How were your kids born?

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kimmidwife

kimmidwife

Joined
Sep 19, 2010
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I read something interesting yesterday. It was an article by a midwife who became a doctor. The article talked about why she chose to have her children at home and that even now after going to medical school if she had more kids she would have them at home again.
One of the things she mentioned in the article is something I knew but never really connected the dots before. She was talking about the high rate of c/sections in the USA. She mentioned how unnecessary c/sections are bad for both Momma and Baby for a number of reasons. One of those reasons she mentioned is that during a vaginal birth the baby's gut is colonized with healthy bacteria gotten from the mom as baby passes through. This healthy bacteria is very important for baby's gut to function properly. Baby's born by c/section do not get this benefit.
I am wondering if because of this babies born by c/section have a higher chance of developing IBD?
I want to take a poll and see from our group if there is any validity to this. So if you could please tell me how your child was delivered And getting of delivery I would appreciate it!

Caitlyn- vaginal delivery, out of hospital free standing birthing center.
Onset of IBD symptoms Age 10 years and 11months. Official diagnosis four days prior to 11th birthday.
Exclusively breast fed.
 
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Vaginal birth. 30 hours of hard labor, but she was high risk with my Lupus, and I was a risk for bleeding with C section. Lots of popsicles and lots of puking!
 
#1 w/ IBD Vaginal birth - 4 hours at hospital L&D - dx'd age 10
#2 w/o IBD Vaginal birth - 2 hours at hospital L&D
 
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Natural birth in birthing pool at local hospital. Home 6 hours later.
Age at diagnosis 9 years. Symptoms a year earlier.
 
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No 1- forceps assisted vaginal delivery in hosp (no health problems) Breastfed 3 weeks

No 2- HOME delivery, midwife attended (no health problems) Breastfed 5 mos

No 3- VIOLET attempted home delivery, moved to hosp C-SECTION (health problems). Was in NICU 1 wk, gentomycin given due to prolonged labor post-membrane rupture.
EDIT per Kim's request: AGE AT ONSET: 10y 5mo. Breastfed exclusively 6mo, weaned by 7mo.

No 4- attempted VBAC in hosp, C-section (no health problems) Breastfed 8 mos
 
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DS #1 w/IBD - Emergency C-Section, dx Crohn's at age 8.
DS #2 non-IBD - VBAC

Both breastfed until 24 months.
 
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I was born via natural vaginal birth - developed Colitis/Crohns at age 7
I have 3 full siblings with no IBD - all vaginal births
2 half siblings (same Dad), I believe all vaginal births - no IBD
 
A was born vaginally at our local hospital. She was breastfed but supplemented with formula due to FTT. My youngest was a vaginal delivery but was exclusively formula fed. She does have respiratory/sinus issues but no GI symptoms.
 
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and even weirder...I formula fed my first, O was half and half and my third was exclusively BF. My first is the healthiest one! Go figure.
 
Both uncomplicated vaginal deliveries.
Baby_Gurl_Emoticon.gif
 
Both my daughters were delivered vaginally but my older one (who only has arthritis) was breastfed and my younger one (IBD and arthritis) was formula fed.
Interesting!

M was diagnosed at 16 but has GI issues since age 11.
 
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Over time I have looked at the various issues raised that may be a precursor to IBD and when Matt was diagnosed with Crohn’s that is exactly the same as Sarah’s I have come to the conclusion that in our case it is genetic.

Both pregnancies and deliveries normal, both breastfed, neither had antibiotics until diagnosed with Crohn’s in their teens, neither had any serious illnesses or medication until Crohn’s, neither had any abdo issues until Crohn’s. Then they both had enough differences with their diets and lifestyles that you can’t link it up that way either, except that they lived under the same roof. Hey ho. :)

Dusty. xxx

ETA: Age of diagnosis...

Sarah 14, symptoms from age 13.

Matt 17, symptoms from that age.
 
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I've heard this too but it's hard to say. C-section is more common in the US, but lots of things are more common in the US. Breastfeeding has been thrown out there too, to provide immune system health. We are a small sample here on the board, so no conclusions can really be drawn, but I think some studies are being done out there, on a wide statistics level.

That said, my first son, healthy was vaginal-forceps. My IBD son was emergency C-section after getting stuck head-sideways. When my water broke, it had thick mec, which might be more indicative than type of delivery.
 
No c section here for any of my kids
No formula for any of my kids
Only EBF.

But only one kid with Ibd .
 
Can you guys edit your posts and add in age of onset of IBD? I am just trying to see if there are any patterns such as children born by c/section possibly having earlier age of onset.
Thanks!

Kim
 
Oldest and youngest children were diagnosed with Crohn's, although oldest has been symptom and drug free since age 24 and she is almost 33. Oldest was a vaginal birth, youngest was c-section. Both were very healthy babies/ young children. Youngest got Crohn's at age 14 most likely, diagnosed at 16. Oldest got Crohn's at 24 and was diagnosed about 6 months later?
 
