Glossary | Cesarean Section

Cesarean Section

A cesarian, also known as a "C-section" is a common way for babies to be born now. A cesarean is often done if your baby is not tolerating the stress of labor well or if your baby is too big to come down your birth canal. Other reasons could be that your baby is in a breech presentation, or that there are some other medical conditions present where you or your baby_s life might be in danger unless delivery occurs soon. The rate of cesareans has risen a lot over the last decade and occurs now in up to 30% of all births in the United States. A cesarean is always performed with you having some form of anesthesia. An epidural or spinal anesthetic is most often used for this purpose allowing you to be awake during the birth of your baby. If your baby needs to be delivered very rapidly and there is no time to perform one of the above mentioned anethetics, a general anesthetic is used where you will be put asleep. After the delivery, all the cut layers will be sewn back. Do note that contrary to common thought, the abdominal muscles are not cut, just separated to their respective sides during the cesarean. The overall time of an uncomplicated cesarean is about 30 to 45 minutes.After the delivery, you will often stay a few more days longer in the hospital to heal from your cesarean. Expect to stay 3 to 4 days in the hospital after the birth. The risk of a cesarean in terms of infections and blood loss is greater than with a regular vaginal delivery. However, with modern sterile surgical techniques and with experienced surgeons, the risk to you is not much greater.If you have had one cesarean, you, depending upon the intial reason of your c-section, may still have a vaginal birth with your subsequent pregnancy. This is called a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC). However, this is not without risks since you can experience a slight increase risk of uterine rupture that can be dangerous for both you and your baby. Do talk it over with your health care provider to see if that is a feasible option or not. A cesarean is usually performed by making a side-to-side _bikini_ cut just above your pubic bone. The incision is then used to enter your abdominal cavity where your uterus will be examined. In most cases, a low side-to-side incision will then be made in the lower part of your uterus, called the lower uterine segment, giving room for for your doctor to lift up your baby's head out of the uterus. Pressure is then applied on your abdomen by the surgical assistant in order to push out the rest of your baby.