Pregnant mothers often ask me on Sina Weibo: Is the smaller the baby, the better? Bigger is healthier? Does it mean that the longer the baby is raised in the mother\’s belly, the better it will be after birth? Are babies born by caesarean section smarter? Pregnant mothers are excited about welcoming their babies, but find it difficult to adapt to the various public opinions in society. Today we will discuss several topics related to childbirth and correct some common misconceptions.
Myth 1: The smaller the baby, the better
Case: Miya heard that the smaller the baby, the better it would be, so she strictly controlled her weight during pregnancy. As a result, she found that the baby was too small during her 32-week pregnancy check-up. She was diagnosed with fetal growth restriction and was admitted to the hospital for emergency infusion for nutritional supplementation.
Truth 1
The four major factors that determine fertility include labor force, birth canal, fetus and maternal mental and psychological factors. In other words, whether a natural delivery is not only related to the size of the baby, but also related to the baby\’s fetal position, the size of the mother\’s pelvis, uterine contractility, abdominal muscles and many other factors. Muscle contractility and psychology. The weight should be controlled within the normal range, which is beneficial to the birth of a smaller baby, but it should not be lower than the normal range.
The normal weight of a full-term baby should be 2.54 kilograms. The fetal weight, maternal uterine height, and abdominal circumference have corresponding normal ranges for each gestational week. In order to pursue a better life, it is not advisable to blindly create a \”mini baby\” as it can easily affect the baby\’s normal development.
Myth 2: The bigger the baby, the healthier he is
Case: Xiaomei and her family heard that the bigger the baby is, the healthier it is, so they have been taking supplements during pregnancy. Before the final delivery, they discovered the baby was too big. The vaginal trial failed, so she had to perform a caesarean section and take out a 4.5-kg baby, who was diagnosed with macrosomia. When the baby was half a year old, Xiaomei communicated with other new mothers and found that her \”big baby\” was not as good as those \”little babies\” who were just born weighing 3-3.5 pounds. The weight had gone up and the physical condition had also deteriorated. Not better than others.
Truth 2
In recent years, macrosomia caused by overnutrition has gradually increased. Macrosomia is defined as a fetus weighing more than 4 kilograms. Macrosomia has adverse effects on both pregnant women and babies.
Impact on pregnant mothers: Macrosomia can easily cause dystocia, postpartum hemorrhage, and increase the rate of cesarean section.
Effects on the fetus: Macrosomia can easily cause infant fractures, intracranial hemorrhage, and abnormal blood sugar. Even if a cesarean section is chosen, the risk of birth injury is significantly increased.
Therefore, pregnant mothers should remember that bigger is not better for the baby, but the best size (2.5-4 pounds).
Myth 3: The longer the baby is raised in the mother’s belly, the better
Case 1: When she was 42 weeks pregnant, Yafei’s baby had not moved yet, and she did not go to the hospital because she and her family believed that it is most natural to “get it done”. If the baby is born in the belly for a long time, he will become thinner and more mature.Easy to raise.
Case 2: Susan found that the amniotic fluid was low during the 37-week prenatal check-up, and the baby was not in good condition. The obstetrician recommended that she be hospitalized immediately to induce labor. But she and her family felt that there were still more than 20 days before the 40-week due date, and they were worried that they would not be able to support the baby after giving birth so early, so they insisted on raising her baby. The baby remains in the womb for another two weeks.
Case results: They both found that the amniotic fluid was severely contaminated with feces during delivery. The baby suffered from neonatal asphyxia and meconium aspiration syndrome and was admitted to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). In addition to the heavy financial burden, the baby also has sequelae of pneumonia.
Truth 3
Full-term pregnancy refers to 37 weeks to 42 weeks of pregnancy. As long as the baby is full-term, he can basically grow up healthily after birth. A pregnancy that reaches or exceeds 42 weeks is an expired pregnancy and is prone to placental dysfunction, amniotic fluid reduction, meconium contamination, fetal maturation disorders, intrauterine distress, neonatal asphyxia, meconium aspiration syndrome, etc.
If the baby needs to be terminated (such as intrauterine distress, oligohydramnios, expired pregnancy, etc.), the pregnant mother should follow the advice of the obstetrician and induce labor or have a caesarean section as soon as possible to rescue the baby from the harsh environment. Some people have \”cooked\” The idea that \”fruits will follow\” believes that it is not good to give birth, and blindly refusing to terminate the pregnancy will cause serious consequences such as suffocation of the newborn, or even stillbirth or stillbirth.
