Birth Trends

[Guest guest]

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. The big news from the latest report on birth trends put out

by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that women

and men are waiting longer to start families, and fewer people are

having babies — the U.S. birth rate slid to an all-time low in 2002,

the most recent year the CDC examined. There's good news: More

expectant moms are avoiding tobacco smoke and seeking early prenatal

care. Numbers of high-risk multiple births are declining as fertility

treatments improve. Teenage pregnancy rates are plummeting. For all

the details, read on.

When and where babies arrive

Super Tuesday: The most popular day for babies to make their

entrances? Tuesday, which boasted more than 12,500 births on average.

That's 66 percent higher than on Sunday, the slowest day of the week

for new babies (in part because doctors don't schedule c-sections and

inductions on weekends).

Some (babies) like it hot: More newborns arrived in the late summer

months of July, August, and September than any other time of the

year. 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. November had the fewest

birthdays: about 320,000.

Go West: The country's population as a whole is shifting westward, so

it's not surprising that the six states showing significant increases

in births between 2001 and 2002 (Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah,

Texas, and Wyoming) are all west of the Mississippi. Utah's birth

rate beat every other state in the Union, with 21 babies born for

every 1,000 people. Lowest birth-rate states were Vermont and Maine,

with just ten babies born for every 1,000 folks.

All about moms

Waiting longer: First-time moms were about 25 years old on average —

an all-time high in the United States. In 1970, the average age for

first-time moms was about 21. How old were you when you had your

first child? Take our poll.

Midlife mothers: Birth rates for women ages 35 to 39 were higher than

ever (moms in their mid to late 30s accounted for more than 450,000

babies). The number of moms in their 40s also increased — the birth

rate for women ages 40 to 44 has gone up 51 percent since 1990,

mostly because of fertility treatments.

More single moms: More than a third of all babies were born to

unmarried women, a record high.

Weighing in: Moms-to-be gained 30.5 pounds during their pregnancies,

according to the median. (That means that half of moms-to-be gained

more than this, half gained less.) This number has stayed constant

since 1990. How many pounds did you put on during your pregnancy?

Take our poll.

No-smoking zone: The number of moms who smoked during their

pregnancies decreased to about 1 in 10. That's a decline of 42

percent since 1989, when this data was first collected. If you're

trying to quit, get tips on kicking the habit from moms who've been

there.

Birth and delivery

Most favor MDs: 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 —

midwives attended 8 percent of births, up from less than 1 percent in

the mid-'70s.

C-sections soaring: Cesarean deliveries increased 7 percent from 2001

to 2002. They made up 26 percent of births, the highest rate ever

reported in the United States.

Early arrivals: More babies were born prematurely — 12 percent for

twins and other multiple births and 7 percent for single births.

Double delight: The number of twins born in the United States

continued to rise, increasing to 31 pairs of twins for every 1,000

babies. This rate's skyrocketed 65 percent since 1980.

Dip in triplets: The rate of triplets and higher multiple births

dropped slightly to 184 for every 100,000 live births, continuing a

three-year decline due in part to improvements in fertility

treatments. Still, multiple births have increased by more than 400

percent in the past 20 years.

The men and the boys

Boy power: Boys outnumbered girls among new babies, with 1,048 males

for every 1,000 females. (That ratio's remained almost the same for

the past 50 years.)

Father time: Like women, men are waiting longer to become parents.

The median age for new dads is almost 30.