When to have a caesarean section and what you need to know to get it going well

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The desire of a pregnant woman alone is not enough for the operation.

What is a cesarean section

This is a surgical operation during which an obstetrician-gynecologist cuts the Cesarean Section / U. S. National Library of Medicine pregnant the anterior abdominal wall and uterus to remove the baby. Such an intervention may be planned if the doctor believes that a vaginal delivery will be dangerous for the mother or baby. And in some cases, a caesarean section is performed urgently when complications arise.

Who is having a caesarean section?

There are strict indications for the operation, and there is always the possibility that something will go wrong and complications will develop. Therefore, women who ask to replace a natural birth with a caesarean section are usually discouraged.

Indications for elective surgery

The operation is planned if, during pregnancy, doctors discovered dangerous health problems in a woman, due to which she cannot give birth. Or when the child's condition will not allow him to be born naturally. Here are some of the Cesarean Sections (C-Sections) / KidsHealth readings:

• the child is in breech presentation (booty down), lateral position (across the uterus);
• the fetus has birth defects, such as hydrocephalus;
• in a pregnant woman, placenta previa, when it blocks the exit from the uterus;
• a woman has a serious illness, such as HIV or active genital herpes;
• multiple pregnancies, but not always;
• Mom had uterine surgery or caesarean section.

Indications for emergency surgery

Caesarean section is performed if Cesarean Sections (C-Sections) / KidsHealth complications occur during or before labor:

• Labor has stopped: for example, there are no contractions or they are irregular and do not cause the cervix to dilate;
• placental abruption has occurred, and it is separated from the uterus before the baby is born;
• the umbilical cord is pinched or fell out into the birth canal before the fetus;
• fetal distress syndrome - changes in heart rate, due to which the child does not receive the required amount of oxygen;
• during childbirth, it turned out that the head or body did not pass into the birth canal.

Why is a caesarean section dangerous?

Like any other surgical procedure, there are risks to both the fetus and the pregnant woman. Here they are:

For a child

Complications are rare, but they cannot be completely ruled out. This could be C-section / Mayo Clinic:

• Breathing problems. Drugs that are used for anesthesia can enter the bloodstream to the fetus through the umbilical cord and cause depression of the respiratory center in the child's brain. Therefore, for several days after cesarean, there is a risk of abnormally rapid breathing, or tachypnea.
• Injuries. It is very rare that accidental cuts on the skin may appear during surgery.

For Mom

Women have much more risks from surgery C-section / Mayo Clinic:

• Reaction to anesthesia. It is not always possible to foresee how a woman will undergo anesthesia or anesthesia with an injection into the spinal canal.
• Surgical trauma. The doctor may accidentally injure a vessel in the abdomen, intestinal wall, or bladder. Additional surgery is usually required after this.
• Thrombosis. Surgery increases the risk of blood clots forming in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis. If the blood clot comes off, it can block an artery in the lungs, which is deadly.
• Infection. After surgery, bacteria can enter the uterine cavity from the vagina, leading to inflammation, or endometritis.
• Bleeding. It can also appear several hours or days after childbirth due to damage to the vessel, remnants of the membranes or placenta in the uterus.
• Wound infection. If bacteria get into it, it will become inflamed, making the incision less likely to heal.
• Risks for future pregnancies. The more often a woman underwent a cesarean section, the higher the likelihood that during the repeated bearing of the child, the pregnant woman will have placenta previa or that it will generally grow to the wall of the uterus and will not be able to separate. Also, the scar after surgery consists of connective tissue that cannot be stretched. Therefore, the uterus can rupture, which is fatal to the fetus.

How to prepare for a caesarean section

In case of a planned operation, the pregnant woman is sent to the hospital in advance by the Caesarean section / NHS. There, a woman undergoes a general blood test to check for anemia. This condition has a negative impact on recovery after a cesarean section.

In addition, antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent infectious complications, antiemetics, and drugs to reduce stomach acidity. Compression stockings with graduated compression should also be worn before and during surgery to prevent deep vein thrombosis during hospital stay / Cochrane in compression stockings to reduce the risk of thrombosis.

Caesarean section is performed on an empty stomach, so the last meal will be the evening before the intervention.

If the operation is urgent, then there is no time for preparation.

What will happen during a cesarean section

Already in the operating room, the woman will have a C-section / Mayo Clinic catheter inserted into her bladder to empty it and control urine flow. And tubes for droppers will be fixed in the vein.

The doctor will then give you anesthesia. It can be spinal or epidural, when an injection is given to the spine in the lumbar region. Then the woman does not fall asleep, but she also does not feel pain below the waist. And in some cases, anesthesia is used, and the pregnant woman is unconscious during the operation.

Only after that the obstetrician-gynecologist starts the operation. The abdominal incision can be Caesarean section / NHS of two types:

• vertical - in the middle from the navel and almost to the pubis;
• horizontal - in the fold above the bosom.

Which method is suitable, the doctor decides individually. For example, if a cesarean section has already been performed using a vertical incision, then the same will be done the second time.

Having made a decision, the doctor cuts the uterus, removes the newborn and separates the umbilical cord. If the mother is conscious, the baby can be placed on her breast. Then the baby is given to a pediatrician-neonatologist for processing and measurement. If the operation is urgent and the condition of the newborn is serious, then doctors of pediatric intensive care will immediately deal with it.

After the baby is born, doctors manually separate the placenta from the uterus and then inject the woman with the hormone oxytocin to induce uterine contractions. After that, the wound is sutured. Normally, the entire operation takes 40-50 minutes.

What will happen after a cesarean section

From the operating room, the woman is transferred by the Caesarean section / NHS to a ward under the supervision of doctors. The patient is given droppers with solutions to compensate for the loss of blood, and strong pain medications are prescribed. Sometimes antibiotics or blood thinners are given to prevent blood clots.

The bladder catheter is removed only 12-18 hours after surgery.

You can eat and drink as soon as you feel hungry. For those who have come to their senses, midwives help learn how to breastfeed a newborn.

How is recovery from a cesarean section going?

You will have to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days, and in some cases even longer. All this time, the woman will be with the baby if his condition is satisfactory.

The woman in labor will be asked to get out of bed as early as possible, usually within the first day. This is needed by the C-section / Mayo Clinic to prevent vein thrombosis and constipation.

The midwife will clean the abdominal wound daily and change the sterile dressing. The stitches are removed at the Caesarean section / NHS after about 5-7 days. And if absorbable threads were used, they will fall out on their own.

Usually, after a cesarean section, your body after the birth / NHS lochia appears from the vagina. This is a bloody discharge that occurs due to the healing of the uterus. Within a week, they become yellowish and slimy, and completely stop after about a month.

After you leave home, follow the C-section / Mayo Clinic guidelines like this:

• do not lift anything that is heavier than your child;
• get as much rest as possible;
• do not have sex for six weeks;
• take over-the-counter pain relievers if needed
• visit your doctor within three weeks, and then see a gynecologist after 12 months.

What symptoms do you need to see a doctor immediately after being discharged home?

Recovery does not always go smoothly. An urgent need to consult a gynecologist if the following signs appear in the Caesarean section / NHS:

• severe pain in the wound area or in the abdomen Cesarean Sections (C-Sections) / KidsHealth;
• redness, swelling, or pus leaking from the wound around the incision;
• a lot of blood or discharge with an unpleasant smell from the vagina;
• increased body temperature;
• pain and swelling of the legs;
• shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain;
• constipation;
• incontinence;
• severe pain in the mammary glands, there are problems with feeding the baby;
• thoughts about hurting yourself or your newborn;
• depression.