Pregnancy - Birth Statistics Consider the most recent statistics
available from the National Center for Health Statistics, part
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): - In
2008, 4,247,694 babies were born in the US. this was a 2 percent
drop from 2007. - The mean age for women having their first baby
in 2008 is 25.1 years, compared with 25.2 in 2003. - Birth rates
for women 35 to 39 are 46.9 births per 1,000 women, and 9.8
births per 1,000 for women 40 to 44. The birth rate for women 40
to 44 is the the highest in four decades. - The birth rate for
teenagers ages 15 to 19 years increased 5 percent between 2005
and 2007. 2008 saw a 2 percent decrease when compared to 2007.
The current rate for this age group is 41.5 per 1,000 births. -
In 2008, the twin birth rate was 32.6 twin births per 1,000
women. - The preterm birth rate (less than 37 weeks in the womb)
was 12.3 percent in 2008. - Cesarean deliveries accounted for
32.3 percent of all births in 2008. 2008 is the 12th consecutive
year in w