Babies Born Via Unplanned C-Section At Lower Risk of Getting Type 1 Diabetes

Most moms do not plan to get a c-section, but those whose babies were born via an unplanned c-section have a health advantage over their planned counterparts. A recent study discovered that these babies have a decreased risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

The study at issue was published in the Journal of American Medical Associates in December of last year. It examined the firstborn births in Scotland for more than 15 years and tracked the babies' long-term health.

And one of the most important findings is that babies which were delivered via a planned c-section encountered more health problems than those who were born naturally or via emergency c-section, in which, the mother already went into labor. This takeaway came as a surprise to the researchers especially since they expected the measured environment of a planned c-section would be more beneficial.

Therefore, what is it with labor or, at least, the body preparing to go into labor, which positively impacts childhood health? Head of the research, Dr. Mairead Black, told The New York Times that their theory was, when a baby is born vaginally, it gets exposed to the bacteria from the mother, which probably helps develop and strengthen its immune system.

However, what is it with emergency c-sections that make them better than planned c-sections? Director of the nonprofit Childbirth Connection programs, Carol Sakala, explained that when moms do not wait to naturally to go into labor, they are sort of cutting short the preparations, as well as the physiological changes, that take place only toward the end of pregnancy.

Still, planned or unplanned, all babies born via c-section have an increased risk of getting asthma and being hospitalized compared to those born naturally. However, babies born via an unplanned c-section have a 35 percent lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes, which has been a medical concern for all babies born via c-section.