Cesarean Section Delivery

Why would a pregnant woman require a cesarean section?

Cesarean Section Delivery

A cesarean section, or c-section, occurs when you have to have abdominal surgery to remove your baby. A cesaraen may be planned in advanced or it may be a sudden need. Sometimes a cesarean section is necessary for the health of the mother and/or baby. Whether you have a planned cesarean section or an emergency cesarean, you will undergo surgery in the operating room. After the operating room is prepped and ready, you will be brought into the room. Your labor partner will be given a set of scrubs to put on. Because there are so many things going on in the operating room at one time, it is common to have 5-10 healthcare professionals in the operating room during the cesarean section.

Reasons For A Cesarean Section
There a number of reasons that could cause you to have to undergo a cesarean section. If you have had a cesarean previously, you may get the option of having a cesarean or trying for a vaginal. If your baby is breech or you have placenta previa, you will need a cesarean section to deliver your baby. Sometimes doctors will perform cesarean sections if the baby is expected to be very large. If you are carrying multiples, your chances for a cesarean are higher. HIV/AIDS patients almost always give birth via a cesarean section to reduce the risk of infection in the baby. If you have genital herpes and have an outbreak at the time of delivery, your baby will be born through a c-section to prevent infection. Sometimes the cervix stops dilating or the baby does not go into the birth canal properly and this can require a cesarean to deliver the baby. If the umbilical cord comes through the cervix, your baby MUST be born immediately via cesarean section to prevent oxygen from being cut off. This is known as cord prolapse. Sometimes labor is so stressful for a baby that the baby's heart rate drops significantly and raises a cause for concern. If this happens, your doctor may recommend a cesarean to deliver quickly.

Procedure
You will have a catheter inserted to collect urine since you will not be able to get up to use the restroom for quite some time. If you have not had an epidural, you will be given a spinal so that your lower body will be numb for the procedure. You will also have an IV line placed in your arm or hand for medications and fluids. When you are wheeled to the operating room, you will be placed on the operating table and your legs will be strapped to the table to ensure safety. A sterile cloth will be draped in front of you so that you can not see the surgery. Hair around the incision site will be shaved and your skin will be cleansed well with a cold antiseptic solution to prevent infection. Your abdomen will then be draped with sterile material. Once the anesthesia has completely taken effect, your doctor will make an incision above the pubic bone. You will not feel the cutting, but you may hear machines that are used to suction fluids and seal off bleeding. Your doctor will continue cutting deeper into tissues and muscles until he reaches the uterine wall. Once the uterus is reached, your doctor will make one last incision into the uterus. The amniotic sac will be opened and the baby will come through the opening. As your doctor is pulling the baby through the opening, you will feel some pressure and tugging. The doctor will then cut the baby's umbilical cord and your doctor will hold the baby up for a moment before handing him off to a team of neonatal doctors and nurses. Medicine to help your uterus contract will be given through the IV and the placenta will be removed and examined. Your doctor will then suture your incision sites closed and a sterile bandage will placed over the wound. A nurse and the anesthesiologist will remain with you throughout your entire delivery, which will take approximately 45 minutes from start to finish.

Recovery
After you are all stitched up, you will be taken into a recovery room for observation. Nurses will continue to check your vital signs and she will also massage your uterus to get it to contract. You normally stay in the recovery room for approximately 1-2 hours and then go to another room for the remainder of your stay. You may or may not see your baby while you are in the recovery room. Your catheter is usually removed within a day of the surgery and your IV line will also be removed. You will most likely only receive liquids for 24 hours after delivery and then you can normally eat a regular diet.

Recovery after a cesarean section normally takes about 6 weeks. Because you have just had a major abdominal surgery AND given birth to a baby, you should try to take it as easy as you can. You may have gas pains, abdominal pain, uterine contractions and incisional pain. Walking is beneficial to recovery and you should try to walk as soon as possible. Avoid climbing stairs and ask for help with household chores and other children for a few weeks. Do not lift anything heavier than your baby. You will need to wear a sanitary pad for bleeding. This bleeding is called lochia and will last for several weeks. If your incision site becomes swollen, has a foul smell, bleeds or has an increased amount of pain you should call your doctor.

Risks
Because a cesarean section is a major abdominal surgery, there are risks involved. Mothers that undergo cesarean sections are more likely to develop an infection and have longer hospital stays than mothers who have a vaginal delivery. The recovery time is much longer and can be quite painful. Mothers may also experience alot of blood loss and clots following a cesarean section. There is also a risk for bowel and/or bladder injury during the process.

