New guidelines released by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine say that mothers will have to labor for at least two hours before they can opt to delivery via Caesarean section, while first-time mothers need to push for at least three hours. The guidelines also detailed methods that encourage and assist vaginal birth, in light of medical professionals' fears that increased incidence of Caesarean births could mean that doctors and patients are taking the "easy" way out.
