Yahoo Lifestyle 
Do women who have c-sections have less healthy babies?
Over 30 per cent of babies in Australia come into the world via a caesarean section every year. And though the decision to have one can be made under a lot of stress and on the fly, it’s a relatively safe, low-risk surgery for both mum and baby.
But that may not be the case when it comes to the longterm health risks. A new paper published in the British Medical Journal points this out, referencing numerous studies that found an association between caesarean delivery and chronic health problems such as obesity, asthma, and diabetes.
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“There’s a lot of information about health problems that can happen right after a C-section, but there’s little follow-up looking into the health of C-section babies over time,” Dr Jan Blustein, professor at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a co-author of the paper, tells Yahoo Parenting. “We found observational studies that show a variety of health outcomes, suggesting that C-section babies may be predisposed to certain health issues.”
How does a c-section set a baby up for health issues down the line? It may have less to do with the surgery itself and more about the benefit of vaginal delivery. “It’s thought that by traveling through the vagina to be born, babies are exposed to all the healthy bacteria in their mother’s vagina, and that has immune-system benefits,” Dr Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of ob-gyn at Yale School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Parenting. Caesarean babies don’t get this exposure, so they may be less protected against illness.
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It’s important to note that Bluestein’s paper only looked at studies that show correlation; it doesn’t prove that being born via a caesarean is the cause of the health problems — which may be because less healthy women are more likely to have caesareans in the first place. The paper calls for more research, so doctors and midwives can inform expectant moms who are considering having an elective C-section about any risks.
But that begs the question: why are so many women having elective C-sections in the first place? According to a report from the Royal and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), at least four per cent of caesareans are elective. The rates are much higher in other countries around the world. In China, about 20 per cent of C-sections are elective, as are 50 per cent in Brazil.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization recommends that 15 per cent of deliveries should be via the surgeon’s scalpel, reports the paper. That’s because of side effects, such as an increased risk of placenta problems during a woman’s next pregnancy. Also, after a C-section, 90 per cent of women have a caesarean for their next deliveries. Repeat C-sections pose much more of a health risk than the initial one, says Minkin.
“If a baby or mother is in jeopardy, of course a C-section is warranted,” says Minkin. “But only an idiot would have a purely elective C-section when she and her baby are in no danger.”
This article originally appeared on Yahoo Parenting
