Reasons to Have a Cesarean

There are different reasons why a doctor decides to do a cesarean, but all the reasons are there to ensure the baby is born in the healthiest way possible and at the same time try to preserve the well being of the mother as well. A cesarean can be something elective, meaning that it is planed ahead, or it can be not planned during labor, which is when the doctor decides that vaginal birth is not safe for the baby, or it can be an urgency, which is when the health of the baby or the mother are at risk.

If the doctor decides that it is necessary to do a cesarean, he or she will discuss the arguments with you. If you are having an elective cesarean or if it is done because the work of labor is not advancing the way it should, you will have more time to ask the doctor the questions you have. In the cases in which the baby is in a sitting position inside the womb, you and the doctor can together make an evaluation on what the pros and cons are of choosing a cesarean or a vaginal delivery in this situation. Both ways have their risks and there are doctors that will ask you what risks you feel are acceptable and which you feel are not acceptable. If a cesarean is done due to urgency, your conversation and questions will probably be something done in a very quick way while at the same time being taken to the surgery room.

Don’t panic if the doctors and nurses start rushing to take you to the surgery room to get an emergency cesarean and the doctor quickly explains to you what is going on. Just remember that the doctors and nurses are trained & know how to deal with these types of emergencies.

There are several reasons why a doctor would recommend getting a cesarean. Some of the most common are the ones that follow:

• There is a delivery of three or more babies.

• You have already had other significant surgeries such as other cesareans or removing of uterine fibromas.

• Placenta previa.

• The baby is in an abnormal position such as a sitting position or transversal.

The reasons to get a non-programmed cesarean but that are not matters of urgency are:

• When a normal delivery stops.

• When the maternal medical conditions exclude the possibility of a safe vaginal delivery, for example in cases where there is severe cardiac disease.

• When the signs indicate that the baby is not doing well with the work of the labor.

• When the baby is too big in relation with the pelvis size of the mother and cannot come out from the vagina without running a risk, or when the position of the baby’s head makes it unlikely for a vaginal delivery to occur.

The reasons in which an emergency cesarean would need to be done are due to:

• A prolonged reduction of the cardiac rhythm of the baby.

• The umbilical cord comes out of the cervix when the membranes break.

• When bleeding is excessive.

Besides the fact that the baby and the placenta come out by an incision in the uterus and not the vagina, a cesarean does not make a big difference for the baby. Generally babies that are born by cesarean before the work of labor begins do not have cone shaped heads, but they might have it if you are in labor for a long time before the cesarean occurs.

There are some women that after having worked for a long time in their delivery and are then faced with having to get a cesarean that feel, and understandably, completely let down. If you have this reaction, it is normal. Remember also that if this does happen to you, the important thing is your safety and the safety of your baby. Another very important thing we want to point out is that having a baby through a cesarean does not mean that you have failed or that you didn’t try hard enough. Doctors will always hold on to the strict parameters in order to watch the progress of the labor and these parameters are intended to give the baby and the mother the best chances of obtaining a normal and healthy outcome.

Obviously, all surgical procedures convey their own risks, and cesareans are not an exception. However, these are not common in cesareans. The main risks associated with cesareans are the following:

• An excessive amount of bleeding. This rarely gets to the point in which a blood transfusion is required though.

• Developing an infection in the uterus, bladder or in the incision that was made in the skin.

• Damage to the bladder, intestines or nearby organs.

• Development of blood clots in the pelvis or legs after the cesarean.