Pre-term Labor: C-sections Are Not Always Best
Mary Walton Jenkins
Virginia College
Are C-sections really the best choice of delivery for pre-term babies? A cesarean section, or “C-section,” is the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the mother's abdomen and uterus. One-third of all births in the US are performed by C-sections. Doctors have long assumed that Cesarean sections might be the best choice for babies that will be born preterm. Although, new studies show that C-sections are no safer than vaginal delivery for the most fragile of infants. In fact, C-sections might lead to a greater risk of respiratory problems and other complications in these infants, according to a report (Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, …show more content…
However, as a surgical procedure, there are detrimental risks of complications of this choice of delivery. Abuse and overuse of C-sections can be harmful to both mothers and newborns. Although the desirable population-chosen cesarean section delivery rate is almost impossible to know, “the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that national rates not exceed 10 to 15 cesarean deliveries per 100 live births” (Moore, 1985). “Despite this, cesarean delivery rates in many countries are substantially higher” (Ye, Betrán, Vela, Souza, & Zhang, …show more content…
Fear of birth, or tokophobia, is a common reason for electing to give birth by C-section. This is supposed to be a life-saving procedure, used only when life-threatening complications of labor arise.
Although the lives of millions of mothers and infants have been saved by C-sections, this type of surgical delivery comes with increasingly high costs. Maternal risks include hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, sepsis and death, as well as jeopardized breastfeeding and skin-to-skin bonding. C-sections’ neonate risks cause serious complications regarding respiratory, metabolic, gastrointestinal and immune function. “Finally, there is increasing evidence for epigenetic changes with C-sections, suggesting that it may not be just the mother and infant who are affected by surgical deliveries, but there may be transgenerational effects” (Almgren, et al., 2014).
In conclusion, C-sections may not be the best choice for delivery. As discussed above, life-hindering risks of the mother and newborn could very possibly outweigh the benefit, or reason, so many people are, now optionally, choosing this delivery form. Should this really be optional? Maybe it should be required, as a last option, which is how it was intended to
Mary Walton Jenkins
Virginia College
Are C-sections really the best choice of delivery for pre-term babies? A cesarean section, or “C-section,” is the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the mother's abdomen and uterus. One-third of all births in the US are performed by C-sections. Doctors have long assumed that Cesarean sections might be the best choice for babies that will be born preterm. Although, new studies show that C-sections are no safer than vaginal delivery for the most fragile of infants. In fact, C-sections might lead to a greater risk of respiratory problems and other complications in these infants, according to a report (Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, …show more content…
However, as a surgical procedure, there are detrimental risks of complications of this choice of delivery. Abuse and overuse of C-sections can be harmful to both mothers and newborns. Although the desirable population-chosen cesarean section delivery rate is almost impossible to know, “the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that national rates not exceed 10 to 15 cesarean deliveries per 100 live births” (Moore, 1985). “Despite this, cesarean delivery rates in many countries are substantially higher” (Ye, Betrán, Vela, Souza, & Zhang, …show more content…
Fear of birth, or tokophobia, is a common reason for electing to give birth by C-section. This is supposed to be a life-saving procedure, used only when life-threatening complications of labor arise.
Although the lives of millions of mothers and infants have been saved by C-sections, this type of surgical delivery comes with increasingly high costs. Maternal risks include hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, sepsis and death, as well as jeopardized breastfeeding and skin-to-skin bonding. C-sections’ neonate risks cause serious complications regarding respiratory, metabolic, gastrointestinal and immune function. “Finally, there is increasing evidence for epigenetic changes with C-sections, suggesting that it may not be just the mother and infant who are affected by surgical deliveries, but there may be transgenerational effects” (Almgren, et al., 2014).
In conclusion, C-sections may not be the best choice for delivery. As discussed above, life-hindering risks of the mother and newborn could very possibly outweigh the benefit, or reason, so many people are, now optionally, choosing this delivery form. Should this really be optional? Maybe it should be required, as a last option, which is how it was intended to