More Canadian babies than ever before are born by cesarean section, a new report says.
More than one in five babies — 22.5 per cent of all in hospital deliveries in 2001-02 — were born by C-section, the study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information says.
CIHI, however, attributes the jump in the procedures to a decrease in family doctors providing the full spectrum of maternity care for pregnant women.
"The trend coincides with a decline in the number of family doctors providing full maternity care. Fewer than 19 per cent of family physicians billed for obstetrical services in 1999 — compared with just over 31 per cent in 1989," the study says."
Increasing numbers of obstetricians rather than family doctors are delivering babies, the study found. Family doctors are also conducting fewer multiple births and cesarean sections.
In 2000, obstetricians attended 61 per cent of vaginal births and 95 per cent of cesarean surgeries, up from 56 per cent and 93 per cent in 1996.
Of those physicians who attended births, the study says, obstetricians attended between 101 and 300 births in 1999, compared with family doctors, who attended only 41 on average in 2000.
The report suggests that family doctors are avoiding adding maternity care to their practices for a number of reasons.
"Family doctors entering practice may believe that maternity care will add more stress to their already busy lives," said Dr. Elizabeth Whynot, president of the British Columbia Women's Hospital and Health Centre and one of the report's contributors, in a statement.
She said research shows that family doctors also may lack confidence in their obstetrical skills and fear malpractice suits.
In rural areas and in western provinces and territories, however, family doctors are still more likely to deliver babies than those in central and Atlantic Canada.
The report says there are fewer maternity services available to rural women giving birth, such as capability to offer C-sections or fewer specialists including anesthesiologists.
