Cesarean Birth: Know Plan Of Child Birth And Its Procedure
Now that you are very much close to your childbirth, you might be thinking about what is going to happen in your labor and during your delivery. Many mothers-to-be plan for a C- section, also known as a ‘Cesarean’ process during their childbirth. But it is important to know and analyze whether this process is required for you, or do you need a C- section at all. The first thing that your health care expert should ensure is that your health and the health of your baby are secured during the process of childbirth and the physician will decide whether you need a C- section procedure of childbirth or not accordingly.
Vaginal or normal delivery is always considered the safest and the most prescribed method of childbirth procedures by doctors. But in some cases when health fatalities arise, doctors become bound to perform a Cesarean surgery for childbirth so that both the child and the mother remain in good health.
What Is A C- Section Or Cesarean Delivery?
Cesarean delivery is a method of childbirth that is a much more complicated process of delivery. In this process, a surgical cut is performed on the skin of the abdomen of the mother and in her uterus.
According to recent studies and experiments, many deliveries nowadays are safely and successfully carried out by physicians through the Cesarean process of childbirth. Cesarean methods of childbirth are often performed by the doctors if any health-related issue or any emergency arises during the labor or the time of childbirth. Though these surgeries are almost safe, if not handled, they can lead to health complications for both the mother and the baby.
But one important thing should be kept in mind- if you have an emergency of labor and delivery, you can undergo a C- section childbirth but that should not be before the 39th or 40th week of your pregnancy. If done so, several health complications might arise in both the mother and the baby.
Types Of Cesarean Delivery
In the field of surgical obstetrics, there are different types of C- section surgeries. Such as:
Planned Cesarean Surgery:
If you plan for a C- section surgery for childbirth prior to your due date, you might not get into labor and you will know the time when you are going to have your baby. When planned, C- section surgery is more or less safe and your doctor will give you an IV to make you receive the medicine and fluids. During a planned Cesarean surgery, your urinary bladder is emptied with a thin tube-like substance known as a catheter.
Emergency Cesarean Surgery:
An emergency C-section surgery might be required when your health care expert finds out that you or your child or both are having any kind of health issue like your child is having an irregular heartbeat or is having problems of breathing or any pregnancy-related complication for which vaginal childbirth might be risky. Emergency C- section surgery is an urgent procedure of surgery that is followed for emergency recovery of childbirth and to speed up the process of delivery.
Plan For A C- Section Surgery For Child Birth
If you plan for a C- section birth, you might know that you will be able to give birth to your child safely, but you will also know that vaginal childbirth is safer than that cesarean childbirth which might require a lot of complications and health issues for both the mother and the baby. Cesarean childbirths are planned mostly for labor-free childbirth, but in many cases, it might involve some potential risks such as the immense amount of blood loss, may affect some of your major organs, can lead to the spreading of infections, and can cause the formation of blood clots that might cause thrombosis. In fact, in the process of anesthesia that is used prior to a C- section surgery, you might have allergies that might also affect the health of your baby.
Why Should I Have A C- Section Surgery: The Clinical Reasons
Cesarean delivery is not always prescribed by doctors for childbirth unless you plan for it. But several types of situations might arise when a C- section surgery might become necessary for childbirth. Some such situations are as follows:
1. Prolonged Labor:
According to recent studies and new experiments, prolonged labor, which is also known as ‘failure to progress or ‘stalled labor’ is one of the major factors that makes you plan for a C- section surgery. This condition occurs as a pregnancy complication when a birth canal becomes too large for the baby, slow thinning of the cervical region, or has labored for a long time that is for almost 14 to 20 hours.
2. Abnormal Positioning Of The Baby:
In some cases, the position of the baby is not in the proper position which might lead to a birth defect, complications of childbirth, and labor. This is the time when your doctor might recommend C- section surgery that might become crucial to save both the mother and the baby.
3. Fetal Distress:
Sometimes, the baby inside might have an irregular heartbeat and can have a lack of oxygen that will make it difficult to breathe properly. To avoid this fetal distress, C- a section birth is necessary.
4. Birth Defects:
Often physicians recommend a C- section surgery to avoid any kind of birth defect in the child such as excess fluid in the brain or any kind of cardiac disorder.
5. Chronic Health Condition:
You should go for Cesarean surgery for childbirth if you have chronic health issues like HIV, genital herpes, or any kind of infection, or issues like high levels of blood pressure, diabetes, or high blood sugar levels.
6. Cord Collapse:
A cord collapse is a complication related to pregnancy that might occur when the baby’s umbilical cord slips out through your cervical region before childbirth. If you have this kind of health issue, your doctor might prescribe a C- section surgery.
7. Cephalopelvic Disproportion (Cpd):
If you have a CPD, then you cannot deliver your baby vaginally because your pelvis might be too small for childbirth, so it is preferable to go for a C- section instead if you have CPD.
Potential Risks Of A Cesarean Surgery For Child Birth:
According to recent studies and experiments, though the cesarean process of childbirth is being used in many cases nowadays, still there are some potential risk factors related to this surgery compared to childbirth through the vagina. The complications that result from a C- section childbirth might also affect your health and the health of your child. The possible side effects that might be caused after undergoing a C- section childbirth are as follows:
- Formation of blood clots within the blood veins and blood vessels leading to the formation of thrombosis
- Mild to heavy bleeding from the vagina
- Spreading of infections
- The baby might get affected while the C- section surgery is performed
- Some of your organs might get damaged due to the surgery
- Anesthesia might lead to allergies
- Pregnancies in the future might be affected
- Requires more time to recover compared to childbirth through the vagina
- Irregularity of the heartbeat of the child and some breathing problems
- Chances of developing adhesions, hernia, and other complications of abdominal surgery
As you can see, there are a lot of complications related to a C- section childbirth, you should consult with your doctor if you are planning for Cesarean birth so that your health and the health of your baby are secured. But if you have emergency situations during labor, your doctor is likely to decide on a C- section surgery for safer childbirth.
How a cesarean delivery is performed?
There is a proper procedure for carrying out a C- section surgery for childbirth. Before the surgery is performed, you are made to clear out your bladders through a catheter and your abdomen through the application of an IV injection. After this, anesthesia is performed.
There are three types of anesthesia that are usually performed before a C- section surgery. They can be classified as:
- spinal block: the anesthetic fluid is injected somewhere around the spinal cord
- epidural: the fluid is injected in the lower back. This is commonly done both during vaginal and C- section childbirths
- general anesthesia: is done during situations of emergencies, this makes you numb without feeling any pain
After you are made numb, your physician will make a cut on the skin surface of your abdomen and in the uterus and the baby will be removed with its umbilical cord and the placenta. The cuts will then be stitched and here you are with your little one.