Posted on 01/30/2007 7:42:33 AM PST by presidio9
About a quarter of babies born in vaginal deliveries had a small amount of bleeding in their brains, while none delivered by Caesarean section did, according to a study published on Tuesday.
But the researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill said it was premature to view their surprising findings as an endorsement of C-sections.
They said the findings suggest brain bleeding in some newborns has been commonplace in vaginal deliveries throughout history, but is being detected now only because of highly sophisticated imaging technology.
"There's no evidence that these bleeds are associated with problems in later life in either mental or physical function or ability," said Dr. Honor Wolfe, an obstetrician involved in the study published in the journal Radiology.
Pressure on the baby's skull while squeezing through the birth canal probably causes the bleeding, said Dr. John Gilmore, a psychiatry professor involved in the study.
The study involved a relatively small number of babies.
The researchers used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging on 88 newborns, with equal numbers of boys and girls, an average of two weeks after birth. Of them, 65 were delivered vaginally and 23 by C-section, in which the baby is surgically delivered through the mother's abdomen.
Seventeen babies delivered vaginally -- 26 percent -- had bleeding in and around the brain, called intracranial hemorrhages. Most was located in the lower, rear part of the brain. Not one C-section baby had bleeding.
"While the vast majority of these are probably normal and go away and don't cause any problems, some of them were bigger and, we don't know, but may cause problems down the line as well," Gilmore said.
Small bleeds usually heal harmlessly, but larger ones could lead later in life to learning or motor development problems or seizures.
Gilmore said the researchers will see the children again at ages 1 and 2 to see if they have any enduring problems.
Wolfe said no studies have found C-sections offer long-term advantages to children, adding they are less safe for the mother than vaginal deliveries.
C-sections are favored when doctors think vaginal delivery could cause medical complications, but have become increasingly common for what would be considered normal births. Thirty percent of U.S. births in 2005 were by C-section.
The researchers said the bleeding was unrelated to the baby's size or head circumference, the length of labor or the use of forceps or vacuum during delivery.
Bones in a newborn's skull are not yet fused, allowing them to shift and overlap as the baby exits the birth canal -- a process that can compress the brain or tear blood vessels, causing bleeding, Gilmore said.
Most were small amounts of bleeding between the brain and the membrane that covers it inside the skull, called subdural hematomas.
A previous British study found 10 percent of babies in vaginal deliveries had brain bleeding. The sharpness of the imaging in the new study may account for the higher rate, said Dr. Keith Smith, a radiologist in the study.
Given the brain hasn't wired itself for much of anything at this point, and the fact its been going on since our species began, I'm going so say.. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and has ZERO impact on childs development.
Great. Now we get more chicks with C-section scars. Damnit. I dig smooth midrifts.
Don't worry, the scar is considerably below the midriff (which you spell very oddly).
There is even a chance that it benefits somehow. (Though it's not something to hope for, not knowing why exactly...)
Our doctor noted that this is how the brain "kick-starts" itself. In the 90's there were many studies show how natural birth children tended to be "smarter" then C-section births.
In related news, John Edwards has temporarily suspended his presidential campaign to further litigate the birthing process....
Which makes me wonder why on earth they spent the money on the study in the first place. Well, except for this telling little phrase:
"endorsement of C-sections"
I know that they are saying these results don't endorse c-sections yet. But to me, it's only a matter of time.
At least that's how it worked on me. My mother-in-law had a vertical rather than a horizontal incision, but that was many years ago.
Ladies, young women are wearing low riders these days. The midriff has expanded south.
This theory also states that many psychological problems can be attributed to the difficult birthing process.
Paging John Edwards ... Paging John Edwards ...
Lets pick:
The researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.
God.
I'm going with God.
>>Great. Now we get more chicks with C-section scars. Damnit. I dig smooth midrifts.<<
Just stick with virgins and you'll be fine...
Remember that Barbara Eden could not expose her navel on I Dream of Genie? It is amazing just how racy that outfit was back then.
It's only been going on since thereb have been Humans. So what?
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