Benefits of Vaginal Birth for Baby?

[Freeman]

Hi there- I was thinking about this recently and trying to research on the web -- not coming up with too much. Besides chest compression (thereby expelling fluid from baby's lungs), what are the health benefits of a vaginal birth for the baby? Baby is able to nurse right away and have skin-to-skin contact? (That doesn't happen with a C-section, does it? Not sure, as I haven't had one). What else?

[Lauren31]

The hormones that are needed to labor and deliver the baby benefit the baby too. helps them breathe, feed, etc much quicker. Iguess I just think of it as thenatural way to do it, why not do it if you can, you know?

[HappyMommy2]

There is some kind of good bacteria that they get exposed to when they are born vaginally. Sorry I don't have the technical info on it, but I am sure another mama does!

[1babysmom]

I was going to say colonization, too, from coming down the vaginal canal.

[Cavy]

I know women who have breastfed immediately following CS, I wouldn't include that one.

But benefits of vaginal that I think can be included:
Lower maternal death rate and faster post-partum recovery (which both obv. benefit baby --sorry to mention something so morbid).

I think Breastfeeding rates are much better after vaginal births, too (I think you can find official stats to confirm that); I know someone who failed to succeed at breastfeeding precisely because of an infected CS wound (her body was totally drained battling it).

[ACsMom]

I had a c-section and the separation afterward caused her to miss her window and we had breastfeeding problems for about a month. I think that one depends on each individual circumstance, but I bet there's a statistic somewhere showing that breastfeeding rates are quite a bit higher with vaginal birth. I've also read what others have said: during vaginal birth there are a bunch of physiological processes that help the baby - lung compression, expulsion of fluid, beneficial hormones and bacterial transfer, decreased likelihood of blood-clotting problems. You would also think there would be a decreased incidence of any problem with the baby, as with a vaginal birth it's more likely the mother went into labor spontaneously (i.e. when the baby was ready).

[Bluegoat]

One of the factors with c-section and breastfeeding is that the hormones that cause the milk to come in are triggered by the hormones that are released at the end of the birth.

Also, those same hormones tend to facilitate bonding.

Babies after a section are often a little out of it, and not so alert and ready to feed and bond as a normally born baby, for a variety of other reasons - the drugs used, the fluid from the IV.

And recovering from a section is usually more difficult, mom can't drive, and half of all sections have some kind of complication.

[an_aurora]

What about the anesthesia used for c/s? Most are heavy epidurals which is a narcotic but some are under general anesthesia. Our general anes. rate is around 10% at the hospital where I work.

[*MamaJen*]

Other posters have said most of the ones I could think of off the top of my head, but there's also a risk to the baby from the actual surgery.

Frmo childbirth.org:
In cesarean birth, the possible risks to the baby include the following:

* Premature birth. If the due date was not accurately calculated, the baby could be delivered too early.
* Breathing problems. Babies born by cesarean are more likely to develop breathing problems such as transient tachypnea (abnormally fast breathing during the first few days after birth).
* Low Apgar scores. Babies born by cesarean sometimes have low Apgar scores. The low score can be an effect of the anesthesia and cesarean birth, or the baby may have been in distress to begin with. Or perhaps the baby was not stimulated as he or she would have been by vaginal birth.
* Fetal injury. Although rare, the surgeon can accidentally nick the baby while making the uterine incision.

[kltroy]

PPs have gotten the main ones, but IME, I had a little less control over the immediate after-birth activities with my c-section than I did w/ my VBAC. For example, with VBAC was able to delay cord clamping, but not with c/s. Also was able to avoid erythromyocin in the eyes with my VBAC but not c/s. Immediate skin-to-skin w/ VBAC but not c/s. Breastfeeding was pretty quick after the birth with both babies, but quicker w/ VBAC. I just felt like my baby after a vag. birth was more robust and alert. She had "cooked" 2 weeks longer (39 vs 41+ weeks) and was 1 lb larger (7#10 vs 8#7). Had less crud in her lungs, coughed less at first, and her poop smelled worse.

