do C section babies get overweight?

[waitandrose]

After finding old pregnancy notes I seen the c section info leaflet which mentioned c section babies are more likely to have asthma and can be more likely to be overweight

after Googling this apparently it’s backed up by a study but I didnt know this

i had a planned c section as I have anxiety and depression and was seriously worried about trying a vaginal birth and poteinally going through trauma and then getting PND. I have not heard anyone tell me a positive birth story so I just instantly assumed I’d have trauma and I panicked so midwife and me decided an ELCS would be best and it was the best experience and so positive I’m grateful everyday for my experience

but now I feel horrendous guilt. I had an eating disorder when I was younger and I still suffer with body image issues now and the thought that I’ve made my child more likely to be overweight and then he could suffer with these thoughts etc makes me feel sick and like a terrible mother and that I should’ve just got on with a vaginal birth as I’d get over the trauma

if he gets sn eating disorder when he’s older because of this he won’t get over it you just live with it daily

i feel so guilty has anyone had c section babies and have they become overweight when they’re older?

PS I feel guilty because I elected for this. I wouldn’t feel guilty if it was emergency. My guilt is more because I thought this was the best choice and maybe it wasn’t

Studies only show general trends over a large population. They usually don’t control for every possible confounder and at individual level the variation can be wide.

So statistically, this may make it slightly more likely that your DC could be overweight, but this is far from being a dead cert.

For example, my DD7 was ELCS and is super skinny - 25th centile for weight and 50th for height.

Also, weight issues can be managed, even if it does transpire that your DS looks to be heavier.

You could have had a vaginal birth and been traumatised and had horrendous PTSD and PND and be unable to look after him. Or lots of other outcomes we can’t possibly know.

There are no perfect solutions in life and no perfect way to give birth. You made the best decision you could at the time, based on the information you had. It was a very wise one, because you sensibly took into account your heightened risk of developing MH issues and took mitigating action.

You have nothing to feel guilty for. You love your child and are doing your best for them. It’s not possible to do more.

I think you should stop beating yourself up and forgive yourself. This is the best possible way you can be a good mum to your child.

I've got 2 DC, one EMCS, one ELCS and both are slim with a healthy relationship with food.

Neither have asthma, either.

'More likely' could be a tiny increase in percentage risk. Certainly not worth worrying about if it's clearly what was best for you at the time.

This is you fixating on something and punishing yourself for your choice rather than actually something that you should be worrying about.

2 x Elc both slim 20 somethings. No asthma. Exactly the same as eldest who had "natural delivery"

My DD was a section baby. Just bought her prom dress. She's a size 4.

DS also very slim but he was a natural birth. I believe weight/figure/body shape is purely down to genes.

My 9lb 2 baby was born by c section. They are now 13 and not overweight nor asthmatic but this is only anecdotal so doesn’t count for much. I’d think genetics and environment also have a big impact.

If you’re overweight yourself you’re much more likely to need a section in the first place, so that could be skewing the stats.

I'd be a bit wary of 1 paper suggesting this to be honest! Where was it published? When? Weight has more to do with genetics and diet/exercise

Nope.

Well not by my wider family standards. Many are now young adults.

None have asthma.

Is it possible that overweight mothers would be more likely to have a C-section, and more likely to have overweight children? There are lots of positive birth stories on MN if you do want to have a look.

I was born by c-section
i was a size 6 in my early 30s - without having to diet, but active lifestyle
I was a skinny toddler/preschooler/kid/teen
so based only on my personal experience I’ll call that study rubbish

Myself and my brother were both born via csection. Both always slim as children, he is still slim, I'm overweight but I'm 8 months post my own section. Brother had asthma as a child, I did not but there is a huge family history of asthma .

I have not read the study but could it be that women are more likely to have section if their baby is bigger than average and that adjusts the averages?

Otherwise I would suggest a lot of skin to skin contact with the baby would be helpful as the other factor could be the microbes passed on (or not) during birth.

If the difference was especially significant we would have heard more about it - try not to let it worry you.

2 c-sections and 2 skinny children here. I’m definitely not skinny myself, but both of my DC are. No asthma or allergies either.

The best thing you can do for your son is to get your anxiety under control. My own mother's anxiety had a deeper and longer lasting effect on me than being born by c section!