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.
I would almost bet the research was funded by the corporations running most of nation's hospitals to help increase the costs of deliveries especially those of illegals and the government (taxpayer) gets fleeced again.
The birthing process kneads and massages a baby's lungs during labor. Children born vaginally after several hours of labor are less likely to have asthma and other lung issues than children born by C-section or after very short labors.
The arrogance of some in the medical (and legal) field(s) is/are breathtaking!
Like the baby formula people trying to come up with recipes 'better' than breast milk!
LOL...I was in my library and saw DVD's of the first season of "I Dream of Genie"...I had to check it out and watch it...
It is kind of semi-funny...although in the first episode, you could nearly see her crotch when she comes out of a room wearing one of his shirts, and apparently nothing else under it (what they wanted you to think)
She was an attractive woman, but I understand she is a major lib.
"Given the brain hasn't wired itself for much of anything at this point, "
You are clueless. The brain is a fully functioning organ at birth and for that matter, also prior to birth. The brain is simply waiting for inputs to store as memory and to fine-tune sensory-motor functions.
Carolyn
Sorry, but pathways for all sorts of things are NOT there at birth, but develop over time as the child learns. Its an organ yes, but its not wired at all for much of what it will spend its life doing.
There are pathways at birth for some things, but not remotely the complex tasks it will spend its life doing. It hasn't even finished wiring itself for voluntary movement at birth, let alone the other things.
The idea vaginal births are doing damage to a baby in the general sense is nonsense... our species would have died out long ago if it had.
Doctors have also been known to use forceps on a child's head to pull it out. Had a nurse friend who said she was once very upset by this, when the doctor did it out of impatience to play golf.
"I'm going with God."
The God who created me unable to make my own vitamin C, while my dog makes hers? Or designed me for back problems? Or gave me a useless appendix that can rupture and kill me? No thanks.
My son's a type 1 diabetic. My daughter's feet are both deformed due to a birth defect. I couldn't have natural labor with either of my children and almost died delivering my son because my body can't produce cortisol.
I don't know the answer to this question, but I know that He does.
The God who created me unable to make my own vitamin C, while my dog makes hers? Or designed me for back problems? Or gave me a useless appendix that can rupture and kill me? No thanks.
The god who gave you oranges?
The god who gave you the ability to exercise?
the god who gave you problems to overcome?
Yea, that one.
The idea about the brain not being wired for much at birth is common knowledge from about the 1950's. Babies are born already recognizing their parents' voices and are, within a few days of birth, already manipulating adults with their cries.
Used a "baby plunger" on mine ( vacuum assisted pump hooked to suction cup ) that left a visible deformity in the head.
I remember thinking. Huh. If that doesn't fix itself I figure they can grow hair over it.
Kids doing fine now and is quite intelligent so I figure it was OK.
Still odd to see your brand new kids head marked with a tool...................
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Yes, but fascinating science.
As was illustrated some weeks ago by Britney Spears.
For medical reasons only...
Uh no. Sorry.
There was a family on Fox and Friends this morning with their new born second child.
The baby was born at home, on the kitchen floor.
The Mother's water broke, and three minutes later the baby was completely out.
I think it is a record.
Wrong. There are far more neurons laid down in the brain of a baby than there are in children and adults. As the brain matures, the unnecessary neurons die off. You should study more.
It isn't a matter of quantity, it's a matter of establishing the pathways -- essentially turning on the lights.
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