Cesarean delivery may increase kids' asthma risk

Babies born by Cesarean section may have a moderately increased risk of developing asthma compared with those born naturally, Norwegian researchers report after investigating this link in a population-wide study.

Dr. Mette C. Tollanes, of the University of Bergen, in Norway, and colleagues looked at the modes of delivery among more than 1.7 million single births reported to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway between 1967 and 1998. They used registry data from Norway's National Insurance Scheme to determine the number of children who, through the age of 18 or the year 2002, developed severe asthma.

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Caesareans and The Fear of Pushing

via Times Online (UK) Far from being “too posh to push”, it is the psychological fear of childbirth among first-time mothers that is behind the high rate of elective Caesarean sections, a significant study says. The findings showed that almost 44 per cent of women who requested a Caesarean had a “clinically significant fear of childbirth” as a result of negative feedback from friends and family who have had natural deliveries. The report, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, revealed that despite medical advances in pain relief, fear of normal deliveries remained high. It urged more compassion and less criticism of women who avoid going through labour. Full Article