Article I found on c-sections

Correct me if I’m wrong, but c-sections are probably one of the last things a woman wants to have to deal with when giving birth to her child. And with this new study, there might be an even greater reason to steer as far away from having a c-section as possible.   

According to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, c-sections could bring about epigenetic changes to your child.

{ MORE: The 5 Real Risks of C-Sections }

What in the world is epigenetic? 

Epigenetic, by definition, is an adjective that means “relating to, being, or involving changes in gene function that do not involve changes in DNA sequence,” which may or may not mean anything at all to you. But, in normal-people speak, it basically is referring to changes within the DNA that are not relating to the actual sequencing.

So, c-sections could contribute to changes in the DNA of your baby and possibly be related to a risk of future things like type-1 diabetes, respiratory diseases, and obesity. Babies may be able to out grow some of these issues like diabetes and the respiratory issues, but there’s also a chance that they don’t.

But why would a c-section have anything to do with the DNA of your baby?

Tomas Ekstrom, PhD, participated in a study in which c-section births and vaginal births were observed to see what could possibly be the cause of DNA shakeup. Out of the 18 c-section births, all 18 of them showed increased signs of methylation—a process that changes whether or not certain traits are present in the DNA. 

{ MORE: Problems in the Delivery Room: Why Can’t I Hold My Baby Right Away }

The explanation given by the participants in the study is that the trauma that babies experience when being birthed vaginally helps them ready themselves for life outside of the womb, triggering their body’s defense mechanisms. Babies that have the posh experience of being birthed via c-section don’t have the chance to set up any sort of defense to outside factors.

In a nutshell, babies that have to rough it through the gauntlet of the birth canal are environmentally forced into defense mode, protecting them from certain conditions.

So there is another reason to go au naturel when it comes to giving birth.

 Medically necessary c-sections aside, do studies like this one influence your thoughts on opting for a c-section when there is a choice?