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U.S. births increased last year for the first time in seven years, according to federal figures released Tuesday that offer the latest indication the pandemic baby bust was smaller than expected. American women had about 3.66 million babies in 2021, up 1% from the prior year, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. It was the first increase since 2014. The rebound spanned age groups, with birthrates rising for every cohort of women age 25 and older. (Adamy and DeBarros, 5/24)

But there were still about 86,000 fewer births last year than in 2019, according to a government report released Tuesday. “We’re still not returning to pre-pandemic levels,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine. U.S. births had been declining for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, and “I would expect that we would continue to see small, modest decreases,” she said. (Stobbe, 5/24)

Overall, rates of c-sections -- including those for low-risk deliveries -- continued upward trends. Nearly a third (32%) of all deliveries and more than a quarter (26%) of low-risk deliveries were c-sections. Preterm birth rates also increased in 2021. About 10.5% of infants were born at less than 37 weeks gestation, the highest that rate has been since at least 2007. Rates of c-section and preterm birth were disproportionately high for Black women, the provisional data shows. (McPhillips, 5/24)