The Emotional Ramifications of Being Born in a Cesarean Delivery

Warning message

This content is filtered. APPPAH membership is required for full access to journal articles.
-A +A
Authors: 
Amy Lauren Shapira
Issue: 
Volume 31, Issue 3
Publication Date: 
March, 2017
Page Count: 
19
Starting Page: 
177
Brief Summary: 

This article’s aim is to investigate whether being born in a cesarean delivery can emotionally and behaviorally impact the cesarean born throughout life, by reviewing the existing pre- and perinatal psychology literature and the current medical literature.

Abstract: 

Cesarean delivery rates have been steadily rising and have reached startling rates worldwide. There is a consensus among pre- and perinatal psychology clinicians that prenatal and perinatal factors create a predisposition that may be exacerbated and adversely affect one’s personality. Although a cesarean delivery is a lifesaving procedure, little attention and respect have been given to the cesarean born baby’s emotional well-being. This article’s aim is to investigate whether being born in a cesarean delivery can emotionally and behaviorally impact the cesarean born throughout life, by reviewing the existing pre- and perinatal psychology literature and the current medical literature.

References: 

Affonso, D. (1981). The impact of caesarean birth. Philadephia: F. A. Davis.

Al Khalaf, S. Y., O’Neill, S. M., O’Keeffe, L. M., Henriksen, T. B., Kenny, L. C., Cryan, J. F., & Khashan, A. S. (2015). The impact of obstetric mode of delivery on childhood behavior. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 50(10), 1557–1567.

Almeida, S. de, Bettiol, H., Barbieri, M. A., Silva, A. A. M. da, & Ribeiro, V. S. (2008). Significant differences in cesarean section rates between a private and a public hospital in Brazil. Cadernos de Saude Publica, 24(12), 2909–2918.

Armbrust, R., Hinkson, L., von Weizsacker, K., & Henrich, W. (2016). The Charite cesarean birth: A family orientated approach of cesarean section. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 29(1), 163-168.

Betrán, A. P., Ye, J., Moller, A.-B., Zhang, J., Gülmezoglu, A. M., & Torloni, M. R. (2016). The increasing trend in caesarean section rates: Global, regional and national estimates: 1990-2014. PloS One, 11(2), e0148343.

Camann, W., & Trainor, K. (2012). Clear surgical drapes: A technique to facilitate the “natural cesarean delivery.” Anesthesia & Analgesia, 115(4), 981-982.

Camann, W., & Barbieri, R. (2013). Mother-, baby-, and family-centered cesarean delivery: It is possible. Ob‐Gyn Management, 25(3), 12-15.

Douché, J. (2009). Rhetorical (de) vices and the construction of a ‘natural’ caesarean. New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, 40, 20-23.

Dowling, J. (2007, April 15). Delivered safely by caesarean with his mother’s hands. The Age. Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/ 04/14/1175971419538.html

Emerson, W. R. (1997). Birth trauma: The psychological effects of obstetrical interventions. Petaluma: Emerson Training Seminars.

Emerson, W. R. (1998). Birth trauma: The psychological effects of obstetrical interventions. Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 13(1), 11-44.

Emerson, W. R. (1999). Shock : A universal malady - prenatal and perinatal origins of suffering. Petaluma: Emerson Training Seminars.

English, J. (1985). Different doorway: Adventures of a caesarean born. Point Reyes Station, CA: Earth Heart.

English, J. (1993). Being born caesarean: Physical, psychosocial and metaphysical aspects. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 7(3), 215-229.

Feher, L. (1981). The psychology of birth: Roots of human personality. New York: Continuum.

Golan, A. (Ed.). (2009). מיילדות, גינקולוגיה ופוריות: עקרונות ויישום  [Obstetrics, gynecology, and fertility] (1st ed.). Tel Aviv: Diunon.

Gregory, K. D., Jackson, S., & Korst, L., & Fridman, M. (2012). Cesarean versus vaginal delivery: Whose risks? whose benefits? American Journal of Perinatology, 29(1), 7-18.

Kelmanson, I. A. (2013). Emotional and behavioural features of preschool children born by Caesarean deliveries at maternal request. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 10(6), 676-690.

Lara, T. R. (2013). Cesarean inter-section. Midwifery Today, 107, 34-35.

Leverant, R. (2000). Ruminations on being labor cesarean born. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 14(3–4), 309-315.

