage of C-section rates performed at the hospital has actually decreased.

The C-section rate used to be 42, according to a statement from Covenant Health.

"In 2015, our C-section rate declined to about 35 percent for both high- and low-risk births," the statement reads. "Still, we know this is an area where we can continue to improve. We've taken many steps to help reduce our C-section rate further, including asking the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to help us review our practices earlier this year."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, the national average is 32.2 percent.

Women generally heal faster and experience less pain down the road after a vaginal delivery, said Dr. Edward R. Yeomans, professor, and Robert H. Messer, M.D. Endowed Chair in the department of obstetrics and gynecology maternal-fetal medicine at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.

"The recovery process is longer after Cesarean than after vaginal delivery," he said. "But ultimately, if you go six weeks down the line, women with a C-section should heal up as well as women with a vaginal delivery. The woman who had the C-section will have a scar not only on her skin but on her uterus and that scar is going to pose problems for future pregnancies. It'll heal but it'll pose problems. The woman who delivers vaginally won't have a scar on her uterus and her next delivery will be less complicated."

That doesn't mean mom and baby won't be as healthy later, he said.

There are circumstances where a C-section is necessary and the procedure can be life-saving for both mother and baby.

"If your labor is abnormal, if your cervix doesn't really dilate, you might need a C-section for that," Yeomans said. "Or if your baby starts slowing down its heart rate and you don't know its cause - maybe the placenta is going off the wall, something is going on. Maybe the baby is in a risky environment. Then you might need a C-section."

But the lines are thin, he said.

The C-section rate at UMC is 20 percent, Yeomans said. Several of these types of cases can be delivered vaginally given a little time and patience.

"That's the focus we're working on is how do you identify those and whose job is it to identify those," Yeomans said. "The woman can't be responsible for that."

It's ultimately up to the doctor to make those decisions, he said.

In the past, a woman who delivered by C-section would likely deliver any future babies by the same method, he said. Technological innovations have improved that.

"We have a large number of women who come in requesting a VBAC," Yeomans said. "They've already had a section and now they want to deliver vaginally."

The VBAC allows that option, he said, and many women who deliver at UMC request it.

"The bottom line is the doctor has to play a part in the decision-making and C-section is riskier than vaginal delivery," Yeomans said.

Yeomans said reasons for performing C-section vary from case to case but his policy at UMC is to try for vaginal deliveries as often as possible.

A statement included in the statement from Covenant from Dr. Amy Thompson, CEO of Covenant Women's and Children's, said, "Our highest priority is to provide safe, high quality care that is compassionate to our patients and their families. With leading-edge obstetrics, maternal fetal medicine, neonatal intensive care specialists and our caring staff, Covenant leads the way with specialized care for woman and we work every day to provide education with our patients while balancing what is best for mothers and families to ensure a safe delivery of their baby."

ellysa.gonzalez@lubbockonline.com • 766-8795

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