Big Win for Moms and Babies: Lutheran Hospital Celebrates 29% Reduction in First Time Cesarean Births
2/16/2026
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Lutheran Hospital Women’s and Children’s Services Department is proud to share a big success: a 29% reduction in first-time mom cesareans from 2024-2025. That means more moms were able to have natural births, which often means faster recovery, fewer complications, and healthier babies.
C-sections can be necessary in some cases, but for healthy pregnancies, avoiding surgery is often better for both mom and baby. This progress supports national goals to lower unnecessary C-sections and promote safer, more natural birth experiences.
“This achievement shows the amazing work our team is doing,” said Kelli Tuttle, MSN RN, director of women’s and children’s services at Lutheran Hospital. “For our patients, this means they can focus on their new baby and head home sooner, feeling physically stronger and more confident as they begin their journey to parenthood. By supporting the natural labor process and using evidence based techniques, we’ve seen mothers experience the shorter recovery times and lower risk of infection that come with vaginal births.”
Why This Matters To Families:
- Faster healing after birth
- Lower risk of infections and complications
- Better bonding and breastfeeding for baby
- Shorter hospital stays and lower costs
What Made This Possible:
- Better education for expecting moms about labor and delivery
- Reviewed the use of cervical ripening agents
- Sent several staff members to “Spinning Babies” classes to learn positioning techniques
- Training staff to use natural movement and positions during labor, invested in labor pools to help with relaxation and discomfort
- Increased use of tools like wireless monitors and peanut balls that help with labor
- Provided multiple non-medication relaxation techniques opinions like lighting, sound and aromatherapy
- Encouraging moms to move around during labor
- Implemented a nurse navigator program to provide potential patients with one point of contact that they can text or call with any questions during their pregnancy, delivery or recovery
Lutheran Hospital’s C-section rate for first time births dropped from 23.1 in 2024 to 16.5 in 2025.
“We want every family to feel safe and supported through their birth experience and we are proud to be leaders in a movement that puts the long-term safety and recovery of the mother at the forefront of every delivery,” said Dr. Sarah Turner, of Lutheran Health Physicians.
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