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C-section Linked to Respiratory Problems
 A new study shows newborns delivered by Cesarean section are more likely to develop serious respiratory problems than babies who are delivered vaginally.
Researchers from the Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago studied more than 25,000 women over a period 7 years. Women were separated into groups according to delivery method: Elective Cesarean, vaginal deliveries, and non-elective cesarean. Researchers found that of the more than 4,300 C-sections that were performed, 34 newborns showed respiratory distress and 17 had to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. There were more than 21,000 vaginal childbirths only 17 of these babies had persistent respiratory problems.
Although the cause of the increased incidence of respiratory distress among newborns delivered by C-section is unknown, researchers think the action of labour contractions and the physical squeeze through the birth canal may have a positive respiratory benefit for newborns born naturally.
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