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

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Joyce49788 - 198 days ago.
i know that you are not suppose to drive after a csection... how LONG do you have to go without driving??? if you are feeling ok, can you drive? i have heard differant things, that you have to wait 2 weeks, and i have heard you have to wait the entire 6 weeks before getting behind the wheel again. i am a single mom of soon to be 4 kids... and i dont have alot of ppl to drive me around, so was wondering if anyone experienced the ABILITY to be able to drive about a week AFTER the section????

dlaverty - 199 days ago.
BekahsMommy----i had an emergency section with my son who is now one. As it wasnt planned it was a bit overwhelming but i didnt find the experience too bad if im quite honest. It is quite difficult when you get home as you are very stiff around your tummy area and it can be hard to get in and out of bed and lift a baby etc. My advice is to take any help you are offered, i was living in a town with no family around for support so had to do everything myself. I am now pregnant with my 2nd child and may have to have another section and i feel quite positive about it xx

theclaudios - 200 days ago.
klo--i had back pains also for about two weeks after my csection..it would hurt to even change my sons diaper but it all got better for me four weeks after...

MS.mom - 200 days ago.
Bekahsmommy--It wasn't as bad as I antipated.. I only had a few minutes to anticipate it though! I personally didn't like having a section and really wanted a regular delivery. It freaked me out more than anything. I expected the incision to look a lot worse. Hated the recovery time, bending over can make your incision hurt. So really don't bend over too much for weeks afterwards. I was just picking up clothes in my infants room off the floor and empty gift bags and hurt myself--I felt fine before then. It sounds a lot scarier than what it is though. best of luck to everyone!

indigocream - 201 days ago.
I had the flap and its scare tissue you can not lose it or diet or excersice it away... I had a tummy tuck after my third child.... Then I was flat as a board... Then I had 2 babies 11 years later.... I had another tummy tuck 4 years later and I had one ovary removed and a tube removed. Well now Im 31 weeks pregnant..... After I finish having babies I will have dr. plastic do another tummy tuck and my one tube tied. lol

MILITARY~MOMMY - 203 days ago.
I have a flap too, and my daughter will be one on Friday. I work out, can run a mile and a half, and am fairly fit, if still a little over-weight. I was told that the scar tends to prevent the skin from regaining all of it's elasticity and tightening. But I am ok with that, I have my girl, and if when I am done having children it still bothers me I will look into surgical methods. But who knows, the only person who sees my tummy is my DH and he helped cause the flap, so he might just have to live with it!

Bri - 203 days ago.
The flap also is dependant on how much weight you gained and your genetics. I know women with a flat tummy because they were blessed with good genes and they gained hardly anything. I gained a lot during my first pregnancy. I got rid of most of my flap but there is just a little I would like to trim off. Now that I'm in my second pregnancy I'm determined not to gain a lot. I've actually lost weight since being pregnant so I'm happy. I also plan on a all natural VBAC! I'm very excited. A family friend growing up has become a doula so I'm going to see if I can enlist her help as well.

gagirl80 - 203 days ago.
I still have the 'flap' 8 years later I knew a woman who went to the gym everyday trying to get rid of it she finally just got a tummy tuck. I asked my Dr about it and she said that is usually the only solution to it. I am planning on getting a tummy tuck about 2 years after this baby!

kingsmommii - 204 days ago.
how long did it take for the 'flap' to go away??

lin - 204 days ago.
klo-im 8 weeks out from my second section...all the things you described are things i felt as well, very normal. i didnt feel better until 6 weeks on the dot...the first section i had felt better sooner though. everyone heals at different rates.

kebler98 - 204 days ago.
I wasn't allowed out of bed till the next morning. I still had the cather in is why. I also had to stay 4 nights as I was having issues going to the potty and that is a must at the hospital i was at. It did hurt to move, but yes it made it easier if I did. once the staples were out a week later I was like you Bri but still being mindful of taking it easy.

Bri - 204 days ago.
The nurses I spoke to before going into the OR was really awesome. They said the best advice for a C-section was to get moving. Anyone having one, remember, after they wheel you into your room start trying to move your legs. Start with the toes and get them moving. The sooner you get moving the better your recovery. As soon as you can stand start walking. Walk around the room with Dad's help. Work the meds out. It works. Like I said, I had my section at 1pm and went home the next afternoon. A lady that had had one at noon the same day was still dizzy and couldn't walk because she wasn't doing what she was suppose to. I felt myself within a week.

