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Ministry of Health
TABLE 9
LIVE BIRTHS BY MODE OF DELIVERY AND AGE OF MOTHER
BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1998

  Age of Mother (in Years)    
Mode of Delivery <15 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45+ N.S. Total Percent
Spontaneous vertex 23 1,569 5,479 9,177 8,724 3,877 580 21 - 29,450 68.6
Forceps/Vacuum 2 188 724 1269 1209 539 89 7 - 4,027 9.4
Spontaneous breech - 13 49 97 106 53 7 - - 325 0.8
First cesarean 6 268 903 1,705 1,784 980 179 3 - 5,828 13.6
Repeat cesarean - 24 287 813 1,157 782 145 3 - 3,211 7.5
N.S. - 5 9 20 25 8 - 1 - 68 0.2
TOTAL 31 2,067 7,451 13,081 13,005 6,239 1,000 35 - 42,909 100.0

Note: Breech presentations may be coded to forceps or cesarean mode of delivery, as well as spontaneous breech.
Total percentage may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Non-residents are excluded. N.S. - Not stated.

HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 9

  • More than two thirds of 1998 live births were delivered spontaneously: 68.6% (29,450) were spontaneous vertex (head first) and 0.8% (325) were spontaneous breech (buttocks or feet first). Approximately one in eleven live births, or 9.4%, required the use of forceps or vacuum (4,027).

  • In 1998 a revised Notice of Live Birth or Stillbirth form was introduced, which specified vacuum as a mode of delivery. Although 1998 data is incomplete for this mode of delivery, it is anticipated that the information will be available in future years. Vacuum deliveries can also be identified by the ICD9 code 763.3 Delivery by vacuum extractor. A review of the mode of delivery and ICD9 codes indicated vacuum assistance for 2,037 live births to B.C. residents in 1998.

  • In 1998, more than one fifth of all live births (21.1%) were delivered by cesarean section (9,039) and almost two thirds of these (5,828) were first cesareans. The cesarean section rate, 210.66 per 1,000 live births in 1998, was higher than the five-year rate of 203.15 for 1994-1998 (Appendix 3).

  • Among teenage mothers (less than 20 years of age), one in seven live births (298) were delivered by cesarean section. Of these, only 8.1% (24) were repeat cesarean sections.

  • One fifth (19.8%) of live births to mothers aged 20 to 34 years were delivered by cesarean section (6,649). Of these deliveries, 33.9% were repeat C-sections.

  • For mothers aged 35 or older, more than one in four live births was delivered by cesarean section (2,092). Of these deliveries, 44.5% (930) were repeat C-sections.