Babies delivered by caesarean late in pregnancy but before 39 weeks, who do much worse than kids delivered later. While elective caesarean before 39 weeks is discouraged, US research in the New England Journal of Medicine shows it is common and linked to poor outcomes for the baby. The study looked at more than 13,000 repeat caesarean deliveries. The deliveries were elective, meaning they were before the onset of labour and there weren't any recognised medical reasons for this mode of delivery. More than 35 per cent occurred in the 37th and 38th weeks of pregnancy.

Kate Benson January 9, 2009 Women who stop working at least a month before their baby is due are four times less likely to have a caesarean delivery because they are less tired and anxious, research has found. Australia's caesarean rate has climbed rapidly in the past 10 years from one-in-five births to more than one-in-three. Women who have caesareans require longer stays in hospital, more attention from staff, have an increased risk of complications from surgery and take longer to recover than women who give birth naturally...