3 vaginal births, big babies.

Dx aged 16 but the GI believe Crohn's was present up to 4 years prior to dx. Breastfeed for 7 months, stopping due to concerns about my weight.
 
2 normal vaginal deliveries
Oldest non IBD not breast fed
Youngest breast fed dx 12
Pregnancy with the youngest was awful & I developed RA right after having him.
I was always thankful the baby was healthy although I was falling apart, but who knew he would develop such a literally crappy disease
 
Natural vaginal delivery. Formula fed.
Onset of symptoms started at 13, diagnosed at 14.
Was never on any antibiotics before symptoms started.
 
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oldest - induced vaginal birth w/forceps. crohn's onset age 16
younger identical twins - c-section, non-ibd

all three breastfed until 1 yr of age

all three kids are gluten-intolerant (dad is celiac) and were gluten-free 8 years prior to crohn's dx.
 
Both kids were easy vaginal deliveries at the hospital,
Both kids were only breast fed
My oldest son Nathan was diagnosed with Crohn's when he turned 13, his only symptoms were failure to thrive. He did not grow in the 2 years prior to diagnosis.
My youngest daughter has no health problems.
 
I'm a little late joining in, but here's my info... both of my boys were scheduled c-sections, with no complications. 1st son was 9lbs, 15lbs, breastfed and supplemented with formula. He was dx'd at age 8, but I think he had signs of Crohn's from the time he was a todldler. My 2nd son was 8lbs, 10oz, also breastfed and supplemented with formula.
 
Bit late too but S was induced, vaginal. Breastfed only a few weeks then formula. Healthy baby and child. Diagnosed at 16, don't think there were really any earlier symptoms. However, I say 'think' bcz he went thru a period, around 10 yrs old, when he had problems with constipation but corrected itself and was never a problem again (S says he remembers holding it in and then becoming constipated)??? Also, was always picky eater and, starting as a very young infant, preferred very small, frequent, quick meals, a 'grazer' rather than stopping for a meal.
 
#1 - I was 26, Vaginal Birth, labor less than 4 hrs., umbilical cord wrapped around neck at birth, apgar score was 10, breastfed for 13 months (no crohn's or any other health problems)
#2 - I was 27, Vaginal birth, labor for less than an hour, umbilical cord wrapped around neck at birth, apgar score was a 3 (not breathing at birth during labor was when cord choked her), breastfed for 18 months (has crohn's at age 11)

I carried both kids to full term, 40 weeks.
 
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kimmidwife said:
Hmmm, so from our small group it doesn't seem to really make a difference how they were born.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! No rhyme or reason to this stinkin disease...why would it make things easy to figure out now. Stupid Crohns:voodoo::voodoo::voodoo:
 
Eldest son [ 38 ] vaginal delivery, no probs, breastfed
Second son [ 36 ] same as above, breast fed
third son [34] same as above, formula fed

Fourth son [ 13 ] emergency c section, breathing problems, in special care for 2 days on oxygen, in hospital 5 days after birth. Came home with ear infection, on antibiotics at 6 days old. Breast fed. Diagnoised with crohns at 8, though probably had it at least 2 years before that.
 
3 C-Sections. Older kid no problems. Daughter diagnosed at 14, youngest started having issues at 14 too. All of them Breastfeed.
 
Kim, I edited per your request to add age of onset and breastfeeding data. May be interesting to add if they had antibiotics early, as V did in NICU.
 
Antibiotic use/infections...interesting stuff. Researching Psoriasis and I am hearing from a well known doc that chronic ear infections and other infections as a child shows increased risk of psoriasis...also a link to antibiotic use. O had chronic ear infections for over a year as a toddler. At the beginning we treated with antibiotics but eventually stopped as I read a lot of infections clear on their own and what do you know...every one did.
 
Julie,
Hmmm. That is interesting. Caitlyn was born in an out of hospital birth center but at two weeks of age she caught a severe ear infection and had a high fever. They forced us to take her to the hospital and put her on antibiotics and even made us let them do a spinal tap,as they worry about meningitis in Babies that young. So V and Caitlyn both had strong antibiotics at a very young age. Anyone else with that experience?
 
My younger daughter had a lot of ear infections when she was two and was treated with anti-biotics again and again.
 
CT I heard about that relation too with antibiotics. Maybe we should add that to our comments or start a new thread? I think that is where there is more connections. I remember D having penicillin right before her 2nd birthday, but her ear infections were so bad I didn't have any choice. Before 3 was her first anaphylaxis reaction. Now I know not everyone that has Crohn's has gone into anaphylactic shock, but I bet a big chunk of the kids had meds by or around 2.
 
