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Do Caesarean Births Lead To Obese Children? - HER Daily Dose

 
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Some women give birth by Caesarean section simply because it’s more convenient, not because of any specific medical reason. Some recent research says these women may want to reconsider their options.

Hi, I’m Bailey Mosier. This is your EmpowHER HER Daily Dose.
Some women give birth by Caesarean section simply because it’s more convenient, not because of any specific medical reason. Some recent research says these women may want to reconsider their options.
Researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston found that babies born by Caesarean section are twice as likely to become obese by the age of three as newborns delivered vaginally. Researchers monitored 1,250 pregnant women between 1999 and 2002 and measured the height and weight of each baby at three months and again at three years.

By age 3, 16 percent of the C-section toddlers were obese, compared to 7.5 percent of those born vaginally. These findings were consistent regardless of the mother's weight or the child’s birth weight.

Obesity may be influenced by bacteria in a newborn's gut that could affect how calories and nutrients are absorbed from food, which could be different in C-section babies than in vaginally-delivered babies. Another possibility is that hormones released during labor may influence the development of obesity, but both possibilities need further study.

For mothers who don’t need a C-section for medical reasons, it’s important to educate women on these obesity findings and other risks associated with surgical delivery.

That wraps up your EmpowHER HER Daily Dose. Join me here at EmpowHER.com every weekday for your next dose of women’s health.

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I am skeptical of the findings here. I would like to see more research regarding the kids home environment and nutrition given in home. The stats might correlate to one another abit.

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May 29, 2012 - 1:24pm
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