...

Childbirth through cesarean section – indications and types, preparation for surgery, conducting and postoperative care

Childbirth through cesarean section is a popularly used delivery method among pregnant women, with indications including medical necessity, fetal distress, or maternal request. There are three different cesarean types, and patients typically receive pre-operative preparation through blood tests and other assessments. During surgery, anesthesia and uterine incisions are used to perform the procedure safely. Finally, postoperative care includes monitoring vital signs, providing pain relief, and danger signs to look out for. Cesarean section offers numerous benefits such as accelerating labor, reducing stress for the mother during delivery, and reducing the risk of birth trauma. Overall, cesarean section is a beneficial and safe childbirth method for pregnant women.

The content of the article



A cesarean section is an operation in which a viable baby and child’s place is removed from a woman by an incision in the abdomen. At the moment, this operation is not a novelty and is well-distributed: every 7 women goes into childbirth by cesarean. Surgical intervention can be prescribed in a planned manner (according to indications during pregnancy) and in an emergency (in case of complications in a natural birth).

What is cesarean section?

Childbirth with the help of cesarean is an obstetric operation that relates to emergency care. Each obstetrician-gynecologist should know the execution technique. This is, first of all, salvation, with complicated pregnancy and childbirth, which helps to save the life of mother and baby. In the process, it is not always possible to maintain the health of the child, especially with fetal hypoxia, infectious diseases, a deep degree of prematurity or a postponed pregnancy. Caesarean is performed only for serious indications – the decision is made by the surgeon of the maternity ward.

Even taking into account new technologies, high quality suture material, the procedure can cause complications, such as:

  • bleeding;
  • amniotic fluid embolism;
  • the development of peritonitis;
  • pulmonary embolism;
  • postoperative suture discrepancy.

Medical team performing a caesarean section

Why is it called

The word “Caesar” is a form of the Latin word “Caesar” (i.e. the sovereign). There are suggestions that the name refers to Guy Julius Caesar. According to an old legend, the emperor’s mother died during childbirth. The doctors of that era had no choice but to cut the pregnant belly in order to save the child. The operation was successful, the baby was born healthy. Since then, according to legend, this operation has been nicknamed.

According to another theory, the name may be associated with a law (issued during the time of Caesar) which said: at the death of a woman in labor, to save the child by dissecting the front abdominal wall and layers of the uterus, removing the fetus. For the first time, the operation to give birth to a baby, with a happy ending for mother and child, was performed by Jacob Nufer to his wife. He spent all his life performing operations – castration of boars. With prolonged and unsuccessful childbirth of his wife, he asked for permission to make a cut for her personally. Childbirth by cesarean was successful – mother and child survived.

Indications

The main indications for the procedure are as follows:

  • complete and incomplete placenta previa;
  • premature, rapid detachment of the placenta with fetal suffering;
  • a failed uterine scar after previous birth or other operations on the uterus;
  • the presence of two or more scars after cesarean;
  • an anatomically narrow pelvis, tumor diseases or severe deformations of the pelvic bones;
  • postoperative conditions on the pelvic bones and joints;
  • malformations of the female genital organs;
  • the presence of tumors in the pelvic cavity or in the vagina that block the birth canal;
  • the presence of uterine fibroids;
  • the presence of severe gestosis, and the lack of treatment effect;
  • severe diseases of the heart and blood vessels, central nervous system diseases, myopia and other extragenital pathology;
  • conditions after stitching of the urogenital system fistulas;
  • the presence of a perineal scar of the 3rd degree, after previous childbirth;
  • varicose veins of the vagina;
  • transverse position of the fetus;
  • multiple pregnancy;
  • pelvic presentation of the fetus;
  • large fruit (more than 4000 g);
  • chronic fetal hypoxia;
  • the age of primiparous is over 30 years old, having diseases of the internal organs that can aggravate childbirth;
  • prolonged infertility;
  • hemolytic disease in the fetus;
  • postponed pregnancy with unprepared birth canal, lack of labor;
  • cervical cancer;
  • the presence of herpes virus with exacerbation.

The transverse location of the fetus in the uterus

Indications for emergency caesarean section

In some cases, an operation is necessary as an emergency. Indications will be:

  • severe bleeding;
  • clinically narrow pelvis;
  • amniotic fluid poured prematurely, but there is no labor;
  • anomalies of labor that are not amenable to the effects of medications;
  • placental abruption and bleeding;
  • a situation threatening uterine rupture;
  • prolapse of umbilical cord loops;
  • incorrect insertion of the fetal head;
  • sudden death of the woman in childbirth, and the fetus is alive.

By woman’s choice

In some clinics and states, they practice the operation as desired. With the help of a cesarean, a woman in labor wants to avoid pain, increase the size of the pelvic floor muscles, and avoid vaginal incisions. Avoiding some unpleasant sensations, women in labor encounter others, which in most cases need to be much more afraid – violation of the baby’s nervous system, difficulty in lactation, divergence of postoperative sutures, inability to give birth naturally in the future, etc. Before planning the operation yourself, weigh everything pros and cons.

Caesarean section: pros and cons

Many women in childbirth see the obvious positive aspects of the operation, but do not weigh the pros and cons of cesarean section. From the pros:

  1. removing the baby without pain and in a short period;
  2. confidence in the health of the fetus;
  3. lack of damage to the genitals;
  4. you can choose the date of birth of the baby.

Moms do not even suspect the disadvantages of such a procedure:

  1. pain after surgery is very intense;
  2. there is the possibility of complications after surgery;
  3. possible problems with breastfeeding;
  4. it is difficult to care for the baby, the risk of seam divergence;
  5. long recovery period;
  6. possible difficulties in subsequent pregnancies.

