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Cascade Christian Childbirth Association
The extraction of the fetus by means of surgical incision to the abdomen Incision types ~ Vertical incision Used in an emergent situation More likely to rupture in subsequent deliveries ~ Bikini incision Horizontal incision low in the abdomen Incision is less likely to rupture in subsequent deliveries REASONS FOR CESAREAN ~ Cervical dystocia (failure to progress) Often caused by tension/anxiety ~ Fetal Distress ~ Mal-presentation (position of the baby is not ideal) ~ Abruptio placenta (placenta detaches from uterus prematurely) Immediate need for c-section ~ Placenta previa (placenta has grown over the opening of the uterus/cervix) ~ Partial or complete at term pregnancy ~ Early pregnancy - can rectify itself ~ Active herpes lesion ~ Cord prolapse (umbilical cord drops out of the uterus before the baby is born) ~ Cephalo-pelvic disproportion (CPD) (Baby’s head is too big to come out of the pelvis) Squatting can open pelvic outlet by 1cm ~ Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (toxemia) ~ Multiple babies ~ Deformity with the baby THE BENEFITS ~ Can be life saving ~ Date of delivery can be scheduled THE PROBLEMS ~ Baby does not benefit from the pressure of the vaginal canal squeezing amniotic fluid out of the lungs ~ Baby does not benefit from being exposed to beneficial bacteria that would otherwise colonize in the gut, preventing many food allergies and diarrhea later in life. ~ Interference with normal breastfeeding ~ Possible infection ~ Increased risk of blood clots in the legs, pelvic organs and sometimes lungs ~ Maternal death ~ Major abdominal surgery ~ Interference with normal bonding time All of these procedures have their place when indicated, meaning that there is medical reason to use them. It is important to completely understand the risks prior to giving consent to the procedure. Sometimes decisions for intervention are made as a precautionary measure, due to a possibility that something may go wrong in the future. If you are presented with one of these aforementioned interventions, you might want to ask your care provider the following questions: 1. Is my baby okay? 2. Am I okay? 3. What would happen if we waited an hour and tried something nonclinical first? 4. Do you have any suggestions for alternatives? 5. What are ALL the risks of this procedure? If the mother and baby are okay, then it might be feasible to try alternatives for a while to see if a solution can be found naturally in order to avoid intervention, using it only as a last resort. In order to be able to have the knowledge and skills needed to achieve natural childbirth, the parents should make every effort to prepare themselves. They can do this by going to a good childbirth education class that has a high natural childbirth rate. A good class is small in size, and long in length, spending adequate time on coaching techniques and comfort measures. |
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