If You Had a C-Section or Induction, Your Child May Experience Health Issues Later in Life, Study Finds

Worldwide, the number of spontaneous vaginal births has decreased, and more babies have entered the world after mom was induced, or via C-section — emergency or planned — which researchers have found may affect the child's long-term health. In a study carried out by an international research team, the researchers looked at 491,590 who gave birth in New South Wales between 2000 and 2008, 38 percent who had spontaneous vaginal births, the rest who experienced some kind of birth intervention. Of the children studied — closely within the first 28 days of life and then up to 5 years old — the team found that children born after medical birth interventions had more negative health effects in both the short- and long-term.

For babies born via C-section, it was found they had higher rates of hypothermia following birth, and those born by emergency C-section had the highest rates of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or obesity, later in life. As for the babies who were born after induction, it was found their risk of jaundice and feeding problems was highest in the group studied. Of all the children who experienced some kind of intervention, they had the highest rates of respiratory infections, metabolic disorders, and eczema.

It was found that these effects may have a lot to do with the increased stress to babies born after some type of intervention, rather than via spontaneous vaginal birth.

"There is a general understanding that medical interventions may interrupt the normal stress of being born and seeding of a healthy microbiome, and this can lead to a wide range of diverse health outcomes," Professor Hannah Dahlen of Western Sydney University's School of Nursing and Midwifery told CTV News. "Too little stress (i.e., no labor and cesarean section) and too much stress (induced/augmented labor and instrumental birth) can both have a negative impact."