C-section
Alternative names:
abdominal birth; abdominal delivery; cesarean section
Definition:
Delivery of a baby through an abdominal incision.
Description:
A C-section delivery is performed when a vaginal birth is not possible or is not safe for the mother or child.
Surgery is usually done while the woman is awake but pain-free from the chest to the legs (epidural or spinal anesthesia). An incision is made across the abdomen just above the pubic area. The uterus is opened, the amniotic fluid is drained off, and the baby is delivered. The baby's mouth and nose are cleaned of fluids and the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. The baby is handed to the pediatrician or nurse who will make sure that he is breathing well. The mother is awake and she can hear and see her baby.
Due to enhanced screening tools that allow the physician to more accurately assess the safety of vaginal delivery for the mother and the baby, C-sections have become fairly common (up to 20% of all births in the U.S.).
Some obstetricians believe that C-section is the safest way to deliver certain babies (breech presentation, repeat C-section, late-in-life pregnancies, for example).
Indications:
Some of the main reasons for C-section delivery instead of vaginal delivery include the following:
DANGER TO BABY (FETAL DISTRESS): - decreased oxygen level
- increased or decreased fetal heart rate
- problems with the uterus:
- too small, scarred, or deformed
- multiple babies in the uterus (multiple births)
- problems with the cervix
- too loose or relaxed (incompetent cervix)
- active genital herpes infection of the mother
- problems with the placenta and umbilical cord:
DANGER TO MOTHER (MATERNAL DISTRESS): - baby's head is too large to pass through mother's pelvis (cephalopelvic disproportion)
- prolonged labor
- abnormal position of the baby
- "buttocks-first" delivery (breech presentation)
- crosswise (transverse) position
- pregnancy at older age (over 40 years)
- extreme illness (toxemia, preeclampsia, eclampsia, hypertension)
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