Caesarean Section
Caesarean Section - What it is and More!
Choosing caesarean section in advance as a mode of child birth is called having an elective caesarean section or an elective c-section.
Sometimes a caesarean section is necessary when for example your baby is in the breach position, i.e. your baby is not underside down, hence not in the engaged position. Your baby's head may slightly be too big to go through your pelvis or you maybe expecting a multiple birth. If you suffer from Placenta Previa of if this is not your first child and had a previous c-section then to minimise the risk of uterus rupture as you go into labour, you may be advised to have your child by c-section. If you chose an elective caesarean you can prepare advance by shaving the top part of pubic hair region, remember this is not necessary for you to do but this have to be done later in the operations theatre.
Under normal conditions were you have opted for a c-section, your partner can be present in the operation theatre and will be given a gown and a sort of disposable hat along with a pair of disposable footwear cover and the rest of the surgical team will be in similar attire. You too will be conscious during the operation, but don't worry you won't feel a thing as you would be under anesthetics administered via a spinal block or an epidural. An advantage of this - being conscious, is that you can hold your new born as soon as doctors remove the baby from your uterus, hence it being born. Occasionally, your partner may be given the choice of cutting the umbilical cord.
During a c-section procedure there will be a screen put up so you will not see the actual incision take place. A catheter is fitted to your bladder so that any excess urine can be drained away, thence not getting in the way of the surgeon. What is a catheter, well you may have guessed already, is essentially a flexible tube. When this catheter is eventually removed you probably won't feel any pain but it can be a tad uncomfortable. As your baby is about to come out the doctors usually pull away the screen so that you bear witness to the birth just as you would in a normal virginal birth canal type birth, so the experience is pretty much similar as it can be.
The Actual Caesarean Procedure
Firstly, an anesthetist will inject you with anesthetics which will have the affect of numbing everything from just below your rib cage downwards. A test will be carried out to ensure that you are adequately numbed by someone sprinkling cold water on areas of your skin. If you find at any point that you still have feeling in your legs then you should report this fact to any doctor as soon as you can. Premature recovery from numbness is usually quite rare but nevertheless does happen.
Once you are satisfactorily numbed, the surgeon will commence a horizontal incision just below the top of where your pubic hair ends. This is actually called the bikini cut.
The surgeon will then locate your uterus and another incision is made there then, your amniotic sac is drained of fluid. The baby is now clearly visible and is removed usually a set of forceps. At this pint the surgeon will clean your baby's air passage and it will be then that you will hear your baby cry for the first time.
After your placenta is removed, two surgeons will commence to sew up your outer incision, each surgeon will at either side. Some quick checks on your baby will take place and statistical data will be recorded such at the baby's weight and time and the method of birth. This information will be presented to you or your partner when it is convenient to be received by yourselves. The baby will either be handed to you or your partner.
Other Types of Caesarean
There is not really any other types of c-section, but there are c-section variants in the way of how the c-section came about, for example, if it is a medical necessity then it may be called a emergency or a crash c-section. The differences are that in an emergency c-section the operation needs to take place because the baby is showing signs that it is distressed on the monitoring equipment. In emergency c-section your partner may not be allowed to be present in the operations theatre. In a crash caesarean section there is a need to carry out the procedure quite quickly because your baby is getting much stressed or your placenta is being abrupt or there is a possibility of umbilical cord prolapse.
An umbilical cord prolapse is when the umbilical cord starts to emerge first before the actual baby can come through. When this happens there is a high risk that the vital oxygen and blood supplies to the baby can stop or decreased as the fetus can put pressure against the umbilical cord enough to cause serious harm such as brain damage. If it is assessed that this occur then c-section is normally performed and during the preparation of the operation the women is placed in he Trendelenburg position (i.e. the elbow to knee position)
Recovering from a Caesarean Section
As the anesthetic wears out you will gain back feeling to the rest of your body and you may be given painkiller tablets to take for a set period of time as without them you will feel a measure of pain where the incision occurred. It is advised to try to walk as you feel ready and this is usually the next day. Walking will be painful at first and will gradually get better as time goes by.
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