ICAN of Buffalo in Tonawanda News

A story about ICAN of Buffalo! Click here.

Most of my friends and family assume that, since I had a C-section when Cameran was born, I already have a repeat Cesarean scheduled for Little Wahler No. 2’s impending birth.

Sure, it seems convenient. Go in at 7 a.m., start the meds, have the operation, and be back in the mother-baby unit before “The Today Show” is over. I could pick the day even: Do I want a St. Patrick’s Day baby? A first-day-of-Spring baby? Don’t pick March 15 — you know, the whole “Ides of March” thing can’t bode well for babies born on that day.

Am I crazy for thinking that takes the fun out of the whole experience?

"DIY" Deliveries

ABC News reports on Unattended childbirth, also known as "Do it Yourself" delivery. Click here.

Caesareans 'may harm lung growth'

Caesareans 'may harm lung growth'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7137945.stm

Labour may help mature the lungs

Babies born by elective Caesarean section are much more likely to develop breathing problems, a Danish study examining 34,000 deliveries suggests.
Researchers found they were up to four times more likely to have respiratory problems than those born naturally, or by emergency Caesarean section.
The babies may miss out on hormonal and physiological changes during labour which help mature the lungs, they say.
The University of Aarhus study features in the British Medical Journal.

Cesareans: Twice the Risk

Excerpt from:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_56908.html
Reuters Health

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Compared with vaginal deliveries, cesarean deliveries have twice the risk of complications and deaths of both infants and mothers when the fetus is in the normal, head-down position, according to findings from a study conducted in Latin America.

However, if the fetus is turned around - in the breech position - the benefits of cesarean delivery outweigh the risks, Dr. Jose Villar, at the University of Oxford in the UK, and associates report in BMJ Online First.

[For what it's worth, and without having taken a look at this study yet but having read another study regarding the safety of breech births, I wonder how many of the deliveries had care providers who were trained in breech births? There is a technique to this, but many OBs are no longer trained in how to handle this, which may segregate the "safe" breech births from the "risky" ones...]

The rising rates of cesarean deliveries in recent years are not explained by any clear benefits to the baby or mother, the authors note. "There is therefore an urgent need to provide women and care providers with information on the potential individual risks and benefits associated with cesarean delivery."


SOURCE: BMJ Online First, October 31, 2007.


Reuters Health