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2004 Preliminary Birth Data: Maternal and Infant Health

Preliminary Births for 2004: Infant and Maternal Health Health E-Stats.

Preliminary data on U.S. births in 2004 show increasing numbers of infants at risk from low birth weight and preterm delivery. Both low birthweight and preterm delivery make infants more susceptible to a wide range of health problems. Mortality rates are nearly 25 times higher for low birthweight infants compared with those of normal weight. For the smallest infants the risk is 100-fold. The report also tracks cesarean deliveries, which have increased again to a record high.

Cesarean delivery rate at record high. The rate of cesarean delivery increased by 6 percent for 2003-2004 to 29 percent of all births in 2004, the highest rate ever reported in the United States. The rate, which had declined between 1989 and 1996, has risen by over 40 percent since 1996 (from 21 percent). The primary cesarean rate rose 8 percent for 2003-2004, from 19.1 to 20.6. The rate of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) dropped 13 percent, down to 9.2 percent in 2004 from 10.6 in 2003.

More than a half million infants were born preterm in 2004. This is the highest number reported since comparable national data on gestational age have been available (1981). The rate of preterm birth (the percent of infants delivered at less than 37 completed weeks) rose 2 percent from 12.3 percent in 2003, to 12.5 percent, or one of every eight infants born in 2004. The preterm birth rate has risen 18 percent since 1990. Overall preterm rates increased for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic births, but were not significantly changed for non-Hispanic black, American Indian, or Asian/Pacific Islander births.

Infants more likely to be born low birthweight (<2,500 grams) in 2004. The low birthweight rate rose to 8.1 percent in 2004 from 7.9 percent in 2003. The percentage of infants born low birthweight has climbed 16 percent since 1990 to the highest rate in more than 30 years. Rates of very low birthweight (<1,500 grams) and moderately low birthweight (1,500-2,499 grams) were both up for the current year. Overall low birthweight levels rose among births to non-Hispanic white and Hispanic mothers for 2003-2004; increases for non-Hispanic black, American Indian, and Asian and Pacific Islander infants were not statistically significant. The substantial increases in multiple births―at greater risk of being born preterm and low birthweight―have strongly influenced recent upswings in those rates. However, preterm and low birthweight rates have also been on the rise among babies born in single deliveries as well.

This page last reviewed January 11, 2007