Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Baby Development – C Sections May Be Responsible for Some Early Births

06.20.2008 | 1:06:13 pm | Posted by mummums

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

Women often don’t plan to have a cesarean section (C-section) as their method of delivering a baby, yet nearly a third of US babies are born via C section. The steadily increasing number of C-section babies has health care professionals scratching their heads.

baby development, parenting One could certainly wonder if this procedure is truly medically necessary in such a large number of cases. A recent study finds C-sections may be a contributing to babies being born too early. Premature babies are at risk feeding and breathing disorders, delayed brain development, and other health problems.

The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the March of Dimes. Examining single births from 1996 to 2004, researchers found an increase of 10% of premature births or 60,000 babies. Of that percent increase, 92% were delivered cesarean. The majority were “late preterm”, meaning the babies were born after 34-37 weeks gestation whereas full term births reach 38-42 weeks.

The fastest growing subgroup of preterm births, late preterm babies, makes up about 70% of all births in the US. Although these babies are close to full term, they are still at risk of serious health problems being born too early. C-sections are far more common and often a precautionary measure in multiple births, which is why the study focused on single births only.

Since medical records do not often illuminate why c-sections are done, researchers say it may be too soon to say if prematurity can solely be blamed on c-sections. The caesarian rates have continued to climb rising from 21% in 1996 to 30% in 2005. The college of obstetrics strongly advises that induction of labor or c-sections should not be performed prior to 39 weeks. However, doctors are often between a rock and a hard place because patients sometimes pressure doctors for a c-section due to discomfort. There is often a risk of early late preterm births with c-sections because estimated due dates are not 100% accurate.

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