Comments: Cesarean Section Delivery

Comments 26 to 49 of about 314.
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katyjones12 - 16 days ago.
Yeah, I dont know exactly what i will do. im fine with having another csection i dont mind. my doctor and my local hospital say once a c section always a csection but i do have the bikini cut. so idk. I guess we will just go with the flow. But i have a long way to go !! : )

Bri - 16 days ago.
It's always a 'trial of labor'. It's how the phrase it because they never know what's going to happen during labor. I do have to sign a consent form saying that I know there is a potential risk, even if it is extremely low. It also says that if I need a section that I'll let them. But of course I don't think I will need one. It's just the hospital covering their own butts.

supermammy123 - 16 days ago.
bri i totally agree with you there. i dont think a second section should even be scheduled unless there is good reason as there are more risks to having a section than viginally. i have had 2 csections so my next baby will also be a section but that is a good enough reason. i tried a vbac with my second pregnancy but my son was in distress so had to get him out quick. my doctor actually encouraged me to do a vbac as its better for me and my baby :-) they should at least let her try and have her ready for a section incase of any complications xx

Bri - 16 days ago.
katyjones12 - The newest studies show that the risks are sooo low. Uternie ruptures only occur with a classic section. If you had a bikini cut then you should be fine. I would point this out and look up these studies. Research suggests that it is still safer for mom and baby to go into labor and deliver vaginally then to just schedule a second section. That is of course if your section wasn't because of a medical reason. I know a lady that has two cervical openings. When one would contract the other didn't and it literally was squeezing her daughter. It's not something they knew about until birth. Any furture children will be born by cesarean. But a breech baby or like mine because I couldn't stand the rash any longer and my body wasn't going into labor then I'm fine. Sounds like position was why you had your last one. That is no reason for a section in my book. Depending on your circumstances I would look at if it's hospital policy or your doctor's. If it's just your doctor I would contact others to see about what they'd do. Of course, some moms don't care so if you are fine with another section then go for it. I'm not. Even though I like my doctor I would have switched if she wouldn't allow me to go completely natural.

supermammy123 - 16 days ago.
hi katyjones i had a c section when i was 18 with my daughter she is 6 now! i tried for a vbac with my second ( my son) as its ok to have a vbac if you have only had 1 section. unfortunatley i ended up having another section as my son was in distress but i HAVE to have another csection with this pregnancy as the risks are much higher with having more than 1 already. its a shame they wont even let you try to have a vbac! thats not really thinking of you and your baby is it? i have never herd of docs refusing to do a vbac after 1 c section. its not very fare on you hun xx

katyjones12 - 17 days ago.
HEY LADIES. WELL I HAD A CSECTION WITH MY DAUGHTER WHEN I WAS 18 YRS OLD. SHES NOW ALMOST 2 YRS OLD AND MY HUSBAND AND I FOUND OUT THAT I AM 5 WEEKS PREGNANT WITH OUR SECOND BABY. WE ARE SO PLEASED.A ND THE HOSPITAL AND DOCOR I SEE WONT ALLOW US TO DO A VBAC BECAUSE OF THE RISKS, I AM HOWEVER NERVOUS BECAUSE IM AFRAID OF THE RECOVERY, I HAD A C SECTIONW ITH MY DAUGHTER AFTER 30 + HOURS OF HARD LABOR, AND SHE WAS FACE UP AND THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WOULD COME OUT WITHOUT HURTING ME AND NOT BEING ABLE TO HAVE MORE KIDS. SO THEY HAD TO.. AND MY RECOVERY SUCKED! SERIOUSLY IT WAS HORRIBLE. AND THIS TIME I KNOW IS GOING TO BE HELL, WE LIVE IN AN UPSTAIRS APARTMENT.. AND A 28 POUND 2 YEAR OLD. UGH!! HAHAA BUT I KNOW IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT! : )

uhoh-impreggo - 17 days ago.
If anyone's worried about c-sections I think they're all different for everyone. I was scared to death of one, went for an induction I didn't want and my baby almost instantly was in distress. They threw my bed back and charged me down the hall. Awful experience. But the surgery? No problems after. Except bladder control for the first two weeks (I couldn't feel my bladder until I had to go THEN- I peed on the hospital floor the first day *laughing* and after that scheduled hourly sits on the toilet). I was up and down the stairs, bending to the floor after a few days, and before 3 weeks carried home my 40 pound rescue puppy (can't wait til she's grown- 40lbs at 4 MONTHS... Uhg). My mother was displeased by seeing me carrying her, but I found it better than leaning over to drag her. It hurt to laugh, cough, sneeze, but other than that I mostly felt fine. I even have almost all of the prescription-strength motrin and never took a percoset. I had a really hard time with seeing my incision, though. That was traumatic for me. Unbelievably it's nothing, and way below my bikini line. It's healing beautifully. I would definitely recommend talking to your drs about the type of incision they perform and what sort of anestesia they do. The spinal I had was pretty ok. I'm one month out, and there is still tenderness and weakness, but I feel very blessed with my recovery.

supermammy123 - 29 days ago.
bri good luck with the vbac! i tried that with my second but failed :-( the cord was stuck around my sons neck so had to get him out fast as his heartbeat was dipping as i had contractions. most women are successful having vbacs im just one that didnt. so glad he was healthy anyway. im sure you will be successful tho. i never felt any tenderness of pain in my scar with my first section, it wasnt until i had my second one i have felt numbness so i hope it dont get too bad when i have my 3rd as i cant have a vbac now as there is too much of a risk of uterine rapture. it dont sound nice so dont want to chance it lol. best of luck to you i hope you succeed xxx

