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Serious respiratory problems requiring artificial ventilation are five times more common among babies delivered by C-section, according to the study, which was reported by the Society for Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine in Werne, Germany.
'Stress hormone plays a role'
The data used in the study showed that every tenth child delivered by C-section in the 37th week of pregnancy had an increased struggle to breath. "This probably arises from the absence of a rise in catecholamines," said professor Dieter Koehler of the scientific committee of the society.
This stress hormone is released by the mother during a normal birth due to the labour pains. It ensures that less fluid gets into the lungs of the child and, at the same time, generates a material that dilates the pulmonary alveoli.
The findings show that a C-section should be undertaken only when medically necessary, Koehler said. The study analysed data from about 35 000 children born between the 37th and 41st week of pregnancy. About 2 700 of those births were C-section deliveries. – (Sapa)
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