I know, I know, all this pregnancy talk ruins your fuck-buzz, but it’s interesting to me, so bear with it.
More than 4 million babies are born in the United States each year, and the details of how, when, and where they arrive are constantly shifting. But the big news from the latest report on births from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that American women are having more babies! The U.S. birth rate jumped 2 percent from 2002 to 2004, to more than 4.1 million births — the highest number since 1962 (except for a brief spike in 1990). The United States is now boasting climbing birth rates again, following the baby decline of the 1990s.
So how are moms, dads, and their babies faring? There’s good news: More expectant mothers are avoiding tobacco smoke and seeking early prenatal care. Also, the number of high-risk multiple births is declining as fertility treatments improve. But there’s also not-so-good news: More babies are being born prematurely, or at low weights, which can have negative consequences for their health.
Other interesting facts: The c-section rate for American women continues to soar, and the number of unmarried moms has hit a record high. And while younger mothers are still the majority, the number of older first-time moms is on the rise while the number of younger moms shrinks. For all the details, read on.
When and where babies arrive
Super Tuesday: The most popular day for babies to make their entrances? It’s still Tuesday, which boasted more than 13,000 births on average in 2003. That’s about 16 percent more babies than on any other day of the week. Saturday is the slowest day, with an average of about 7,500 births (in part because doctors don’t schedule c-sections and inductions on weekends).Some (babies) like it hot: More newborns arrive in the late summer/early fall months of July, August, and September than any other time of the year. Paul Sutton, a demographer for the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, says it makes sense if you think about what happens nine months earlier in most of the country — the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors with their sweeties. Also, some people plan births to coincide with summer vacations, especially teachers and other folks who get summers off. February had the fewest birthdays in 2003: about 307,000.
Go West: As of 2003, the states with the highest birth rates are mostly west of the Mississippi: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, and Utah — with Georgia being the lone high-birth-rate state on the other side of the divide. Utah continues to beat every other state in the Union, with about 21 babies born for every 1,000 people. Vermont and Maine have the lowest baby output, with just ten born for every 1,000 people.
All about moms
The waiting game: Over the last three decades, women have been waiting longer to become moms. In 1970, the average age for a first-time mother was about 21 — today, she’s more likely to be 25 to 29 years old. How old were you when you had your first child?Midlife moms: Birth rates for women aged 35 to 39 are higher than ever and continue to grow. The number of moms in their 40s is also on the rise — the birth rate for women aged 40 to 44 has gone up more than 51 percent since 1990, mostly thanks to fertility treatments.
No wedding necessary: Almost 36 percent of U.S. babies were born to unmarried women in 2004 (that’s about 1.5 million babies) — up 4 percent from a previous record high in 2003.
Seeking care: The number of women seeking prenatal care — which can help women have a healthier pregnancy and healthier babies — has been on the upswing but leveled off in 2004. About 84 percent of women sought out prenatal care in their first trimester in 2003 and 2004, a more than 11 percent improvement since 1990.
Weighing in: Moms-to-be in the United States gain a median of about 30 pounds during pregnancy (that means half gain more, half gain less). This number has stayed constant since 1990. How do you feel about the weight you gained during pregnancy?
No-smoking zone: The number of moms who smoke during pregnancy keeps dropping, to about 11 percent of women in 2003 and nearer 10 percent in 2004 — a decline of more than 42 percent since 1989. Women aged 18 to 24 have the highest rates of smoking during pregnancy (about 16 to 17 percent), which is bad news for their babies. If you’re trying to quit, get tips on kicking the habit from moms who’ve been there.
Birth and delivery
Doctor, doctor: The vast majority of moms in the United States give birth in hospitals (99 percent) with the help of a physician (91 percent). But women are increasingly choosing other providers — today, midwives attend about 8 percent of births, up from less than 1 percent in the mid-’70s.C-sections soaring: The number of cesarean deliveries has skyrocketed by more than 40 percent between 1996 and 2004 to 29 percent of births, the highest rate ever reported in the United States.
Giving labor a push: The number of women whose labor is induced has more than doubled since 1990, to about 10 percent of births.
Boy power: Boy babies outnumber girl babies, with about 1,049 males for every 1,000 females — a ratio that’s stayed about the same over the past 60 years.
Tons of twins: The number of twins born in the United States continued to rise. About 32 pairs of twins are born for every 1,000 births. The rate skyrocketed 65 percent between 1980 and 2003, as more older women became moms (they have a greater chance of conceiving twins spontaneously) and more women used fertility treatments. The rate of triplets and higher multiple births shot up by more than 400 percent between 1980 and 1998, but then started to decline — in part because of improvements in fertility treatments — and as of 2003 was holding steady at 187 for every 100,000 births.
Early birds: More babies are being born prematurely, partly because of the rise in twin births. The preterm delivery rate has gone up more than 30 percent since 1981. In 2004, about 12.5 percent of births were early arrivals (most moderately early, from 32 to 36 weeks).
Little lightweights: The number of low-birthweight babies (less than 5 1/2 lbs.) has been on the rise, which researchers say is due in part to more twins being born. About 8.1 percent of babies born in 2004 were low birthweight — the most reported since 1970, and a 16 percent climb since 1990.
