Antioquia Fereira de Pontes, 22, left, lies in a bed after giving birth by cesaean surgery at the Pro Matre maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil has an extraordinarily high rate of cesarean births at 44%, according a recent Health Ministry study. Experts say that the rate is due to "cultural" factors as well as from pressure from private hospitals, which need to justify investments in technology. In a recent study published in the June 2008 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology , Cesarean delivery was associated with an increased risk of complications in a subsequent pregnancy. (Australfoto/Douglas Engle)

Antioquia Fereira de Pontes, 22, left, lies in a bed after giving birth by cesaean surgery at the Pro Matre maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Brazil has an extraordinarily high rate of cesarean births at 44%, according a recent Health Ministry study. Experts say that the rate is due to "cultural" factors as well as from pressure from private hospitals, which need to justify investments in technology. In a recent study published in the June 2008 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology , Cesarean delivery was associated with an increased risk of complications in a subsequent pregnancy. (Australfoto/Douglas Engle)