Labor and delivery

Making childbirth safer

(NC)-It's a steamy August day, the baby's two days past due and the grandparents are in town to help out, but just for the weekend. Do you ask your doctor to induce labor?

It's an example of a pre-natal scenario faced by more and more Canadian parents.

Research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is providing insight to help expectant parents and physicians navigate this increasingly complex range of medical and social choices—and find the safest options for them.

A recent CIHR-supported study revealed that the medical induction of labour carries an increased risk of maternal death due to amniotic fluid embolism. It's a rare obstetric emergency in which amniotic fluid or fetal cells enter the maternal circulation, causing cardiorespiratory collapse. The risk to any one woman is very low. Only two women die from this cause for every 100,000 induced labours.

"This awareness is unlikely to affect the decision to induce labour if there are compelling medical reasons," says Dr. Michael Kraemer, scientific director of CIHR's Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health. "But given the potentially severe consequences, women and physicians should be aware of the risk if the decision is elective."

Dr. Kramer says it's crucial that physicians and expectant mothers better understand the potential health impacts of birthing choices including whether or not to have a caesarean section.

The CIHR-supported Ontario Mother and Infant Study, led by Dr. Wendy Sword at McMaster University, is presently tracking the health of moms and babies for their first year. The study will then compare their health with whether the birth was vaginal or by C-section.

And now that pre-term babies as young as 23 weeks can survive, the medical maze of choices for parents and physicians doesn't always end with delivery. A CIHR-funded study, led by Dr. Barbara Schmidt at McMaster University is presently examining the long-term effects of the caffeine used to help very premature babies breathe.

Courtesy NewsCanada