This is fascinating - although an oxymoron (natural cesarean?), it immediately and instinctively appealed to me as a midwife. (Photo is of a cesarean in rural Nepal)

As reported in the Yale News (Karen N. Peart, Aug 8, 2012) "Vaginal birth triggers the expression of a protein in the brains of newborns that improves brain development and function in adulthood, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, who also found that this protein expression is impaired in the brains of offspring delivered by caesarean section (C-sections)."

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women who have a cesarean delivery appear to be more likely to suffer a stroke during the following year than women who give birth normally, researchers in Taiwan have shown.

How should childbearing women with a history of cesarean be counseled about the optimal mode of delivery with their current pregnancy?  

in response to the debate on "Good Morning America"