Cesarean Section Can Cause Lung Issues in Babies
Schedule it for 39 weeks of pregnancy!

This is turning into a birth choice. Cesarean sections keep the "toy" intact and remove many
risks and complications. But, here comes the warning signal: it can make babies vulnerable
to breathing issues, up to four times more than those born naturally. These are the results
of a Danish research at University of Aarhus, carried on 34,000 cases and published in the
"British Medical Journal", which guesses this is due to hormonal and physiological changes
during labor, involved in the maturing of the lungs.
In western countries, over 25 % of the births occur now through C-sections, while the World
Health Organization recommends that this number should not pass over 15 %. About 50 %
of them are not emergencies, but elective Cesareans, even if an Oxford University research
revealed that women are four times more likely to die in childbirth during a C-section, than
during natural birth.
The Danish research took in consideration factors like the mother's age, weight, smoking or
drinking during pregnancy. Not only the risk of respiratory issues in the case of elective
Cesarean section was higher, but it was growing the earlier the Cesarean was made.
The risk was 4 times higher in the case of a 37 weeks pregnancy, 3 times for 38 weeks,
and twice at 39 weeks of pregnancy. For 37 weeks category, 10% of babies born through
elective Cesarean section had respiratory issues, compared with 2.8% of those born
naturally or through emergency C-section.
The number was 5.1% for 38 weeks elective Cesarean babies, compared to 1.7% of those
born naturally or by emergency Cesarean, and 2.1% for those born through elective
C-section at 39 weeks, compared to 1.1% for those born naturally or through emergency
C-section at 39 weeks. It appears that scheduling elective C-sections until 39 weeks
pregnancy significantly decreases the risk of respiratory issues.
"It is plausible that hormonal and physiological changes associated with labor are
necessary for lung maturation in neonates and that these changes may not occur in infants
delivered by elective Cesarean sections", wrote the researchers.