Who's having babies now, and how

15 surprising facts about birth in the United States
By the BabyCenter editorial staff

More than 4 million babies are born in the United States each year, and the details of how, when, and where they arrive are constantly shifting. The big news from the latest report on birth trends put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that women and men are waiting longer to start families, and fewer people are having babies -- the U.S. birth rate slid to an all-time low in 2002, the most recent year the CDC examined. (They're compliling data from 2003 now, but the final numbers aren't out yet -- and the big trends haven't changed.)

There's good news: More expectant moms are avoiding tobacco smoke and seeking early prenatal care. Numbers of high-risk multiple births are declining as fertility treatments improve. Teenage pregnancy rates are plummeting. For all the details, read on.

More