Cesarean

One question a lot of women ask themselves is if they will need a cesarean. There are times in which a doctor will know the answer to that before the labor begins such as in cases where there is placenta previa for example, or if the baby is accommodated in a transversal position – meaning the baby is placed horizontally in the uterus, rather than with the head downwards, or if the baby is sitting – these are cases in which the doctor would know before hand. In most cases though, neither the doctor or you can know if a cesarean will be necessary until seeing how the labor and delivery is advancing and by seeing how the baby tolerates it.

Due to the fact that a cesarean is a complex surgical procedure, a specialist doctor needs to perform it. And the baby should be, if possible received by a pediatrician trained in the area of newborns, called a Neonatologist. All of the nurses or midwives and doctors work with an obstetrician trained in doing cesareans in case the patient so requires it. Some family doctors have gotten special training to remit patients to institutions where they can do the cesareans.

The doctor does a cesarean in a surgery room that is in sterile conditions. The nurse will be in charge of placing an IV on the mother and a catheter in her bladder. The nurse will then proceed to cleaning the mother’s abdomen with an antiseptic solution and covers the woman with sterilized sheets. One of the sheets is lifted to create a screen that avoids the expecting parents from seeing the procedure. Although having a baby, no matter what way it is done, is an experience that a couple should be able to share, there are occasions in which it is believed the parents should not see cesareans because it involves seeing perturbing images. If you are interested in seeing though, you will need to find out about the policies of the hospital and depending on the nature of the birth.

The exact place in the abdomen where a cesarean is done depends on the reasons of which the cesarean is being done. Most commonly and in most cases the incision is done low, right on top of the pubis, in a transversal direction (in other words, perpendicular to the torso). This is most commonly known as Pfannenstiel incision and is also known as the bikini cut. It is not that common for doctors to do a vertical incision though, which is in the middle of the abdomen.

When the doctor has made the incision in the skin, he or she will then proceed to separating the abdominal muscles and will open the interior covering of the abdominal cavity in order to expose the uterus. The doctor will also then make an incision in the uterus itself. The incision in the uterus can be either transversal or vertical, the transversal being the most common and the vertical which is also called a classical incision, which one is done largely depends on the reason the cesarean is being done and on what abdominal surgeries the woman has had before. After the baby is taken out, the uterus and the abdominal wall are sutured layer by layer. Cesareans can last anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes.