Hi to all the lovely Mothers to be!

Please see below the incredible bond that is created between mother and baby in those first few hours of life……. Not that Caesarian does not have its place its just that when its used for convenience rather than neccessity we miss out on something naturally amazing!

Mothers who delivered their babies vaginally appear to be much more sensitive to the cry of their own child within a few weeks of the birth compared with those who deliver by Caesarean section, a new study shows.
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The finding, published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, give researchers insight into why postpartum depression seems to be linked more often to Caesarean birth.

The researchers based their findings on MRI scans that show heightened activity in the sections of the brain thought to regulate emotions, motivation and habitual behaviors. They believe this may be because vaginal childbirth involves the release of oxytocin — a key mediator of maternal behavior in animals — from the posterior pituitary, uterine contractions and vagino-cervical stimulation.

The researchers also studied areas of the brain affected by delivery conditions and found ties between brain activity and measures of mood. This suggests that some of the same brain regions may help regulate postpartum mood.

“As more women opt to wait until they are older to have children, and by association be more likely to have a Caesarean-section delivery, these results are important, because they could provide better understanding of the basic neurophysiology and psychology of parent-infant attachment,” lead author James Swain, of Yale University’s Child Study Centre, said in a news release issued by the journal’s publisher. “This work could lead to early detection of families at risk for postpartum depression and attachment problems and form a model for testing interventions.”

Caesarean delivery, which occurs via incisions in the abdominal and uterine wall, is required at times to protect the health or survival of infant or mother. The procedure’s use has increased in the United States dramatically, from 4.5 percent of all deliveries in 1965 to a recent high in 2006 of 29.1 percent.

Brain scans on 12 new mothers found that natural childbirth may strengthen the bond between mother and child.

Scientists at Yale University think the contractions during natural childbirth trigger the release of oxytocin, known as the cuddling hormone, in the mother and form a closer attachment between mothers and their babies.

Caesarean sections may not have the same effect, and could be linked to postpartum depression, scientists believe.

The study was published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.

The Yale team scanned the brains of 12 mothers two to four weeks after they had given birth and found that mothers who gave birth naturally were more sensitive to their own baby-cry.

“Our results support the theory that variations in delivery conditions such as with caesarean section, which alters the neurohormonal experiences of childbirth, might decrease the responsiveness of the human maternal brain in the early postpartum,” Dr. James Swain, lead author of the study said.

More women are waiting to have children and become more likely to have caesarean sections because of their age, he said. Caesarean sections are sometimes necessary to ensure a healthy baby and mother.

“The work could lead to early detection of families at risk for postpartum depression and attachment problems and form a model for testing interventions,” Swain said.