Sarcouncil Journal of Medical Sciences

Abstract: Elective cesarean section (CS) and planned vaginal delivery (VD) are typical births that are linked to different outcomes of infants. This information is necessary to understand their short-term neonatal complications to ensure that there is maximization of delivery practices and neonatal care. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate a comparison of elective CS versus planned VD concerning the outcome of neonatal care in the short term, that is, respiratory complications. The study design was a cross-sectional study including 127 neonates (n=63 and n=64) born during 12 months of follow-up (June 2024-June 2025) using both elective CS (n=63) and planned VD to be born in different hospitals in Iraq. This work gathered and summarized clinical outcomes in the neonate after delivery, respiratory conditions, and NICU hospitalization. Also, the children who were born out of elective CS had a greater number of respiratory complications (28.6% vs. 7.8%), such as respiratory distress syndrome and transient tachypnea. Their Apgar scores also showed lower results at 1 minute (7.2 vs. 7.8) and indicated a higher degree of hypoglycemia (14.3% vs. 4.7%). In summary, infants born through elective cesarean delivery face higher risks of respiratory complications, hypoglycemia, and having to be admitted to the NICU more than those who were born due to normal birth. These results reveal the sensitivity of perinatal care and counseling on the mode of delivery in order to reduce neonatal morbidity.