Cesarean may be best for preemies
Introduction
While some research has linked c-sections to short and long-term health issues, if you go into labor early it may be the safest way to deliver your preemie…
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C-section safest for early birth
Recent figures show that 30.2% of US births are cesarean deliveries and it’s a hot topic for debate among moms, doctors, midwives and governments. While there’s no doubt that in many cases cesareans save the lives of thousands of women and babies if complications arise ahead of or during labor, or you or your baby have health issues that make a long labor and vaginal delivery unsafe, the surgery isn’t risk-free – and some research has linked it to a higher incidence of asthma among children.
However, a new study makes clear one are where it may be the best and safest option for your baby – if he’s born early. The study, carried out the University of Texas, suggests that delivery by cesarean may improve the survival rate of the most premature babies – those delivered at 22-25 weeks of pregnancy.
On examining the outcomes after both vaginal and cesarean deliveries in cases where infants were born prematurely, Dr Michael Malloy found that a c-section made all the difference when it came to the survival of babies born at 22-25 weeks (a normal full-term pregnancy is anything from 39-42 weeks).
In babies born at 22 weeks, the risk of dying was 42% lower with c-section than with normal vaginal delivery. For delivery at 23, 24, and 25 weeks of pregnancy, the odds of infant death were 48%, 28% and 19% lower with c-section. The study findings were independent of several risk factors that indicate a need for cesarean section. More than 80% percent of the women that delivered from 22 to 31 weeks had at least one risk factor for cesarean delivery, including multiple birth, breech presentation, fetal defect, and medical or labor complication.
Study author Dr Malloy notes that a c-section may improve survival among these tiniest and most vulnerable babies, but adds a cautionary note: “Consideration of the neuron-developmental risks associated with survival at this early age and consideration of the maternal costs of cesarean section also must be taken into account.”
The study is published in the August 2008 issue of Pediatrics.
Supernanny Team
Related Links
- Cesarean babies at high risk of asthma Research suggests that babies born by c-section are twice as likely to develop asthma…
- Premature birth on the rise The rate of preterm births has risen steadily over the last two decades…
- Cesarean birth Recent figures show that 30.2% of US births are cesarean deliveries, and it’s a hot topic for debate among moms, doctors, midwives and governments. But while cesareans save the lives of thousands of women and babies, the surgery isn’t risk-free…
- What happens in a cesarean Whether you’re having a planned cesarean or have run into complications during natural childbirth, it’s worth understanding what’s involved in this common operation.