Mothers opting for delivery through caesarean section could be harming their baby’s health, researchers have warned contrary to the widely-held belief that a C-section delivery poses no health risks to the baby.

In a study, conducted by a team at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, the US researchers found that the procedure did not help some pre-term babies who were small for gestational age and may have contributed to breathing problems in them, the Daily Express reported.

The babies -- often with mothers “too posh to push” -- had 30 percent higher odds of developing respiratory distress syndrome than similar pre-term babies born naturally.
The research was presented to the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Foetal Medicine.

Expert Diane Ashton, said: “These findings overturn conventional wisdom.”

Between 2002 and 2009, caesarean deliveries in the US rose from 27 percent of births to 34 percent, according to a HealthGrades report. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported a dip in rates to slightly under 33 percent in 2010.