Xue Yanyan, a 24-year-old nurse of a Beijing hospital, is expecting her baby in three months and has decided to have it by Caesarean section.



She is not alone. A growing number of China's mothers are now preferring to have their babies by Caesarean section (C-section). Official statistics show one in two babies are delivered this way.



"The proportion exceeds the standard 15 percent set by the World Health Organization," said Professor Liu Shuang of the Institute of Population Study, People's University.



"Some developed countries like Japan keep the C-section rate at about 10 percent of the nation's total deliveries."



Accounting for only 5 percent of births in the 1970s, C-section in China now accounts for 50 percent of total births. Some urban hospitals have a C-section rate of more than 60 percent.



C-section is normally used when complications develop at birth which puts the mother or baby's life at risk.



"However, C-section is not being used for its intended purpose, and there has been a drastic spike in its popularity," Liu said. He is deeply concerned about its sharp rise.



Health experts attribute its prevalence to a number of reasons. These include doctors who prefer the convenience, the financial gain to them from a C-section, and mothers who want to avoid labor pains.



"The economic benefits to hospitals is also driving the trend," Wang Li, a mother of a boy aged 2, said.



She spent about 7,000 yuan ($897) on a C-section at the Haidian Hospital, while a normal birth there costs 2,000 yuan ($260).



"The doctor recommended a C-section saying it would be a comparatively easier delivery." Wang said. "Apart the expense, I spent a year coping with an abdominal scar from the surgery that kept getting infected."



A C-section usually takes longer to recover than a natural birth, said a doctor surnamed Bai at the Haidian Hospital. Some women develop infections and increased bleeding. Babies also face risks, said advocates of normal births.

See more about Health Matters

About Health Matters

. Advisor Proposes Birthday of Bethune . Food Poisoning Deaths Decline . Official: Guangdong Not the Source of Bird Flu . Tibetan Poultry Tests Positive for Bird Flu . China Introduce New Bird Flu Measures Ahead of Spr . Smoking to Be Strictly Prohibited in HK . Bird Flu Patient Remains Critical As WHO Officials . Bird Flu Survivor¡¯s Serum Used as Treatment . Rabies Kills 61 in Hunan . Police Deaths Raise Health Concerns . Chinese Political Advisors Call for Stringent Food . Cancer Rates in Tianjin Rise Sharply in 20 Years . Think Tank Shows Concern over Medicare System . Yunnan Sets up AIDS Prevention, Control Bureau

	For payment, trip cancellation, please refer to the Terms & Conditions
	For more information, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-865-6221 or email to us at info@chinacustomtours.com