Cesarean section means mom is less attached

by Roger Sinasohn (Subscribe to Roger Sinasohn's posts) Sep 6th 2008 5:06PM

Categories: Newborns, Just For Moms, Pregnancy & Birth

The study is very small (only twelve women), the difference is not huge (around five percent), and the disparity disappears shortly after birth but new research seems to suggest that women who give birth via Cesarean section may not bond as well with their babies as women who give birth vaginally. The researchers are quick to point out that this is not a condemnation of women who have c-sections. "I don't want to come across as scolding people who have Cesareans," says James Swain of Yale University, leader of the study team. "It's better for some women to have a Cesarean section when relaxed than to suffer the stress of awaiting a vaginal delivery."

MRI scans of the women showed that activity in the areas of the brain linked to empathy, drive and motivation was lower among those who had a c-section than those who gave birth vaginally when listening to a recording of their baby crying. Scientists think the difference may be due to hormonal "priming" that is believed to happen when women give birth. Mothers' bodies release oxytocin as the baby makes its way out, possibly making them ready to engage in behaviours that lead to bonding, such as cuddling, kissing and feeding.

Having been through both scenarios, it seems to me that women go ga-ga over their babies no matter what. There might be a difference, but I suspect that without an MRI machine, you'd never know.

Source

Comments (13)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

hodgepodgefarm6 9-06-2008 @ 6:24PM

Had three c-sections. #1= 11lbs 2oz, #2= 10lbs 7oz, #3= 11lbs 13.5 oz @ 1 month premature. All I can say is "Thank God"! I did not bond with my 1st child right away, be it c-section, baby blues, or age.(22) But I did bond with the second two right away, because I believe that I knew what to expect the second and third time around. By the time I had my last, I was up out of bed 1 hour after surgery, and no pain killers at all! My children may not be here today if not for the c-sections.

By the way, I had no diabetes, no other diagnosed problems for having big babies, and no, I was not fat either!

ame s 9-06-2008 @ 6:46PM

Hmm, I don't know if I would have been a good candidate for this study.
My first daughter was born via emergency C. The epidural failed at the very beginning, so they started pumping me full of who-knows-what to stop my annoying screaming. Although I was so out of it I didn't know who the heck that masked guy was leaning into my face (it was my husband) I sure knew that cry was coming from my baby. They coudn't keep me "out" because I wanted to see her so badly.
I spent 3 days in the hospital hooked up to pain meds. My daughter was wheeled to me every 3 hours to nurse and we dozed together when another family member was present.
My second daughter was born via VBAC. She was taken to NICO because they had trouble clearing her lungs. Shortly after, they decided her glucose levels were too low and stuck an i.v. in her head. She didn't see my room until 3 hours before I was released. I "let" my husband go home to be with our 2 year old and Mom stayed with me. She wheeled me to NICU every 3 hours to nurse. Some time during day/night 2 we wheeled past an older couple, who gave me the biggest smile. I had forgotten to snap my gown at the shoulder and Miss Lefty was hanging out there for all to see ;)
Anywho, I don't know that there was a difference in the way or how much I bonded with either of them as infants and I feel equally attached to both of them now.

Stephanie 9-08-2008 @ 2:43PM

I think this study is rediculous! I had a c-section with my first child, due to him being breach. I would not say my bond with him would be any different if I had him vaginally. I was dying to hold my baby boy. As soon as I was out of recovery I was begging for him. I think the intimate bond people first have with their children is based soley on the individual person...not how they deliver. I think many mothers would disagree with this study.

Siobhan 9-14-2008 @ 4:45PM

I don't buy it....had 2 vag births...then had 2 c-section births..1st one after 12 hrs of labor & pushing for 2 hrs...2nd one scheduled @ 38 wks... every baby ( all boys)the reaction was the same..absolute elation ! Followed by about 3 months of a baby being CONSTANTLY attached to me...I emotionally AND physically attached immediately with all...they now age from age 18 to 4 & we have great realtionships.

