What Is A Cesarean Section?
The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary says a Cesarean Section is: An incision through the abdominal wall and uterus, so as to deliver a fetus. Also called cesarean operation.
In laymen’s terms, it is when a surgeon makes an incision in a woman’s stomach, opening up her uterus in order to remove the baby because giving birth vaginally is not an option. Many women refer to a cesarean section as a c section, or it is also commonly misspelled cesarian section. The pregnant woman receiving the surgery will feel nothing, as she will have an epidural block to completely block out feeling and pain to the lower half of her body. If the c section or cesarian section, or cesarean section, whatever you want to call it, if it is being performed because the baby is at risk, like if the child is in distress, then the anesthesiologist may give the mother something to completely knock her out, to get the baby out as quickly as possible. How Will I Know If I Will Need A Cesarean Section?If you have one or more of the following pertain to you, you may need a c section.
* previous c section
* your baby is too large
* your internal pelvic structure is too small to deliver vaginally
* you have diabetes
* you have another serious illness that prevents you from delivering vaginally
Other than pre-scheduling for any of the above reasons listed, there is no way of knowing whether or not you will end up having one or if you will be okay to deliver naturally. The rates of cesarean sections being performed each year has been on the increase in the last few years. In 2004 for example the rate of c sections being performed reached an all time high of 1.2 million or 29.1% of all births. In 1996 however, only 10 years prior to 2004, the rate was 20.7%. Are Cesarean Sections Safe?That is a debatable question. Many resources and doctors will tell you that yes they are safe to both the mom and baby. However, keep in mind that this is major surgery and regardless of how safe they say they are, you are still going to be under the knife. According to U.S. News and World Report, babies born via cesarian (c section) have three times the death rate of those born vaginally. The death rate is as follows:1.77 per 1000 births for cesarean sections and 0.62 per 1000 births for vaginal deliveries. Although these numbers are on a smaller scale, the evidence speaks for itself. Only go through with a c section if it is medically necessary for any of the reasons listed at the beginning, or if your doctor instructs you otherwise.
*Something to keep in mind: Knowledge is power, and unless you know the ins and outs of cesarean sections your doctor may try to get you to have one, they are after all a lot more costly than a vaginal delivery. So fuel up on articles and any resources you can get your hands on. Not every woman needs one, nor should every woman have one. This is major surgery. Make sure there is a legitimate reason, before you go ahead and schedule one. ***Keep in mind, the advice we are giving here is instructional only, we are not medical professionals, and this is for healthy women with normal pregnancies. If you are a high risk pregnancy, or have medical problems, this would not apply to you.
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