Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-04/12/content_24452634.htm
By ZHOU WENTING in Shanghai, XU JINGXI in Guangzhou and YANG WANLI in Beijing (China Daily)
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

Hospitals in China's biggest cities are reporting an increase in women choosing natural childbirth, reversing a decadeslong trend during the one-child policy in which cesarean sections were favored.

Limited to one child, especially in urban areas, women sought C-sections for their convenience and reduced risk to newborns, even though recovery times increased for mothers and surgery presented its own dangers. However, since the second-child policy started in January, women have been considering the risks associated with C-sections more carefully.
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The government introduced new exceptions to the one-child policy in late 2013, although they varied from region to region. Since Jan 1, all couples have been allowed to have a second child, and the number of cesarean sections has dropped.

At Sun Yat-sen University's First Affiliated Hospital in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, the C-section rate was 40 percent during the first three months of the year, a reduction of 10 percent from last year.

"Some people would choose C-section for selecting a ‘good day’ of delivery or with worries about the vagina flabby," said Wang Zilian, director of Obstetrics & Gynecology of Sun Yat-sen University’s First Affiliated Hospital.

"With people’s increasing awareness about the advantages on natural delivery, more women are encouraged to deliver a baby on their own, which is good to the mother’s health and also reduced possible risks for the second time pregnancy," Wang said.

At Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, one of the country's major maternity hospitals, where 25,000 women gave birth in 2014, the C-section rate also dropped to about 40 percent last year. A decade ago, the rate was 70 percent.

In Beijing, the C-section rate dropped slightly, from 46.4 percent in 2013 to 46.2 percent in 2014, according to the Beijing Health and Family Planning Commission. The rate for the first quarter of this year was unavailable.
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