Midwives warn on Caesareans

Thursday June 10th, 2010

Children born just a few days prematurely may be at risk of having educational problems, according to a study in Scotland.

The findings have raised concerns about the implications of performing Caesarean sections before a woman is ready to give birth.

The Royal College of Midwives said the findings showed that women and their doctors should think "carefully" before using planned Caesarean procedures.

Researchers studied some 400,000 schoolchildren in Scotland for the research published in PLoS Medicine.

They found that children born between 37 and 39 weeks of pregnancy faced a 16 per cent increased risk of having special educational needs at school.

Researcher Jill Pell warns: "These results show that even a baby born at 39 weeks — the normal timing for elective deliveries these days—has an increased risk of SEN compared with a baby born a week later."

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "Caesarean section is generally a very safe procedure and most women and their babies will have no adverse effects from having one.

"It is however a major operation with potentially serious complications and long-tern effects for women and their babies."

MacKay DF, Smith GCS, Dobbie R, Pell JP (2010) Gestational Age at Delivery and Special Educational Need: Retrospective Cohort Study of 407,503 Schoolchildren. PLoS Med 7(6): e1000289. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000289

Tags: Child Health | Childbirth and Pregnancy | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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