Obesity leads to caesareans, birth defects

Moral of the story: The US always has an abysmal showing in health statistics considering how much we spend on health care.  This story helps to fill that gap in reasoning.  Obesity is bad for OB/GYN.

Source: AMA Morning Rounds 6/7/2010

High obesity rates contributing to high caesarean rates, more birth defects.

The New York Times (6/6, A1, Hartocollis) reported on its front page, "As Americans have grown fatter over the last generation, inviting more heart disease, diabetes and premature deaths, all that extra weight has also become a burden in the maternity ward, where babies take their first breath of life." Approximately "one in five women are obese when they become pregnant, meaning they have a body mass index of at least 30, as would a 5-foot-5 woman weighing 180 pounds, according to researchers with" the CDC. In addition, "medical evidence suggests that obesity might be contributing to record-high rates of Caesarean sections and leading to more birth defects and deaths for mothers and babies."