Surgery “Caesar” Forever Not Good for Babies

Cesarean section is one of the preferred method of delivery that could pose risks for both mother and baby. But not a few who still assume that the method is safe and will not trigger a particular health risk for infants.

A recent research reveals that cesarean delivery remains a very risky procedure, especially infants. Even cesarean was also considered not much help premature babies that are categorized as small for gestational age (SGA) or the size and weight of his body below the average. Research in the United States said that SGA infants born through Caesarean documented cases higher than the respiratory distress syndrome of premature infants born vaginally (normal).

Deputy medical director of the March of Dimes advocacy agency, Diane Ashton, MD, MPH, said the findings reverse the belief all along that have little risk of cesarean delivery or even pose a risk to infant health. The results are also consistent with the mission of the March of Dimes is urging the medical staff to end the practice of unnecessary labor before the pregnancy reaches 39 weeks.
“Although in many instances, cesarean is medically necessary for the health of the baby or the mother, research suggests that in some cases this may not be useful for some babies,” said Ashton.

Research published in the 32nd Annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting was chaired by Erika F. Werner, MD, MS, assistant professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in collaboration with Heather S.Lipkind, MD, MS, assistant professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

In the study, researchers conducted a review of birth certificate with a total of 2560 infants small size and weight who were born prematurely. A cesarean birth process is generally performed on infants who were diagnosed with intrauterine growth retardation who did not develop normally in the womb.
Dr. Werner and his team found that infants who underwent a cesarean section has not yet entered the age of 34 weeks’ gestation have chance 30 percent higher risk of experiencing respiratory distress syndrome than babies born vaginally at the same gestational age.

High rate of premature birth (before 37 weeks), still a serious health problem and a huge cost in the United States, more than 26 billion U.S. Dollars per year, according to the Institute of Medicine report, 2006. It is the leading cause of newborn death, and one million babies worldwide die each year as a result of premature birth.

While the baby is able to survive, most often face lifelong health problems, such as respiratory problems, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and others.

Researchers from The March of Dimes says, if the conditions of a healthy pregnancy and no complications that require early birth, women should wait until the time of delivery came by itself, or at least until 39 weeks gestation.

Why? berangapan researchers that many important organs infants, such as the brain and lungs, which were not fully developed at the perfect age below 39 weeks gestation.