(AP) -- There's a new call for natural childbirth for women who've had a C-section.
Hoping to reverse hospital trends they call "once a cesarean, always a cesarean" in childbirth, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says it's time to step back.
They're rewriting guidelines for women who've had one, or even two, C-sections to encourage them to try labor in a later pregnancy. It follows a similar decision by a panel of the National Institutes of Health.
Fifteen years ago, about 3 in 10 women who had a prior C-section gave birth vaginally the next time. Today, fewer than 1 in 10 do so.
The new guidelines say natural labor is a safe and appropriate option. However, they also say the decision must be made by a woman and her doctor, not by hospitals.
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