Bri - 29 days ago.
armywife7 - I'm on my second pregnancy and never felt pain or more stretching. I don't know if it's because I got pregnant 17months PP or because I'm not gaining as much as I did last time. I know that many feel a tenderness around the scar but I've never felt that either. I wouldn't be surprised that what you are feeling is normal.supermammy123 - Sorry I haven't a clue? I am working on number 2 but planning a VBAC so I hoping that I'll have the one section under my belt and all others will be vaginal.

armywife7 - 30 days ago.
is anyone pregnant again after a previous c-section and find that in this one... the 'stretching' is more painful or sensitive?

supermammy123 - 30 days ago.
hello everyone! is it true that you can only have 3 c sections? ive had 2 and preg again and my next baby will be delivered by c section. will this have to be my last baby?? has there been anyone out there who have had more than 3??

zellmer22 - 37 days ago.
i had a cs with my first, it was an emergency cs after 22 hours of labor, they found out he was breech and he was almost ten lbs so there was no turning him. i was really upset at that time bc i had wanted nothing more than a natural birth but things happen. now with my second i chose cs over vbac. i feel it is safer for baby and me. and its true, no matter how baby comes, as long as they are healthy it is worth it!!

lindsay82 - 39 days ago.
Ending up wtih a healthy infant is the most magical experience. I had some people after my first child ask me if I wanted to trying giving birth the normal way next time to which I asked what's normal? Many women have c sections including my grandmother during the second world war, it's not new or abnormal.

Crystal80 - 40 days ago.
OK for all who are having a c.s. or have had one (or two or more) I will speak from experience. Giving birth is a wonderful experience. whether you deliver vaginally or c.s. It makes no difference on how your little one comes in the world, It is a special time. It does not make you more of a mother to deliver vaginally... It does not make you a weak person to deliver via c.s. Speaking from experience I will say that my second c.s. was wonderful, i was up walking around within hours, I guess because I knew what was going to happen, or how i would feel. the recovery is harder for a c.s. But in the end holding your baby is worth all the pain... and you will soon forget it by the time you first see your baby's smile. I will be having my third c.s. in May. Best wishes to all babies born via c.s. !!

miraclemumma - 46 days ago.
piecesofyoukp, i had a c section with my twins. i was under general an. had them at 5pm and was up walking by 8pm. u will b fine. any worries just message me

harmonyh - 49 days ago.
Hi Ladies, I have 4 children but have had 5 c-sections, I also had my tubes tied but am looking tinto having it reversed has anyone had the reversal and if so was it successful?

secondchance - 55 days ago.
I just bought some c-panties...there is a silicone panel right over the incision site that is supposed to aid in healing...also it has compression (at the incision and above) that helps with discomfort and holding everything in. Can't wait for them to get here!

Shellie77 - 61 days ago.
I had a c/s a little over a week ago. I can't sneeze!! lol It hurts too much! Otherwise, it wasn't bad at all. Pretty dearn sore the first couple of days, but just make sure you stay on top of your meds and its tolerable! Now if I could just figure out how to sneeze gently....

Amalthea - 63 days ago.
I also had a C Section and it went really well! the drs and nurses were great and my dh got to hold our son and take pics... and then he went with the baby to the nursery while they finished sewing me up... then once i was in recovery they brought my son to me..it was great! to hold him!! and even though he had to go to the nursery first, it wasnt bad at all.. i still felt connected to him even though his first hour was spent in the nursery

kristentipton - 63 days ago.
I had a c section and it was awesome! I had no complications. i was up and moving the second day. I am diabetic and over weight and it still went well! The only thing I hated was not getting to hold my baby right away.... They whisked her away from me and I was in recovery for some time before i got to see her. This was the nurses fault though, not the surgery!

styx - 67 days ago.
I am preg with #2 and have to have another c section I healed very great with my daughter but for some reason the thought of having another is scaring me

piecesofyoukp - 80 days ago.
I am carrying twins and terrified of a c-s....I had my first two children vaginally and i want to try vaginally with these twins as well.....terrified of an epidural/spinal cuz I already have a back injury in my lower back.....if you have any good c-s experiences plz write me a comment on my page thx...

luckywhite - 80 days ago.
i had pain for about three months and felt immobile up unbtill recently with my section,, sometimes i still get that i cant get up from certain positions .. my baby is over 7 months old now.. i did not heal well at all.

emmaortiz - 80 days ago.
whats a staph infectionand i am still having really bad pains its been 6 weeks since my c-s and how long before i can go up stairs with no pain

jmschlotter - 87 days ago.
For the future mother that is in her 33rd week and wants to know when the date will happen, I asked my doctor and he said he'll do another ultra sound when I'm 37 1/2 weeks.And he will schedule and it will probably be when I'm 39 weeks.