C-Sections Propel Jump in Preemies

Risks, costs skyrocket for premature infants, new research notes
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 29, 2008 11:56 AM CDT
C-Sections Propel Jump in Preemies
Tamera Dixon weighed less than a soda can when she was born on April 25, 2007, and is thought to be one of the smallest babies ever born in New Jersey.    (AP Photo/Tim Larsen)

The number of US babies born before reaching normal gestation jumped by a third from 1996 to 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports, with Cesarean sections accounting for much of the rise. With health risks and high costs associated with premature babies, the trend presents "a serious problem," the March of Dimes Foundation's medical director warns. (More premature baby stories.)

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