If you haven’t heard the news, it turns out music megastar Beyonce didn’t have a cesarean (a.k.a. C-section) after all. But now that the rumor mill has stopped moving, people are still talking about this method of baby delivery, according to Time magazine. In fact, the rates of C-sections only recently slightly declined, marking the first drop in 10 years.

Babies delivered by C-section are scooped out through a surgical incision in their mother’s abdomen and uterus. This special delivery birth is usually scheduled in advance or done in response to an unforeseen complication.

Time also reported that the abdominal surgery associated with cesareans is often associated with higher cost of delivery and with more moms being hospitalized. As a result, doctors have cautioned mothers-to-be to avoid elective cesareans when possible, and physicians opt for one only if it is in the best interest of the mother’s or infant’s health.

For those moms who decide to give birth by C-section, new studies show it’s better for them to wait until 39 weeks rather than 37 weeks to have their baby. Why? Because docs now know that babies continue to growth and develop straight through their last weeks in the womb.

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