SEAN JHAROD C.

BOLOFER
C-SECTION OR CAESAREAN SECTION BIRTH DELIVERY

A C-section, or Caesarean section (also spelled Cesarean section), is a type of

surgery used to deliver a baby. The baby is surgically removed through an incision in
the mother's abdomen and then a second incision in the uterus.
In the US almost one in three pregnant women gave birth by C-section in 2013.
But in the early 1990s, about one in five pregnant women had a child this way.
These increased rates of Caesarean deliveries have been linked with a variety of
different factors from rising rates of obesity, diabetes and multiple births to increased
maternal age, which can all lead to more risky deliveries.
Although Caesarean births can be life saving for both mother and baby, studies
expressed concern that C-section deliveries might be overused, and they
have recommended ways to reduce the national rate.
These new guidelines call for allowing most women with low-risk pregnancies to
spend more time in the first stage of labor as well as encouraging women to avoid
excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
The key to reducing high C-section rates is preventing unnecessary first C-
sections.
These days, the majority of women who have had a first C-section will wind up
having a repeat C-section for the second time.
One way to possibly reduce C-section rates in this country is to educate women
about the benefits of vaginal delivery.
The following information will help educate pregnant women about what is
involved in a surgical delivery, and how they may feel before, during and after a C-
section.

Before surgery
To prepare for the operation, an IV will be placed in a woman's arm or hand to
give fluids and medications needed during surgery. Her abdomen will be washed and
her pubic hair may be clipped or trimmed.
A catheter is placed into a woman's bladder to remove urine, and it will stay for a
day after the surgery.
Women are usually given regional anesthesia, either an epidural block or a spinal
block. Both numb the lower half of the body but will allow the mother to be awake when
her baby is born. This tends to be safer than general anesthesia, where a woman would
be totally asleep during the delivery.
How a C-section is done
The obstetrician will use a knife to make a horizontal incision in the skin and the
abdominal wall, usually along the bikini line, meaning that it's low enough down on the
pelvis that it would be covered up by underwear or a bikini bottom. Some women may
get a vertical, or up-and-down cut.
After the abdomen is opened, an incision is made in the uterus. Typically, a side-
to-side (horizontal) cut is made, which ruptures the amniotic sac surrounding the baby.
Once this protective membrane is ruptured, the baby is removed from the uterus, the
umbilical cord is cut, and the placenta is removed. The baby is examined then given
back to the mother for skin-to-skin contact.
The cut made to a woman's uterine wall is an important one because the way this
uterine scar heals can affect her ability to have a vaginal birth in the future.
Once the delivery and afterbirth are completed, the cuts made to the mother's
uterus are repaired with stitches, which will eventually dissolve under the skin. The
abdominal skin is closed with stitches or with staples, which are removed before a
woman leaves the hospital.
A woman typically spends 60 to 120 minutes in the operating room for a C-
section, depending upon whether any complications arise during the delivery.
After the surgery, a woman will be taken to the hospital's maternity ward to
recover.
Recovering from a C-section
After a C-section, a woman may spend two to four days in the hospital, but it may
take her up to six weeks to feel more like herself again.
Her abdomen will feel sore from the surgery and the skin and nerves in this area
will need time to heal. Women will be given narcotic pain medications to take the edge
off any post-surgery pain, and most women use them for about two weeks afterward.
A woman may also experience bleeding for about four to six weeks after a
surgical birth. She is also advised to not have sex for a few weeks after her C-section
and to also avoid strenuous activities, such as lifting heavy objects.