Finally some good news on c-sections!

For years, many doctors have insisted that vaginal delivery is too traumatic for small, premature babies. They believed it put the babies at greater risk for hemorrhages, seizures, or sepsis, and routinely scheduled c-sections instead. However, researchers from Johns Hopkins will hopefully turn this practice on its ear. By studying the records of over 2,500 preemies born in New York City between 1995 and 2003, it was discovered that c-sections actually put these babies at 30% greater risk for respiratory distress syndrome. This fact is not just significant for the period immediately following birth, but may impact these children for life with conditions like asthma, cerebral palsy, and developmental disabilities. Not only did the vaginally birthed babies have healthier respiratory systems, but they were also found to be at no greater risk for the other conditions as previously thought. Dr. Erika Werner, who led the study, and Dr. Diane Ashton, deputy director for the March of Dimes, both encourage doctors toward vaginal deliveries expect in cases where the lives of mothers or babies are in imminent danger. These are important findings at a time when America's c-section rate is over 32%, and the number of premature births remains too high. Notwithstanding the physical and emotional toll to these babies and their families, a 2006 report from the Institute of Medicine estimated that the health issues arising from preterm birth costs America over $26 billion annually.

To quell the continual increase of c-sections, it's important that medical necessity be more clearly defined. It is also essential that medical professionals stop scheduling surgeries simply for their own convenience or that of the mother. Members of the "too-posh-to-push" generation are risking their lives and those of their babies. C-sections carry numerous risks for both mothers and infants including: breathing problems, surgical injuries, infections, increased bleeding, and more. The World Health Organization has long said the rate should be no higher than 10 - 15% for any country. Maybe an even better model is that of The Farm, a birthing community run by famed midwife Ina May Gaskin in Tennessee. With over 2,000 mainly anaesthesia-free births in the past 35 years, c-section rates there remain below 2%. Maybe they deserve the next study.