Jullienne 9-06-2008 @ 8:33PM

I had 3 C-sections. 1 emergency, 2 planned. I fully and completely bonded immediately with each baby and I am still bonded with them now that they are grown. I have a sister inlaw who had 2 vaginal births, didn't really bond with her babies right away and suffered baby blues both times. Personally, I think it isn't how the babies arrive, it's more of a brain chemistry thing.

c_rousseau05 9-06-2008 @ 9:03PM

Well, I gave birth vaginally and didn't bond with my baby right away even though I breastfed her and everything. Actually, there was a lot of feelings of "this baby is leeching me" and I didn't fall in love with her until well into her sixth month of life. I didn't have those immediate feelings of love and wanting to bond and wanting to look at her all day long. I felt guilty because all the moms I knew would tell me how they held their babies all day and couldn't get enough of them and couldn't stop looking at them. My doctor said how I felt was perfectly normal so it made me feel a little better, but not much. Although I loved my daughter and I was happy to have her and I enjoyed her a lot, I didn't love her right away. In fact she annoyed me a lot with her colic and her temperament for the first few months. I felt bad with my lack of overwhelming feelings of love for her, they just weren't there. Then, one day she looked at me and smiled this huge smile and gave a giggle and I cried. I cried because at that moment I finally felt it, that love that I had been wishing i'd felt at her birth, that i'd been wishing I felt for months. Finally I was in love with her and all I wanted to do at that moment was hold her and never let go. Since then i've fallen for her completely and every day I love her just that much more.

JerseyChick 9-06-2008 @ 9:18PM

In some way I might agree. I've had both, and have to say that I did feel differently after my c-section. I had a horrific experience, was in a great deal of pain, and it made it difficult for me to enjoy the first few days. To make it worse, she developed horrible reflux and cried about 18 hours a day - I have to say that the very sound of her crying didn't fill me with a maternal feeling as it did #1, instead it would first give me a feeling of anger/annoyance which I would have to manually "overrride". I've never really admitted this out loud before (she's 7 now) but I really did feel differently about the whole experience and about her than I did with the first. Maybe the c-section thing has some role in it.

texas mom 9-06-2008 @ 9:39PM

This is irresponsible reporting, as it takes a minimum of 30 participants for a study to even begin to be considered statistically significant. It's tough to tell exactly what is meant by the 5% marker, but 5% of 12 people is actually less than 1 person.

A Backus 9-06-2008 @ 11:39PM

This is a load of hooey. I bet you anything you could have studied twelve women who had unmedicated home-births and found the same exact result. I didn't really bond with my daughter until she was several months old despite having a wonderful, low-key home birth. There are lots of reasons women should avoid c-sections if they can, bonding isn't one of them. I *hate* studies like this that only leave mothers feeling guilty. Who pays for these crap studies, anyway? Grrrr...

Suzanne 9-07-2008 @ 12:42AM

Wow, I have to say I find it really brave of you to address this issue, because it is real, either way you address it. I'd love to link to you - shoot me an email if you want to exchange - I need more bold women in my directory! suzannenoto@gmail.com/www.toddlertrail.com

Susan Hamilton 9-07-2008 @ 11:26AM

Sounds like somebody has an agenda to spread! My second child was born after 44 hours of labor,and in some ways I never bonded, though her father did (16 yrs ago). The third was emergency C-section, and I'm closest to him.

CLM 9-07-2008 @ 5:22PM

"MRI scans of the women showed that activity in the areas of the brain linked to empathy, drive and motivation was lower among those who had a c-section than those who gave birth vaginally when listening to a recording of their baby crying." Um, did they control for the fact that these women had been cut open and had drugs coursing through their veins, which would likely alter the results of a scan? 12 women just does not a study make. AND, the difference disappears shortly after birth? Man, I need to get access to the yahoos who funded this one.

Don 9-08-2008 @ 9:46AM

Why report on a "study" so small in the first place? The pool of twelve women is not a diverse pool women to study. As stated above you need at least 30 people to even consider a study statistically relevant.

I would like to see a follow up study of womens hormone levels and FMRI's for each week after birth for 5 to 6 weeks, in addition to a lot more participants. Before I would even consider something like this relevant.

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