This has been on my mind for quite some time.  When a provider (midwife or family practice MD, in particular) claims to have a C-section rate, of say 1%, what does that mean, really?  When it is a provider who does not perform C-sections (not an OB), at what point to they still claim that patient as theirs and include that surgical birth in their statistics?  And at what point is the patient considered transferred out of their care, and into the OB's care?

I suspect that this is a key issue when asking a provider's statistics.  I also have trouble trusting that providers who claim such a low C-section rate are actually talking about 1% of all patients under their care during pregnancy.  Several providers in my area claim this, but I personally know moms who ended up with a surgical birth (often after an induction for dates, not a medical emergency)--either a flukish coincidence or they are skewing their numbers.

Anyone have any thoughts on this??

Thanks!

Cindy