Recent research shows that ease of breastfeeding after cesarean section is culturally different

The increase in the number of Caesareans is on the eve of a global epidemic. Although the World Health Organization recommends an optimal caesarean section rate of 10-15%, the cesarean section rate in the United States is greater than 30%.

In many Latin American countries, the procedure is skyrocketing, reaching more than 50% in some cases.

Although caesareans sometimes save lives, they exceed recommended rates with adverse consequences for children's health.

Children born by caesarean section tend to be susceptible to infections, obesity, asthma and allergies. This is partly due to the fact that many mothers are unable to successfully badfeed after a caesarean section.

However, recent research shows that this could be mediated by culture. In some parts of the world, mothers are able to badfeed successfully after cesarean deliveries, and this practice can reduce the negative effects on the child's health.

Amanda Veile, badistant professor of anthropology at Purdue University, and her team report that Aboriginal mothers living in farming communities in Yucatán, Mexico, are badfeeding for about 1.5 months after childbirths. cesarean section that they do after badl deliveries. Veile thinks this is possible because mothers live in an exceptionally supportive badfeeding environment.

"Moms living in this Mexican community do not need to hide in a bathroom to feed their child in public," says Veile, a biological anthropologist specializing in the development of infants and children. "Here, it is a cultural norm to badfeed anytime, anywhere, and to maintain badfeeding for more than two years." And we think that "Prolonged badfeeding offers protective benefits that reduce some of the health problems we often see in children delivered by caesarean section." . "

Veile's research appears in the American Journal of Human BiologySpecial number of. on the evolutionary and biocultural causes and consequences of increased caesarean birth rates. Veile and her badociate Karen Rosenberg, a professor at the University of Delaware, are the guest editors of the special issue. It contains 10 research articles written by anthropologists, biologists and health professionals, freely available until spring 2019.

In her study, Veile and her team compared badfeeding times and infant infection rates based on the birth of the child with Yucatec Mayan farmers. After 88 children from birth to age 5, the results show that children born from caesareans were badfed for about 2.7 years, while badl deliveries were badfed for a little over 2 years, 5 years. There was no difference in infection rates between the two groups of children.

"What a powerful message for badfeeding," said Veile. "We need to continue to study this issue, but it seems that these mothers, perhaps unconsciously, have increased their badfeeding efforts after cesarean section."

Veile says Yucatec Mayan women face post-Caesar challenges in hospital settings, such as prolonged separation of their children, lock-up problems and a delayed milk release reflex. Yet mothers overcome these difficulties by showing determination, eating special foods, and using herbs and compresses. They also receive emotional support and badfeeding advice from family and friends.

"Now that Caesareans are becoming more universal, it is important to better understand the health consequences for children in a variety of settings," said Veile. "This includes the very rural communities around the world who are moving towards better access to health care, while facing poor community sanitation and the double burden of malnutrition."