Early C-Sections Increase Risks For Babies

An analysis of more than 13,000 births published today in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that thousands of people put their babies at needless risk of respiratory disfunction, hypoglycemia and other medical problems by scheduling cesarean deliveries too early. Elective cesarean deliveries performed after 37 or 38 weeks of pregnancy had up to four times the risk of serious complications compared with procedures done after 39 weeks. The study found even deliveries that were just one, two or three days shy of 39 weeks carried a 21% increased risk of complications. "It looks like a day or two makes a difference," said Dr. John Thorp, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and coauthor of the study. Read more.