According to a new study, early elective cesarean sections pose serious risks to newborns. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine , found that babies delivered via a scheduled C-section before the 39th week of pregnancy were more likely to have breathing problems that required a ventilator, infections, and low blood sugar. Moreover the study also found that having the baby after 40 weeks also increased the risks for bad outcomes.

The study of more than 24,000 full-term infants found that babies born at 38 weeks were 50 percent more likely to have problems; the risk was about 20 percent higher just a few days early. "Having a baby at term, you might expect the baby would do well and come to your room with you and then go right home with you," said Catherine Y. Spong of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which sponsored the study

Despite the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines, 36 percent of the babies were delivered early, and the research may have underestimated the risk of complications. But there are reasons why mothers choose to do so. In a commentary, Dr. Michael Greene of Massachusetts General Hospital said the profile of women who delivered early suggests that they were more likely to be eager to have their own doctor do the delivery.

Even though back in 2006, a government panel urged women not to seek a C-section without a medical reason; the rate of Caesarean sections in the United States is at an all-time high, accounting for about 31 percent of births. There are lots of reasons: older moms, multiple births, the threat of malpractice lawsuits, the preference of mothers and doctors and the risks of having a vaginal birth after a previous Caesarean.