Medical and Statistical Information
These general websites are a great place to start to learn about c-sections or to get answers to specific questions.
MedLine Plus page on Cesarean Section: This page includes a collection of links to both statistics about c-sections as well as medically oriented overviews of c-sections from a surgical point of view. Does not include much c-section recovery-specific information - but is a good place to begin research into the methods and statistics of the procedure. Includes links to an interactive tutorial, video, and to many sources of statistics.
Encyclopedia of Surgery: Cesarean section: This clearly written page explains the details of the surgery and includes sections addressing diagnosis, demographics, risks, alternatives, and aftercare and includes a resources list with citations for periodicals and a list of organizations one can contact for further information.
Cesarean Birth: The Inside Story: Released in 1998, this video documents real women going through cesarean sections. It includes personal stories and footage. Also addresses expectations, emotional issues, reasons behind the procedure, and recovery. While the fashion and hairstyles might be dated, the emotional side is still totally up to date.
Cesarean Section - What Happens During Surgery: Step-by-step medical details of the entire procedure (originally from the ICAN website, now on Internet Archive).
Births: Final Data for 2020 in the United States: (United States National Center for Health Statistics) See page 6 for information about the rate of cesarean sections (source of the stats above). Also take a look at the full tables of data. Table 16 shows details about cesarean delivery broken down by state and an assortment of other factors.
In 2020, the cesarean delivery rate in the United States increased to 31.8%, from 31.7% in 2019; the rate had declined in 2018 and 2019. The cesarean delivery rate peaked in 2009 at 32.9%, after increasing every year since 1996 (20.7%).