It has shown that the bleeds can be considered 'normal' so may help to
reduce legal action when a child does not develop normally.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Alesa Koziol
Sent: Saturday, 3 February 2007 5:41 PM
To: ozmidwifery@acegraphics.com.au
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Article about natural birth and brain
haemorrhage
Pardon my scepticism but what exactly did this "research" prove? With so
many variables I am surprised that any conclusions could be drawn!
Alesa
Haven't they got anything better to research??!!
Helen
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,2001561,00.html
One in four natural births causes brain haemorrhage
Ian Sample
Tuesday January 30, 2007
The Guardian
Giving birth naturally increases the risk of minor brain haemorrhages in
newborn babies, according to a study. Brain scans of babies aged between one
and five weeks showed small ruptures in blood vessels in or around the brain
are common, affecting one in four children born naturally.
Babies delivered by caesarean section showed no signs of even minor
bleeding.
In most cases, the haemorrhages are harmless and heal naturally, but
larger ruptures can affect brain development, leading to seizures, or
problems with learning or coordination.
Doctors at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, used magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) to scan 88 healthy newborns. Of the 65 delivered
naturally, 17 had intracranial haemorrhages and seven had ruptures in at
least two separate regions.
John Gilmore, a professor of psychiatry and lead scientist on the study,
said the bleeding was not caused by the size of the baby or the baby's head,
the duration of labour, or the use of vacuum or forceps to assist delivery.
"The bleeds are probably caused by pressure on the skull during delivery,"
he said.
The scientists noticed the high rate of haemorrhages while conducting
scans to assess brain development in children perceived to be at high risk
of mental disorders. "What we've shown is that if you get these bleeds, you
don't have to think something has gone wrong with the delivery, because
these are common," said Prof Gilmore, whose study is published in Radiology.
The team will conduct further scans when the babies are one and two
years old. This may help doctors assess future cases of "shaken baby
syndrome", where injuries to a baby are contested. In some cases, parents or
guardians claim brain injuries have been inflicted naturally at birth. The
scans may reveal whether small haemorrhages at birth grow to become more
threatening, or gradually heal with time.
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