Woman holds hands to lower abdomen

Views

Cesarean happens: abdominal, abdominal, retroperitoneal and vaginal. Laparotomy is performed to extract a viable baby; for a non-viable, vaginal and abdominal wall are possible. Types of caesarean section differ in the location of the uterine incision:

  • Corporeal caesarean – a vertical section of the uterine body along the midline.
  • Isthmicocorporal – the uterine incision is located along the midline partly in the lower segment and partly in the uterus.
  • An incision during cesarean section in the lower segment of the uterus, transverse with detachment of the bladder.
  • In the lower segment of the uterus, a transverse section without detachment of the bladder.

How is going

The procedure or how to do cesarean during planned hospitalization is described below:

  1. Before the operation, anesthesia (spinal, epidural or general anesthesia) is performed, the bladder is catheterized, the abdomen is treated with a disinfectant. There is a screen on the woman’s chest to close the operation inspection.
  2. After the onset of anesthesia, begin the procedure. Initially, an abdominal incision is made: longitudinal – runs vertically from the pubic joint to the navel; or transverse – above the pubic joint.
  3. After this, the obstetrician spreads the abdominal muscles, cuts the uterus and opens the fetal bladder. After the newborn is removed, the placenta is born.
  4. Next, the doctor sutures the layers of the uterus with special absorbable sutures, then the abdominal wall is also sutured.
  5. Apply a sterile dressing to the abdomen, an ice pack (for intensive contraction of the uterus, reduce blood loss).

How long does a cesarean section do?

Normally, the operation lasts no more than 40 minutes, while the fetus is removed approximately at the tenth minute of the process. A large amount of time takes layer-by-layer suturing of the uterus, peritoneum, especially when a cosmetic suture is applied so that the scar is not noticeable in the future. If complications arise during the operation (long-term anesthesia, acute blood loss in the mother, etc.), the duration may increase up to 3 hours.

Medical team in the operating room performs a cesarean section

Anesthesia methods

Methods of anesthesia are selected depending on the condition of the woman in labor, the fetus, planned or emergency surgery. Drugs that are used for anesthesia should be safe for the fetus and mother. It is advisable to conduct conduction anesthesia – epidural or spinal. Rarely resort to the use of general endotracheal anesthesia. In general anesthesia, pre-anesthesia is first administered, then a mixture of oxygen and a drug that relaxes the muscles with anesthetic gas is used.

When conducting epidural anesthesia, a substance is injected into the nerve roots of the spinal cord through a thin tube. A woman feels pain only during a puncture (a few seconds), then the pain in the lower body disappears, after which the relief comes. She is conscious throughout the procedure, fully present during childbirth, but does not suffer from pain.

Care after cesarean section

The entire period the woman is in the hospital, the treatment of sutures is carried out by medical staff. To make up the fluid in the body the first day, you need to drink plenty of water without gas. There is an opinion that a crowded bladder interferes with the contraction of the muscles of the uterus, so you often need to go to the toilet without holding the fluid in the body for a long time.

On the second day, it is already allowed to take liquid food, and from the third day (with the normal course of the postoperative period), you can resume the normal diet, which is allowed to nursing. Due to possible constipation, solid foods are not recommended. This problem can be easily dealt with with enemas or glycerin suppositories. More fermented milk products and dried fruits should be consumed..

In the first months, it is not recommended to visit the pools or open water, take baths, you can only wash in the shower. For active physical exertion, to restore shape, it is recommended to start the operation field no earlier than two months. Begin to have an active sex life, it should be only two months after cesarean. In case of any deterioration, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

Contraindications

When performing cesarean, contraindications should be considered. Moreover, if the procedure is prescribed according to vital indications for a woman, they are not taken into account:

  • Fetal death or developmental abnormalities that are incompatible with life.
  • Fetal hypoxia, without urgent indications for a cesarean on the part of a pregnant woman, with confidence in the birth of a viable baby.

Effects

With surgical intervention, there is a risk of such complications:

  • pain may appear near the seam;
  • long recovery of the body;
  • possibly infection of the scar;
  • the presence of a scar on the stomach for life;
  • limitation of physical activity for a long time;
  • the impossibility of normal hygiene procedures for the body;
  • restriction of intimate relationships;
  • probability of psychological upheaval.

Guy and girl in bed

What is dangerous for a child

Unfortunately, the operation process does not go unnoticed for the child. Such negative consequences for the baby are possible:

  • Psychological. There is an opinion that in children there is a decrease in the reactions of adaptation to the environment.
  • The presence of amniotic fluid in the baby’s lungs that remains after the operation is possible;
  • Anesthesia drugs get into the baby’s blood.

When can I give birth after cesarean section?

It is recommended to plan the next pregnancy after 5 years. This time is enough for complete scarring and restoration of the uterus. To prevent pregnancy before this period, it is recommended to use various methods of contraception. Abortion is not recommended, since any mechanical intervention can provoke the development of inflammatory processes of the uterine wall or even its rupture.

Rate the article
( No ratings yet )
Recommender Great
Tips on any topic from experts
Comments: 2
  1. Sage

    What are the most common indications for a cesarean section? How does the preparation for this surgical procedure differ from a vaginal birth? Could you explain the different types of cesarean sections and when they are typically used? What kind of postoperative care should a woman expect after a cesarean section?

    Reply
  2. Alexander Reynolds

    Can you provide more information on the indications for a cesarean section? What factors would lead to a decision for this type of childbirth? Additionally, what are the different types of cesarean sections and how do they differ in the surgical process? Could you explain what preparations are involved before the surgery and the necessary postoperative care for a mother who undergoes a cesarean section? Thank you!

    Reply
Add comments