Daily Mail - 29.08.2019

Daily Mail, Thursday, August 29, 2019 Page 13

Madonna’s little mermaids

WHEN your mother is one of the richest pop

stars in the world, you can probably demand

a host of expensive birthday treats.

But it seems that all Madonna’s twin daugh-

ters wanted as they celebrated turning

seven was to be transformed into mermaids,

their favourite mythical creature.

Estere and Stella, who were adopted by

the singer from Malawi two years ago,

clearly had huge fun dressing up in colour-

ful costumes and taking a dip in their swim-

ming pool in Portugal.

Madonna, who famously used actors

dressed as mermen for the video of her

1989 hit Cherish, posted pictures of the twins

on her Instagram page. They show Estere

and Stella in their mermaid costumes and at

a ladybird-themed birthday party.

Madonna has two other children adopted

from Malawi – son David, 13, and daughter

Mercy James, also 13 – as well as daughter

Lourdes, 22, with actor Carlos Leon, and son

Rocco, 19, with former husband Guy Ritchie.

The singer turned 61 a fortnight ago, cele-

brating with a lavish party at which she

dressed in full military regalia and fishnets.

Madonna with the twins at Christmas 2017

By Alisha Rouse

Showbusiness Correspondent

Scale models:

Stella and

Estere pose in

mermaid

costumes to

celebrate

their seventh

birthday

C-section babies ‘33%

more at risk of autism’

By Ben Spencer

Medical Correspondent

BABIES delivered by

Caesarean section are a

third more likely to develop

autism later in life, research-

ers have claimed.

The controversial conclusion

comes from data about 20 mil-

lion births worldwide examined

by scientists in Sweden.

They suggest that children born

via C-section have a 33 per cent

increased chance of autism as well

as a 17 per cent higher risk of

attention-deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD).

But last night their research was

criticised by experts who said the

data was skewed. They insisted

the risk can be explained by the

underlying problems causing

women to have surgical deliveries

rather than the procedure itself.

The number of C-sections in

Britain has soared from about ten

per cent of births three decades

ago to 26 per cent today.

Although the operation is often

needed to avoid complications, a

growing body of evidence suggests

it may affect the child later in life.

The Swedish academics said

babies born via C-section are not

exposed to bacteria in the birth

canal. This could stop them devel-

oping a robust immune system

and push up the risk of neuro-

developmental disorders.

Another explanation could be

that babies in a surgical birth do

not experience the vital ‘stress

response’ involved in a natural

delivery, added the study.

The academics at the Karolinska

Institute in Stockholm said: ‘Both

elective and emergency Caesarean

deliveries were associated with

increased odds of ADHD and

autistic spectrum disorder.

‘The results appear to further

add to the known adverse health

outcomes associated with Caesar-

ean delivery and suggest judicious

use of Caesarean delivery.’

Although they speculated about

the biological reasons for the

higher risk, the scientists admit-

for developmental issues. Prob-

lems with the placenta, which

often trigger a surgical birth, could

also be to blame.

Last night experts advised moth-

ers-to-be not to be concerned by

the study in the JAMA Network

Open medical journal.

Consultant obstetrician Dr Pat

O’Brien, for the Royal College of

Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,

said: ‘Women who have a Caesar-

ean birth should be reassured that

it is a safe procedure.

‘A Caesarean birth can be a life-

saving intervention as well as the

right choice for mother and baby.’

Kevin McConway, emeritus pro-

fessor of applied statistics at the

Open University, said: ‘There are

very likely to be other differences

between Caesarean and vaginal

births to do with the mother, the

child or something else.’

He added that the absolute

increase in risk is tiny, up from

seven babies in 1,000 with autism

for natural births to about ten per

1,000 for Caesarean deliveries.

nTeenagers who take the Pill are

up to three times more likely to

suffer depression as adults, warn

researchers at the University of

British Columbia, Canada.

The study of 1,236 women in

America pointed to the effects of

hormones interfering with brain

development in the under-18s.

‘Can be a life-saving

intervention’

But critics say the claim is based on skewed data

ted these ‘remain unknown and

require empirical investigation’.

British scientists said the more

likely explanation is that many

C-sections are for babies born

prematurely, an established risk