The following is a summary of some of the possible complications or 'variations' that can occur for the baby(s) of women having a Caesarean birth. It may be that some of these are unavoidable if it is a medical emergency or the baby(s) are premature.
Difficulty breathing
Prematurity
Effects of the anaesthetic
Physical injury and cuts
Difficulty breathing
If the Caesarean is planned (or 'elective') the baby is more prone to breathing problems at birth, due to a condition called 'wet lung' or Transient Tachypnoea of the Newborn (TTN). This is breathing difficulties in a baby with healthy, mature lungs and is different from the breathing problems premature babies can have.
It used to be thought that 'TTN' was due to the amniotic fluid not being 'squeezed' out of a baby's lungs at birth (as it is with a vaginal birth). It is now believed that the effects of the low levels of Adrenaline hormones released by the baby during labour stimulate the lung fluid to be reabsorbed before the birth. Babies born by unplanned Caesarean (after the woman has laboured for some period of time) have the same chance of experiencing TTN as babies born vaginally.
One way to avoid this possible variation for the baby is to have your Caesarean after the labour starts, rather than scheduling it routinely, if any existing medical problems will allow for this.
Prematurity
Planned or 'elective' Caesareans, or Caesareans done as a result of an early induction (before 41 weeks gestation), have an increased chance of delivering a baby that may not be mature enough to be born (or is showing signs of being premature).
If the baby is premature, their lungs may not be functioning efficiently and they could have a weak sucking reflex, meaning they do not feed well. In some cases the baby may need to be cared for in the intensive care nursery.