Is a baby more at risk of respiratory problems if they are delivered by caesarean?
There are a number of studies looking at this question. Most concur that a premature caesarean delivery (pre 37 weeks) increases the risk of respiratory problems for infants. Several have concluded that “significantly fewer babies would develop breathing problems if elective caesareans were put off until 39 weeks gestation…the relative risk decreased from seven times higher at 37 weeks to three times higher at 38 weeks, whereas the relative risk at 39 weeks was no longer statistically significant.” 100 99 106 Though in delaying the caesarean date they also acknowledged that this could increase the likelihood of different risks due to spontaneous labour occurring before the caesarean had commenced (approximately 1 in 4 women in the study start labor prior to 39 weeks).
There are a number of studies looking at this question. Most concur that a premature caesarean delivery (pre 37 weeks) increases the risk of respiratory problems for infants. Several have concluded that “significantly fewer babies would develop breathing problems if elective caesareans were put off until 39 weeks gestation…the relative risk decreased from seven times higher at 37 weeks to three times higher at 38 weeks, whereas the relative risk at 39 weeks was no longer statistically significant.” 100 99 106 Though in delaying the caesarean date they also acknowledged that this could increase the likelihood of different risks due to spontaneous labour occurring before the caesarean had commenced (approximately 1 in 4 women in the study start labor prior to 39 weeks). 100 The risks referred to in this study were referenced from an earlier study on the subject which suggested that delaying a caesarean beyond 39 weeks brought a greater risk of “of birth trauma [being] highest after ass
