title: Preventing primary cesarean sections: intrapartum care.
abstract: Some intrapartum care practices promote vaginal birth, whereas others may increase the risk for cesarean section. Electronic fetal monitoring and use of the Friedman graph to plot and monitor labor progress are associated with increasing the cesarean section rate. Continuous one-to-one support and midwifery management are associated with lower cesarean section rates. This article reviews the evidence that links specific intrapartum care practices to cesarean section. Strategies that can be implemented in the current social and cultural setting of obstetrics today are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. tking@acnm.org
authors.forename: Tekoa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy