Birth Dilemma: Doctors weigh pros and cons of cesareans

Doctors traditionally counseled women who had had a cesarean section against delivering vaginally, even though a mother’s recovery time is longer after a cesarean birth. In 1981, only 3 percent of women in the United States who had delivered by cesarean later attempted a vaginal birth. That number jumped to 28 percent by 1996, after doctors suggested that these women give vaginal birth a try under careful monitoring.