Population characteristics during the period under investigation. All figures are means (SD) or percentages
| Year 1 n=4471 | Year 2 n=4415 | Year 3 n=4402 | Year 4 n=4602 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *p<0.001, | ||||
| †p<0.02. | ||||
| Maternal age* | 27.29 (5.32) | 27.34 (5.38) | 27.62 (5.38) | 27.81 (5.50) |
| Gestation | 39.33 (2.20) | 39.34 (2.29) | 39.36 (2.01) | 39.34 (2.03) |
| Birth weight | 3303 (598) | 3321 (606) | 3330 (591) | 3323 (580) |
| Presence of doctor at delivery* | 35.9% | 32.0% | 24.5% | 22.5% |
| Doctor attended after delivery | 4.2% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| Non-rotational forceps* | 6.2% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| Kielland’s forceps† | 0.40% | 0.43% | 0.23% | 0.17% |
| Ventouse extraction* | 2.7% | 3.1% | 6.0% | 5.4% |
| Breech ± forceps | 0.78% | 1.27% | 0.86% | 0.89% |
| Elective caesarean* | 6.6% | 6.6% | 5.7% | 4.6% |
| Emergency caesarean* | 10.3% | 9.3% | 8.8% | 7.3% |
| Meconium vaginal delivery* | 3.0% | 5.6% | 6.0% | 6.3% |
| 1 min Apgar | 8.4 (1.4) | 8.6 (1.2) | 8.5 (1.3) | 8.4 (1.3) |
| Moderate or severe early neonatal encephalopathy | 7 (0.16%) | 1 (0.02%) | 4 (0.09%) | 6 (0.13%) |
| Convulsions* | 22 (0.49%) | 15 (0.34%) | 11 (0.25%) | 5 (0.11%) |
| Meconium aspiration syndrome | 5 (0.11%) | 8 (0.18%) | 4 (0.09%) | 10 (0.22%) |