Two medical groups have released recommendations that discourage doctors from performing births with a caesarean section, which they found to be more harmful to the babies and mothers.

According to USA Today, the new report comes from American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Over the past 15 years C-section births have increased 60 percent and now account for one-third of all births.

What's more is that C-sections, while sometimes absolutely necessary, have a death rate for mothers three times higher than a vaginal birth. More often doctors are performing C-sections as a precaution for the baby, but the report says it is better to let a natural birth run its course.

Study co-author Aaron Caughey, a professor at Oregon Health and Science University, said additional C-sections later in life increase a woman's risk, so avoiding the first one is vital.

"We are paid a little bit more to perform C-sections, but the bigger reason for doctors to do them is that they're more convenient and quicker than vaginal labor," Caughey told the Boston Globe. "These recommendations are of absolutely no benefit to an ob-gyn's work-life balance nor pocketbook, but this never came up when we were writing them or having them reviewed by colleagues."

According to HealthDay News, other recommendations in the report include:

  • "Active labor should be considered to begin at a cervical dilation of 6 centimeters, rather than the previous 4 centimeters.
  • "Women should be allowed to push for at least two hours if they've given birth before, three hours if they are first-time mothers, and even longer in certain cases, such as when an epidural is used for pain relief.
  • "Vaginal delivery is the preferred option whenever possible and doctors should use techniques -- forceps, for example -- to assist with natural birth.
  • "Women should be advised to avoid excessive weight gain during pregnancy."

The study containing the recommendations will be published in the March edition of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Most women who have had a cesarean with their first baby end up having repeat cesarean deliveries for subsequent babies, and this is what we're trying to avoid," Caughey told HealthDay News. "By preventing the first cesarean delivery, we should be able to reduce the nation's overall cesarean delivery rate."