[GoBecGo]

* Fetal injury. Although rare, the surgeon can accidentally nick the baby while making the uterine incision.

It is not that rare, some studies put it at 4-5% of vertex babies and 9-10% of breech babies. My cousin is a doctor and during her shortish rotation in obs she saw around 30 c/s's, 2 babies were cut, one hip to hip (breech baby) and requiring stitches, one across the forehead, requiring stitches from a plastic surgeon (they cut through to the bone across the muscle of the eyebrow). There have been cases where the surgeon has cut through the eyelid and caused permanent blindness (usually in planned c-s's when baby is still high). It is obviously a worthwhile risk when a life is in danger.

[Freeman]

GoBecGo, that is some scary info.! I am facing a possible C-section due to one or both twins being breech. Have been lucky in the past to spontaneously go into labor and have easy vaginal deliveries. Not looking forward to a possible C-section, but unless they turn themselves around, it is what it is. I feel like the benefits of vaginal delivery are not emphasized or even really discussed in our medicalized birth culture.

[GoBecGo]

Originally Posted by Freeman

GoBecGo, that is some scary info.! I am facing a possible C-section due to one or both twins being breech. Have been lucky in the past to spontaneously go into labor and have easy vaginal deliveries. Not looking forward to a possible C-section, but unless they turn themselves around, it is what it is. I feel like the benefits of vaginal delivery are not emphasized or even really discussed in our medicalized birth culture.

Honey, talk to your surgeon beforehand. The studies i read emphasized the fact that the overall rate being x% doesn't mean an individual ob can't have an 0.4% rate of fetal-scalpel injury. The overall miscarriage rate of amniocentesis is 0.5% but i have known gynae's who have done 1000 and only seen 2 or 3 losses afterwards (and some of those may have been due to chromosomal abnormality, rather than the amnio itself). Rates can really vary. If you express concern he's more likely to be careful, and if it's a planned section where time and care can be taken he's even less likely to make that kind of error.

It's also good to remember that in YOUR situation, with 2 breech twin babies, in the absence of an incredibly experienced and skilled careprovider even WITH the risk of fetal scalpel injury a cs is the safest birth option you have. As you say, it is what it is, but what it is is safest in your situation.

[Peace+Hope]

in case you'd like to read more physiology, sarah j. buckley's article ecstatic birth outlines the hormonal systems during and after birth, and has tons of references. that link is to her site, but i first read it here on MDC.

love that article!

to you, and i hope those babies turn and you are able to deliver vaginally!

[Mommal]

Babies born via c-section are at higher risk for developing food allergies and asthma than those born vaginally: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0521081918.htm

[Adasmommy]

What about delayed cord clamping? I assume with a cesarean that the cord is cut right away?

So a vaginally born baby has the potential of reaping all the benefits of delayed clamping, which I think is really important.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Adasmommy

What about delayed cord clamping? I assume with a cesarean that the cord is cut right away?

So a vaginally born baby has the potential of reaping all the benefits of delayed clamping, which I think is really important.

Many of these things depend to some extent on the surgeon, but delayed cord clamping was the one thing I asked for with dd2, and didn't get. (I asked for other things and got them, I mean - just realized that could be read two ways.) My OB said that delaying cord clamping means delaying the closure of the incision, so she doesn't do that. I think that view is quite common.

[LionessMom]

i read somewhere that a vag birth massages the babies brain... not sure where i read that though...

[HappyMommy2]

I hope I don't derail this thread...

Originally Posted by GoBecGo

...a cs is the safest birth option you have. .

...but I disagree with this.

Perhaps you have more info than is posted here, but women have been having twin births long before c/s were invented! Sometimes, once the first baby gets out of the way, the second one can turn and come out head first.

[japonica]

Originally Posted by LionessMom

i read somewhere that a vag birth massages the babies brain... not sure where i read that though...

I have a friend who is an advanced cranio-sacral practitioner and a Reiki Master. She says vaginal delivery moulds the plates in the baby's skull in a way that is missing from c/s deliveries. She's worked on hundreds of babies over the years and can tell the difference.