Abstract
Newborns, regardless of the method of termination of pregnancy, are exposed to the first exogenous stress factors during delivery. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the differences in newborns’ thermal response to vaginal (VD) vs caesarean section (CS) delivery. The temperature was measured during the first minutes of life within 122 healthy full-term newborns, on the forehead, chest and upper-back by infrared camera (FLIR T1030sc HD). The lowest temperatures were recorded in the forehead of VD newborns (significantly difference with CS; p < 0.001), the warmest was the chest. A significant correlation was found between the duration of the second stage of natural childbirth and surface temperature and pO2 in the newborn blood. The temperatures of selected body surface areas correlate highly positively, regardless of the mode of delivery. In the case of healthy neonates, with normal birth weight and full-term, VD creates more favourable conditions stimulating the mechanisms of adaptation for a newborn than CS.
Highlights
Stress response is a fundamental requirement for the survival of the human species
The goal of our research was to estimate the potential effect of the mode of delivery (CS vs. vaginal delivery (VD)) on: 1. the range of temperature changes in selected newborn’s body surface areas immediately after delivery; 2. the nature of the temperature distribution on its body; and 3. selected birth parameters of the newborn, which was achieved by including in the study and analysis a group of newborns born by C-section
Based on the results of this study, it can be stated that despite the same thermal / humidity conditions prevailing in the delivery room, the drop in body surface temperature of newborns immediately after delivery is within a fairly wide range
Summary
Stress response is a fundamental requirement for the survival of the human species. Regardless of the method of termination of pregnancy, are exposed to the first exogenous stress factors during delivery. It is postulated that concluded that vaginal delivery (VD) is significantly more stressful in comparison to elective CS, as indicated from the higher serum cortisol levels observed in the VD [1]. Perinatal stress is strongly related to long-term programming of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, regulates the body’s adaptive processes and response to stimulating factors in the course of ontogenesis, influencing psychosomatic development [2]. Comparative studies have been conducted on the effect of the mode of delivery on the early and distant consequences for children’s psychosomatic traits.
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