truth seeker
The Living Force
I did a search and didn't find it so if it's been done already, please excuse me.
Natural Childbirth Linked to Stronger Baby Bonding Than C-Sections
[September 2008] The bonds that tie a mother to her newborn may be stronger in women who deliver naturally than in those who deliver by cesarean section, according to a study published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the October issue of Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
The researchers, led by Yale Child Study Center Assistant Professor James Swain, M.D., recruited two groups of parents from postpartum wards. One group of 12 mothers had cesarean sections and the other delivered naturally (vaginally). All women were interviewed and given brain scans two to three weeks after giving birth. During the brain scans, parents listened to recordings of their own baby’s cry during the discomfort of a diaper change. The researchers then conducted interviews to assess the mothers’ mood as well as their thoughts and parenting.
The team found that compared to mothers who delivered by cesarean section, those who delivered vaginally had greater activity in certain brain regions in response to their own baby’s cry as measured by fMRI. These brain areas included cortical regions that regulate emotions and empathy, as well as deeper brain structures that contribute to motivation, and habitual thoughts and behaviors. The responses to their own baby’s cry in some of these regions varied according to mood and anxiety.
Swain said that no parent in the small study developed clinical depression, making it hard to assess the significance of the findings without replication and follow-up studies. “I suspect that the parental brain is ‘primed’ by vaginal delivery and affected by neurohormonal factors such as oxytocin, a hormone linked to emotional connections and feelings of love,” said Swain. “C-sections may alter these neurohormonal factors and increase the risk of problematic bonding and postpartum depression.”
“These results provoke many questions and may help expectant mothers as they consider their options carefully,” said Swain. “There are plenty of good reasons for cesarean sections, and we would not want our work to be misinterpreted as proving that mothers who opt for c-sections are destined for trouble. On the contrary, we hope to ultimately be in a position to identify and help new mothers with postpartum mental health problems, whatever the causes.”
Swain is pursuing studies on populations at risk for postpartum mental health problems. He expects to undertake genetic studies in addition to brain imaging and interviews to improve basic understanding and to eventually translate the research into tailored treatments.
Other authors on the study include Esra Tasgin, Linda C. Mayes, Ruth Feldman, R. Todd Constable and James F. Leckman.
Citation: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49(10) (October 2008)
and taken from The Wave transcript 13g:
"The first peptide to be synthetically replicated was oxytocin. Oxytocin is released from the pituitary gland during childbirth and binds to receptors in the uterus where it causes the contractions that expel the baby. It was later learned that oxytocin is not only released during labor, but that it is also responsible for the uterine contractions of the female orgasm. It also binds to receptors in the brain producing "thinking changes" that we refer to as "maternal behavior." Oxytocin is an eight-amino-acid peptide. It is the active ingredient of the Pituitary gland. "
I found this interesting and then began to wonder how long has this been going on and what the current rate of cesarean sections is.
If Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesarean is correct, this practice goes back to at least 1204. I also found out that the current rate of cesareans (according to the CDC) is 31.1%. You can check out the rates of incidence at the Wikipedia site which will then cite references. Anyone interested in the CDC report can get the PDF here: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf
I can't help but wonder if the mother requires these hormones to bond with the child, perhaps the child also needs them for attachment. In natural childbirth, the child stays connected to the mother throughout the entire birth (in the best case scenario).
Am I completely off in my thoughts?
The article can be found at: http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/news/ymg_swain.html
Natural Childbirth Linked to Stronger Baby Bonding Than C-Sections
[September 2008] The bonds that tie a mother to her newborn may be stronger in women who deliver naturally than in those who deliver by cesarean section, according to a study published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the October issue of Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
The researchers, led by Yale Child Study Center Assistant Professor James Swain, M.D., recruited two groups of parents from postpartum wards. One group of 12 mothers had cesarean sections and the other delivered naturally (vaginally). All women were interviewed and given brain scans two to three weeks after giving birth. During the brain scans, parents listened to recordings of their own baby’s cry during the discomfort of a diaper change. The researchers then conducted interviews to assess the mothers’ mood as well as their thoughts and parenting.
The team found that compared to mothers who delivered by cesarean section, those who delivered vaginally had greater activity in certain brain regions in response to their own baby’s cry as measured by fMRI. These brain areas included cortical regions that regulate emotions and empathy, as well as deeper brain structures that contribute to motivation, and habitual thoughts and behaviors. The responses to their own baby’s cry in some of these regions varied according to mood and anxiety.
Swain said that no parent in the small study developed clinical depression, making it hard to assess the significance of the findings without replication and follow-up studies. “I suspect that the parental brain is ‘primed’ by vaginal delivery and affected by neurohormonal factors such as oxytocin, a hormone linked to emotional connections and feelings of love,” said Swain. “C-sections may alter these neurohormonal factors and increase the risk of problematic bonding and postpartum depression.”
“These results provoke many questions and may help expectant mothers as they consider their options carefully,” said Swain. “There are plenty of good reasons for cesarean sections, and we would not want our work to be misinterpreted as proving that mothers who opt for c-sections are destined for trouble. On the contrary, we hope to ultimately be in a position to identify and help new mothers with postpartum mental health problems, whatever the causes.”
Swain is pursuing studies on populations at risk for postpartum mental health problems. He expects to undertake genetic studies in addition to brain imaging and interviews to improve basic understanding and to eventually translate the research into tailored treatments.
Other authors on the study include Esra Tasgin, Linda C. Mayes, Ruth Feldman, R. Todd Constable and James F. Leckman.
Citation: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49(10) (October 2008)
and taken from The Wave transcript 13g:
"The first peptide to be synthetically replicated was oxytocin. Oxytocin is released from the pituitary gland during childbirth and binds to receptors in the uterus where it causes the contractions that expel the baby. It was later learned that oxytocin is not only released during labor, but that it is also responsible for the uterine contractions of the female orgasm. It also binds to receptors in the brain producing "thinking changes" that we refer to as "maternal behavior." Oxytocin is an eight-amino-acid peptide. It is the active ingredient of the Pituitary gland. "
I found this interesting and then began to wonder how long has this been going on and what the current rate of cesarean sections is.
If Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesarean is correct, this practice goes back to at least 1204. I also found out that the current rate of cesareans (according to the CDC) is 31.1%. You can check out the rates of incidence at the Wikipedia site which will then cite references. Anyone interested in the CDC report can get the PDF here: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf
I can't help but wonder if the mother requires these hormones to bond with the child, perhaps the child also needs them for attachment. In natural childbirth, the child stays connected to the mother throughout the entire birth (in the best case scenario).
Am I completely off in my thoughts?
The article can be found at: http://www.yalemedicalgroup.org/news/ymg_swain.html
