C-section Risk Breathing Problems for Babies

Filed in archive Pregnancy on December 13, 2007

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According to a study conducted in Aarhus University Hospital, denmark, children born by non-emergency Cesarean Section are four times more likely to have breathing problems than those born normally. The reason/s behind it are still unclear, although

The process of labour triggers the release of stress hormones in the mother, which are passed on to the foetus and are thought to be key in maturing the baby's water-filled lungs.

C-sections done at the 37th week had a "nearly fourfold increased risk of breathing difficulties", threefold increase at 38 weeks and a doubled risk at 39th.