births

A new Florida law makes the Sunshine State the first in the nation to let cesarean sections be performed in "advanced birth centers." Some health experts are leery even though many hospitals have closed maternity wards.

The number of births fell last year to the lowest count in more than 40 years. A little under 3.6 million babies were born here in 2023, about 76,000 fewer than the year before.

As part of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo's Live Healthy package, the Legislature is working to shrink maternity care deserts and to help expectant parents learn about available services with a new website.

Births to moms 35 and older continued to rise, with the highest rates in that age group since the 1960s. But those gains were offset by record-low birth rates to moms in their teens and early 20s,

The experimental technique is an effort to prevent children from inheriting rare genetic diseases. Critics warn that tweaking the genetic code this way could be a slippery slope that leads to designer babies.

These babies can have withdrawal symptoms because of exposure in the womb. New research shows that those born to opioid users have shorter hospital stays when care includes more parent involvement and a quieter environment.

More women are serving in the U.S. military, and women are the fastest-growing group among U.S. veterans. The VA is trying to meet their health needs, including pregnancy care.

Florida is one of the least generous states when it comes to public health insurance. About 1 in 6 women of childbearing age here are uninsured, reducing their access to quality prenatal care and making it more difficult to begin a healthy pregnancy.

Among almost 4 million births in 2021, nearly 52,000 occurred at home, a CDC report showed. That's up about 12% from 2020, following a 22% rise from 2019 to 2020.

State law at the time prohibited abortion after around 6 weeks. Legal experts say this kind of law leaves doctors uncertain of what's legal and can put patients in dangerous situations.