Myth 4: It’s too painful to give birth on your own, but it’s not painful to have a caesarean section
Case: Xiaomi had very good conditions for giving birth naturally, and the obstetrician recommended that she give birth naturally. But she had been afraid of pain since she was a child, so she firmly opposed giving birth and tried every means to have a caesarean section. When I returned home from the hospital, I poured bitter water on my best friend: So it turns out that caesarean section also hurts? I know, I gave birth to myself
Truth 4
Anesthesia is given during a cesarean section, but the anesthesia only blocks the pain, but the touch is still there. During the operation, everyone will still feel squeezed and uncomfortable. In addition, everyone has different sensitivity to anesthetics, resulting in different anesthetic effects. Some people still feel pain even under anesthesia; postpartum uterine contractions produce uterine contraction pain, especially when the fundus of the uterus is pressed and the baby sucks milk, anesthesia cannot suppress the pain of uterine contractions; after the anesthesia effect wears off, cesarean section incisions will appear The pain is more than the pain of natural childbirth.
In short, a C-section can be painful. If there is no medical indication, it is very inappropriate and unworthy to require a cesarean section just because of fear of pain.
Myth 5: Babies born by caesarean section are smarter/babies born vaginally are smarter
Case: Many people blindly ask for a caesarean section because they heard that babies born by caesarean section are smarter; some people also heard that babies born by vaginal delivery are smarter. Sometimes pregnant mothers require cesarean section due to clinical conditions, but insist on giving birth on their own despite the objections of doctors.
Truth 5
A baby\’s IQ mainly depends on his/her genes, and genes are most closely related to heredity.In other words, the parents\’ IQ has a great influence on the baby\’s IQ, and the nutrition during pregnancy, smooth delivery, acquired intelligence, etc., and the baby\’s development also have a certain impact on the baby\’s IQ.
There is no direct relationship between caesarean section or vaginal delivery and IQ. As long as the baby can be delivered naturally, it is the same whether it is caesarean section or vaginal birth. If the baby is not suitable for natural delivery and is forced to give birth, it will cause the baby to suffer from intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral edema during delivery, which is self-defeating. If the baby suffers from intrauterine distress and needs to be terminated immediately by cesarean section, but insists on normal delivery, the baby will be in a state of hypoxia in the womb for a long time, which will naturally affect the baby\’s IQ.
Myth 6: The earlier the better
Case: Ding Ding was admitted to the hospital during labor. She was going to be a mother soon. She was very excited. I often hear people say that some people have difficult labor and it takes several hours to give birth. The baby suffocates to death, so Ding
Ding hopes that he can give birth faster and let the baby come out as soon as possible. The cervix was not fully dilated, and the obstetrician told her not to exert force yet, but she kept exerting her penis until she had enough breath. The doctor told her to take a deep breath and stop exerting force, but she did not cooperate.
The outcome of the case was that the penis was born too quickly and was complicated by cervical edema, cervical tear, vaginal abrasion, third-degree perineal laceration, and birth canal bleeding.
Fact 6
Natural childbirth is a gradual process. Through this process, the soft birth canal gradually forms, and the cervix, vagina, and perineum gradually become soft and suitable for the delivery of the baby. The baby also gradually adapts to the birth canal during this process, and subsequently changes its head and fetal position, and is gradually delivered. If the delivery is too slow, problems will occur. If the delivery is too fast (severe cases are called emergency delivery), it will also cause varying degrees of harm to the pregnant mother and baby.
Impact on Pregnant Mothers For pregnant mothers, giving birth too quickly can easily cause cervical tears, vaginal tears, perineal tears, amniotic fluid embolism, postpartum hemorrhage, and increased postpartum bleeding. Risk of infection.
Impact on the baby: Due to the strong force and frequency of uterine contractions, and the short interval between uterine contractions, the blood circulation of the placenta will be blocked, and the baby is prone to defects during delivery. blood, hypoxia. Moreover, if a fetus is born too fast, due to changes in intrauterine and external pressure, it is easy to cause the capillaries under the baby\’s skin to rupture, causing the face to become red and purple. In severe cases, it can cause the blood vessels in the head to rupture and cause intracranial hemorrhage. The risk of fetal fractures and birth injuries is also increased.
In the face of diverse opinions, sometimes pregnant mothers are inevitably a little overwhelmed and don’t know who to listen to. In this case, please trust your doctor and follow her advice. Do not blindly insist on your own opinion and interfere with the birth process. Give your trust to your Doctor; Give your life to your God.