At most, S had antibiotics only two or three times before he was diagnosed. As a very young child, ie before 7 or 8 years old, he couldn't have any liquid meds (including children's aspirin) as he would vomit instantly (seemingly before the med even reached his stomach)!?!? Strangely, my daughter had the same reaction. I always had to use aspirin suppositories for fevers, etc. And, when one of them (can't remember which) did have an ear infection as a baby, I even asked the ped if they could have the antibiotics through an injection because with the instant vomiting, they weren't getting any of the antibiotic in them.

So, very limited antibiotics with S.
 
Twins vaginal delivery in 5 hours (very exciting, twin a was full breech and twin b was transverse)
Combo of breast fed and formula
Twin a is Badger who was dxd at 10 but had what I consider symptoms from infancy. He stopped growing at age 7.
Twin b his sister is non-IBDer.
Both kids had frequent severe ear infections and started antibiotics by 6 months
Badger also has asthma and has outgrown most of the environmental allergies he had as a younger child (cats, dust mites, grasses)
 
Antibiotic rx'd while out of the country for inner ear infection when M was under 1 yr old. She had a severe reaction to the meds - explosive diarrhea that resolved after a week or so from finishing med.

A year later she was on another round of antibiotics and everything she ate went right thru her. I remember it took awhile for that to resolve too.

Fast forward to 14 years old and she spent two plus years on doxycycline for acne and then was diagnosed w/crohn's at 16.
 
Trying to remember but had several cases of bronchitis and nebulizer treatment. I think he was also prescribed antibiotics a few times the first two years. Pretty much everytime he got a cold he ended up with bronchitis
 
So maybe antibiotics at a young age is the link? Also seems like a lot of our kids had allergic reactions to the antibiotics they were given. The mystery deepens!
 
No abx for Ibd kiddo till almost 5 but he has the super hyper immune system it attacks everything.
He had Gi issues. From birth plus tons of allergy asthma stuff from birth as well
An over achiever on all fronts ;)
 
Both were born vaginally:
The first daughter was born without any meds, and has a few intestinal issues. weighed 7lb 10oz
the second daughter was delivered after 8 hours of hard labor: 9 lbs 15 oz. and was diagnosed at age 12 with Crohns/U.C.....
both were breast fed until age 1 1/2.
 
Nooooooooo, back off Sherlock! :lol:

Neither of my kids had antibiotics until Crohn’s. So for Sarah 14 y/o and Matt 17 y/o. No ear infections, nothing, just the odd innocuous virus.

Dusty. :joker:
 
Both my ds normal vaginal delivery. Ds 1 diagnosed IBD at age 10. Had loads of antibiotics as a child, although so has non ibd ds.

I'm with Dusty and believe it has something todo with your genetic make up. As said before I have type 1 diabetes, underactive thyroid, coeliacs; my mum has Vasculitis and both my mum has and Nan in her life time had the skin pigment condition (can't think of name). On top of all this younger ds is taking part in the diabetes trialnet study and he has been found to have 3 particular auto antibodies suggesting he is at risk of developing type 1 himself over the next few years.

There has to be some sort of link there somewhere!?!?!?!?

Ands xx
 
Sarah my IBD kid had a severe lung infection at 16 months. Six months course of antibiotics as a 14 year old but GI believes she already has un-dx IBD.

My middle non IBD child spend more time on antibiotics than off until 5. She had a kidney infection aged 2 which resulted in kidney damage, treatment was a 12 month course of antibiotics.
 
I think in some cases like Dusty's and Ands there is obvious HEREDITARY genetic component, so those cases are in a separate category as to etiology.

In other cases, no genetic component may be present OR one that is not inherited, i.e., a spontaneous mutation.

Perhaps, as with vaccine triggered encephalopathy cases, SOME kids are vulnerable (due to their innate physiological makeup OR a genetic factor) to antibiotics given young, causing their immune system to go awry.
I believe there is a subset of IBD pts for whom this is the case.

(And I think it is EARLY dosing that does it, as V had few antibiotics after those given in NICU, until age 4 (strep) and not again until age 7 (UTI) then not again until age 12 (strep). Then again, for SOME, maybe antibiotics given later did it.
No way to know, but I think there's a link.

Just like there's evidence MAP is the cause of SOME pts' IBD.

I think V falls into the early antibiotic trigger crowd. Oh Kim, she also had an LP at age 3 days.

IBD may be a diagnosis that actually encompasses differently-impaired immune systems, depending on why/how that pt's immune system became set off. That would explain why some tx work for some and not for others, the "highly individualized" (per V's doc) nature of the disease.
 
Johnny- vaginal delivery vacuum assisted 37 weeks, pre-ecampsia. Lots of ear infections and antibiotics. Diagnosed crohn's 11 years old.

Brooke- vaginal delivery 37 weeks. No ear infections or antibiotics.
 
my son had tons of antibiotics his first year with chronic ear infections.

There's genetic susceptibility, an enviromental priming (abx), and a trigger (in his case strep, I think) to set off the uncontrolled immune system
 
I think we are all correct that it is a combination of factors genetic and environmental that contribute to our kids developing IBD.
 

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