Repeated Early C-Sections Can Increase Risks to Newborns, Study FInds
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In the first comprehensive study of the risks inherent in early Caesarean section deliveries, especially where they are repeated, results suggest a significant increased risk for the newborn, such as complications related to breathing.
According to the Washington Post:
The study of more than 24,000 full-term infants found that those delivered at 37 weeks to mothers who had elective repeat C-sections were about twice as likely as newborns delivered at the recommended 39 weeks to experience breathing problems, bloodstream infections and other complications. Babies born at 38 weeks were 50 percent more likely to have problems; the risk was about 20 percent higher just a few days early.
Such figures raise concern because of the significant increase in pre-scheduled “routine” C-sections. Health authorities have expressed “alarm” at the fact that after a period of rapid increase, C-sections now account for more than one-third of all births in the United States. Some health advocates or proponents of traditional birth say there are real biological benefits to labor and vaginal delivery.
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With multiple economic factors influencing the way in which pregnancy is approached from a medical standpoint, including the stresses generated through the medical malpractice insurance system, non-medical factors are thought to play a role in the shift toward routine C-section deliveries. The Post reports:
Although a pregnancy is considered full term after 37 weeks, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that elective repeat C-sections occur no earlier than 39 weeks to make sure the baby has fully developed. But some women opt to deliver a little earlier for a variety of reasons, including being eager to see their baby, being tired of pregnancy or for convenience.
More than half of repeat C-sections appear to be elective —”Of 24,077 women who gave birth through a repeat C-section between 1999 and 2002, 13,258 were clearly elective”—, and the trend concerns health officials who view non-medical decisions in delivery method as a potential cause of counter-medical reasoning, meaning that the procedures could increase, instead of reducing overall risks.
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