Bri - 204 days ago.
klo0426 - What you are feeling is normal. It takes a while to get back to yourself. I was like you. I had a section and was home from the hospital a day later because I didn't see any point in staying there. I was walking around Costco the following week. When they removed a bandage on me it pulled a stretch mark and left a little burn. So, that is what ended up hurting the most. The pulling will eventually go away along with the burning. Do expect the scar to be tender for months. I remember several months afterwards I ran my fingers across it and it still hurt. Didn't any other time, just then. A year and a half later I can barely even see the scar. Just be careful. There is a reason they don't want you to left anything heavy for six weeks. Relax and don't stress.

kebler98 - 204 days ago.
klo- do you still have staples/stiches in?? I had the pulling feeling up until the day the staples. My OB was amazed at how well I was moving the minute they were out of me and I was up walking. As far the back I didn't have that kind of feeling so I don't know on that. I did have what felt like a huge knot building on my incision sight, but as I healed that slowly went away. I called my OB and asked if that was normal because I was freaked out by it and they said yeah. I would call the OB and tell them all the issues you are having and see what they say. It is better safe than sorry. Good luck and congrats on the birth. (I had my c-section 8 1/2 months ago)

klo0426 - 204 days ago.
Hi ladies. Just something quick I was wondering about. I had an emergency c-section 2 1/2 weeks ago. Surgery went fine, recovery in the hospaital was great. Everyone including the nurses were amazed at how good I was doing. Now I understand I was on drugs---they worked awesome I must admit.lol Anyways my question is, well actually a couple questions. About how long does it take for pulling senseation/tearing feeling to go away? And is it normal for me to experiencing a slight to server burning feeling...only on my right side? I felt my scare last night and there is alot of scare tissue building on my right side and not on the left, is this normal? And one last thing, my lower back kills me. At first I thought it was from the epidural but now I'm not so sure. Should I be concerned or is this just the healing preocess because like I said I'm only 2 weeks out.

sarahc - 209 days ago.
kingsmommi: my scar bled after a few weeks with my last pregnancy. My midwife said it was just an area between two layers of skin that had filled up with blood and then leaked out. Ive forgotten what its called. It came pouring out! very frightening and it did it a couple times but healed perfectly after that and Ive had no problems at all since...the scar is now hardly noticeable...although getting bigger now Im pregnant again! :)

Artisticchik - 210 days ago.
Thanks for the info!

pygmalin - 210 days ago.
Artistichick- The pain meds they give you pass through but very little..I was on reallly strong stuff and he was fine. Theysaid to watch for out of the ordinary fussiness but nothing. just use as directed..and you'll be fine.

pygmalin - 210 days ago.
Birth story finally posted! Sorry so winded.

kingsmommii - 211 days ago.
Has anyones incision site started bleeding a few weeks after the surgery? if so, what was the outcome

domevapurple - 211 days ago.
Artisticchik if you gonna have c section nothing to worry about pain relief. coz the dr will give you a medicine thats not gonna affect you even you give breastfeed ...according to my experience they give me pills for pain when i got home that doenst even my breastfeeding.... hope its help a little info... god bless

Artisticchik - 211 days ago.
I have a question for you mommies that are experienced with having a C-section. This is my second pregnancy, my first I delivered vaginally but I wanted to ask this just incase. If I have to have a C-Section this pregnancy, how do the doctors handle pain control afterwards? The reason why I am asking is because I plan to breastfeed again and I understand that medications are excreted into breaskmilk. Any advice on this would be wonderful because I know Tylenol after an abdominal surgery would not cut he mustard for pain relief. Thanks!

domevapurple - 218 days ago.
thanks god .....ladies even in catheter.i dont have problem they put it in when im still numb sound like funny because i really dont know that i have it tell the nurse check it :-) its not hurt to when they take it out....

abbyquiet - 218 days ago.
hi everyone! i was reading some of the posts and i have to say i feel a little better knowing that i'm not the only one here who was completely freaked out by the catheter. not that i'm happy anyone else had a problem with it, but just that i wasn't over-reacting. i guess the medicine they had me on was spotty and even when they brought me in to do the c-section, it was spotty and they had to knock me out pretty much. so i don't remember much. and then 2 days after i left the hospital, i was back with infection, they called it endomyometritus. an internal infection of the uterus. and i was there for a week. but upon admitting me they needed to do a clean catch catheter, and i panicked and went into an anxiety attack. which they gave me some powerful anti-anxiety(sedative) medicine. and when i woke up i was admitted. it's a long story i guess. but my son is 16 months old now, and i'm pregnant again (nearly 9 weeks) with my second. and i'm slowly starting to freak out about the catheter again. although this time maybe it'll be better since i'm in a much much better hospital. <3

indigocream - 221 days ago.
I found this great article in Pregnancy Fit or Fit Pregnancy but it talks about a reaction to the spinal.... Its my blood pressure dropping the fix is epinephrine...