Spit-up On My Shoulder

If you are considering an elective cesarean section, please read the following information from the January 2007 issue of Discovery Magazine:

Cesareans Boost Death Risk for Baby

A study of nearly 6 million low-risk births has found that the neonatal mortality rate for delivery by cesarean section is nearly three times the rate for vaginal delivery: 1.77 deaths per 1,000 live births via cesearean, as opposed to 0.62 deaths per 1,000 for vaginal delivery. By limiting their survey to full-term pregnancies with no complications, Marian MacDorman, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues eliminated the influence of medically necessary cesareans. While it’s not clear why vaginal birth is safer for infants, previous studies suggest that hormones released during labor may help prepare babies to breathe outside the womb. In 2004, C-sections accounted for nearly 30 percent of American births.