Babies delivered through cesarian birth may develop spatial attention problems compared to babies born via natural delivery, according to scientists from York University. "Our research has revealed that being born by a C-section slows a baby's spatial attention, which plays a role in its ability to focus on a particular area or object of interest," Scott Adler, a psychologist and one of the authors of the study, said in a press release.
The experts said that the impact of the birthing process to the baby's brain development has not been largely looked into, as most studies have been focused on the baby's weight and the mother's age as the main factors. This study is the first to find some links that compares spatial attention between babies delivered vaginally and through Cesarian section. It is considered noteworthy since the number of C-sections in recent times has been increasing.
The researchers did two experiments to compare groups of 34 three-month-old babes.
In the first experiment, they monitored eye movement to determine attention span and noted any changes or disruptions in the babies. Using infrared light tracks, the babies were showed stimuli on screen during the 30-minute session.
"The stimulus-driven, reflexive attention and saccadic eye movement of those babies born via a Cesarean were found to be slowed compared to those of vaginally delivered infants. This is not because such babies try to more accurately select the right cues. The researchers believe it is because Cesarean delivered babies' brain development was impacted by their method of birth and their ability to initially allocate their spatial attention. It is still unclear whether this effect lasts throughout a lifetime," the researchers noted, according to Science Daily.
In their second trial, the experts learned that there is no difference in "cognitively-driven voluntary attention" regardless of the birth experience. Meaning, all infants decide to look at new objects in the same way.
Adler said that further research must be conducted to determine if the Cesarian birth was due to a complication, rather than a choice, and whether or not this has a long-term impact on the baby's development.
The study was published in the journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics.
