Archive for C-section
C-section increases risk of hospital care in childhood for asthma, gastroenteritis
While these results may seem confusing at first, recall that a newborn’s first exposure to beneficial bacteria is through the vaginal vault during delivery (provided that the mother has not undergone antibiotic therapy anytime in the past that may have destroyed or upset local flora in the vaginal vault). This exposure sets in motion a series of processes that help the developing child’s immune system mature properly.
CAESAREAN SECTION CAUSE UNEXPLAINED STILLBIRTH IN PREGNANCY – (12-22-03)
Posted by: | CommentsCaesarean section and risk of unexplained stillbirth in subsequent pregnancy
The rate of C-sections here in the US is much higher than in other developed countries. I used to work in a pathology lab, and the number of placentas from C-sections was always much higher on Fridays and before holidays. Well, anytime man interveres with Mother Nature there is a price to pay. Here we seeing a doubling of the risk of stillbirth in women who had a previous C-section.
The Journal : Back Issues.
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CAESAREAN SECTION AND ASTHMA – (12-19-05)
Posted by: | CommentsCaesarean section delivery and the risk of allergic disorders in childhood
Probably one of the single most important things we can focus on in a newborn up to 2 yrs of age (other than, of course, breastfeeding and good maternal nutrition…) is maintaining a healthy normal bacterial flora. This starts from the passage down the birth canal and is obviously disrupted during C-section birth. Should it not be ob/gyn obligations to warn new mothers of C-sections babies what improper acquisition of normal flora may do to their newborn?
Also, while this study showed an association between C-section birth and asthma, I’m sure the association would’ve been much stronger if we compared C-section birth to vaginal births from mother’s with high levels of lactobacillis in the vaginal vault (i.e. mom never received antibiotics, is prone to yeast infections, etc…).
PLANNED CESAREAN VERSUS PLANNED VAGINAL DELIVERY AT TERM – (07-23-07)
Posted by: | CommentsPlanned cesarean versus planned vaginal delivery at term: Comparison of newborn infant outcomes
It is well accepted that Westernized societies perform way too many C-sections. In many cases it has been a matter of convenience. Even 14 yrs ago, working in histology at a local hospital, the number of placentas we had to evaluate in the pathology department (hence…the number of C-sections performed) were much higher on Fridays and before holidays.
While the results of this study should come as no surprise, it finds that the rates of certain complications doubled in the planned C-section group. Does this mean the pregnancy was more complicated from the start, or that, for some of these woman/doctor pairs, that the medicalization of the birth was just a reflection of the whole pregnancy. But, in their defense, what the heck does Mother Nature know about birth anyway???
COMPLICATIONS OF LABOR INDUCTION AMONG MULTIPAROUS WOMEN – (02-25-08)
Posted by: | CommentsComplications of labor induction among multiparous women in a community-based hospital system
Not that I’d recommend arguing with a woman in labor, but…. There is quite a bit of evidence that the more we try to intervene in pregnancy, the more problems we create. I just never understand where medicine developed the gall to think we could do it better than Mother Nature. Granted, there are cases where medical intervention can save both the baby’s and mom’s lives. But that’s not what we’re talking about here.
In today’s hospitals, the induction of labor is almost a given, and yet, we see in this study that not only does it increase the risk of having a C-section by 37%, but it also extends labor!! So…try to shorten labor with medication and you actually make it worse.