Li, H. T., Ye, R., Achenbach, T. M., Ren, A., Pei, L., Zheng, X., & Liu, J. M. (2011). Caesarean delivery on maternal request and childhood psychopathology: A retrospective cohort study in China. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 118(1), 42-48.

Maffi, I. (2013). Can caesarean section be “natural”? The hybrid nature of the nature-culture dichotomy in mainstream obstetric culture. Forskning I Sygdom Og Samfund, 19, 5-26.

Magee, S. R., Battle, C., Morton, J., & Nothnagle, M. (2014). Promotion of family-centered birth with gentle cesarean delivery. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 27(5), 690-693.

McCarty, W. A. (2004). Welcoming consciousness: Supporting babies’ wholeness from the beginning of life - An integrated model of early development. Santa Barbara, CA: Wondrous Beginnings Publishing.

Milliken, L. D. (2007). Cesarean birth stories. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 22(2), 129-146.

Moorhead, J. (2005, December 3). Every bit as magical. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/dec/03/health.medicineandhealth

National Institutes of Health (2006). Statement on Cesarean Delivery on Maternal Request. NIH Consensus and State-of-the-science Statements. 23(1), 1-29.

Netz, N. (2014). The relationship between type of child delivery, sensory profile, and level of anxiety: A comparison between children aged 3 to 10 born by a cesarean section vs. vaginal birth (Master’s Thesis). Haifa University: Haifa. [Hebrew].

Newman, L., & Hancock, H. (2009). How natural can major surgery really be? A critique of “the natural caesarean” technique. Birth, 36(2), 168-170.

Noble, E. (1993). Primal connections. New York: Fireside.

Odent, M. (2006). The long term consequences of how we are born. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 21(2), 179-201.

Oliver, R. J. M. (2000). The ideal cesarean birth. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health, 14(3/4), 331-344.

Pfuntner, A., Wier, L. M., & Stocks, C. (2013). Most frequent procedures performed in U.S. hospitals, 2010. Statistical Brief #149. Retrieved from https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb149.pdf

Posthuma, S., Korteweg, F. J., van der Ploeg, J. M., de Boer, H. D., Buiter, H. D., & van der Ham, D. P. (2016). Risks and benefits of the skin-to-skin cesarean section – a retrospective cohort study. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, Advance online publication: 1-5.

Ray, S., & Mandel, B. (1987). Birth and Relationships: How your birth affects your relationships. Berkley, CA: Celestial Arts.

reelflow. (2011). The natural caesarean: A woman-centred technique [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5RIcaK98Yg

Schorn, M. N., Moore, E., Spetalnick, B. M., & Morad, A. (2015). Implementing family-centered cesarean birth. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 60(6), 682–690.

Simmonds, C. (2016). Review of practice: Facilitating normality at caesarean section. Journal of Perioperative Practice, 26(7-8), 166-169.

Sirvinskiene, G., Zemaitiene, N., Jusiene, R., & Markuniene, E. (2016). Predictors of emotional and behavioral problems in one-year-old children: A longitudinal perspective. Infant Mental Health Journal, 37(4), 401-410.

Smith, J., Plaat, F., & Fisk, N. M. (2008). The natural caesarean: A woman-centred technique. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 115(8), 1037-1042.

Smith, J. (2012). The natural caesarean: A woman-centred technique. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 32(2), 204.

Tumblin, A. (2013). A family-centered cesarean birth story. The Journal of Perinatal Education, 22(223), 130-132.

Verdult, R. (2009). Caesarean birth: Psychological aspects in adults. The International Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine, 21(12), 17-36.

Verny, T., & Weintraub, P. (2002). Tomorrow’s baby: The art and science of parenting from conception through infancy. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Villar, J., Carroli, G., Zavaleta, N., Donner, A., Wojdyla, D., Faundes, A., … Acosta, A. (2007). Maternal and neonatal individual risks and benefits associated with caesarean delivery: Multicentre prospective study. British Medical Journal, 335(7628), 1025-1029.

World Health Organization, Human Reproductive Programme. (2015). WHO statement on caesarean section rates. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/ publications/maternal_perinatal_health/cs-statement/en/

Xie, R., Gaudet, L., Krewski, D., Graham, I., & Walker, M. (2015). Higher cesarean delivery rates are associated with higher infant mortality rates in industrialized countries. Birth, 42(1), 62-69.