From MSNBC.com:  It appears that three out of every 10 U.S. mother gives birth via C-section, and many may be choosing a surgical birth even when it's not warranted.  Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health began a three-day meeting to determine if mothers are getting all the facts about the risks and benefits of a pre-planned Cesarean section birth.

"We all have noticed that women are asking for Caesareans more often. I don't think they always have the best information in making that decision," said Dr. Cathy Spong, pregnancy chief at NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

In contrast, Linda Dyson, a New York public relations executive whose first baby was born by a medically necessary C-section but chose to have her second child the same way, said, "At the end of the day it should be the mother's decision.  Honestly for me, I thought a C-section was safer."

Barbara Stratton of Baltimore, disagrees:  "I don't believe that any women should go through this major surgery unnecessarily." Stratton had undergone a C-section that apparently left her in pain for months.