After getting pregnant, one of the concerns of pregnant women is the moment of delivery. What is the safest choice for mother and baby? What are the risks that each alternative offers? Will the pain be unbearable? How long does recovery take? There are many questions that revolve around this important moment, which will bring a new being to the world.
The first deliveries performed in the world took place, most of the time, at home, with the women of the family being guided by a midwife who had more experience in this process. Without anesthesia, without adequate hygiene conditions and without adequate techniques to make childbirth less painful, it was common for mothers and/or babies to die at this time.
To prevent the birth of a child from having a tragic end, studies were carried out every year. Tools were invented to facilitate the removal of the baby, such as forceps, and anesthetic drugs began to be developed to reduce the pain of vaginal delivery.
After much study, cesarean section was adopted as a method to deliver a baby that was in an inappropriate position in the mother's uterus, or in a situation that posed risks to the health of the woman and child. The surgery consists of a small cut in the mother's womb, through which the baby would be removed.
Although cesarean delivery seems simpler and more efficient than normal, natural or humanized delivery, the reality is quite different. In fact, cesareans should be performed in exceptions, according to the World Health Organization, WHO, which defines that they should represent only 15% of births. By way of comparison, the institution found that 85% of Spanish deliveries in 2019 were cesarean sections.
To better understand why cesarean delivery shouldn't be the natural way to deliver a child, learn all about how this technique works! It is important to note that, in some cases, cesarean delivery is the only possibility for a mother and baby. So don't feel bad if that was your case!
How is cesarean delivery performed?
Cesarean delivery must be performed in a hospital, by a medical professional, in a sterile environment and with medication available. First, the woman will be given spinal anesthesia to remain conscious or general anesthesia to fall asleep. A urinary catheter is inserted to drain the urine present in the bladder and the abdomen is cleaned with an antiseptic product.
Next, a cut of 10 centimeters in length is made, two to three centimeters above the pubis, where the hairs covering the vulva begin to grow. Then, it is necessary to cut the other tissues that separate the abdominal wall from the uterus, such as the subcutaneous cellular tissue, the aponeurosis tissue and the peritoneum tissue. Upon reaching the uterus, a transverse opening must be made in the organ, from which the fetus and placenta will come out, in that order.
Once the baby and placenta are removed, the umbilical cord is cut and the cuts are sutured, as there is nothing left to remove inside the mother's body. The stitches remain on the woman's body for some time, until the cut heals, and then they are removed with medical help.
This procedure is recommended when there is fetal-pelvic incompatibility, the placenta is low, the umbilical cord passes in front of the cervix, the passage of the fetus can cause hemorrhage, there is a risk of fetal distress, or when the woman has a disease that prevents delivery. normal.
How long does it take to have a cesarean?
Cesarean delivery can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to perform. Surgery is usually scheduled in advance, and in many cases the mother doesn't even go through labor, not feeling the contractions typically associated with giving birth.
Many women and many health professionals prefer cesarean section exclusively because it is faster and can be simpler than vaginal delivery, considering that, in some cases, labor can last up to 12 hours for mothers who have children. naturally.
Despite the speed to perform the procedure, recovery from a cesarean section takes longer than normal delivery. For cesarean delivery, the woman must first recover from the anesthesia, which can take four hours. After 12 hours, the bladder probe is removed and only then can it rise. The hospitalization, if there are no problems, lasts from two to four days. In normal birth, one hour after the procedure the mother can already return to the room, if the process took place in a hospital.
What are the risks of cesarean section?
When the cesarean section is performed unnecessarily, there are many risks to which the mother and baby will be exposed. Next, learn what they are and find a trusted professional to perform the procedure when it's your turn!
Cesarean delivery can bring the mother a greater risk of infections, thrombosis in the lower limbs, bleeding and allergic reactions to anesthetics. Recovery is delayed after labor, and postoperative pain is more frequent in this type of surgery.
In subsequent deliveries, the woman may experience difficulties in implanting the placenta and risk of uterine rupture, if the next pregnancy ends with vaginal delivery. In some cases, the woman faces infertility problems, although this condition is rarer.
For the baby, cesarean section can cause breathing problems at birth, such as transient tachypnea in the neonate. It is possible to prevent this type of condition if the expectant mother has been pregnant for 39 weeks and has gone into labor before the surgery.
What are the benefits of cesarean delivery?
Cesarean section should not be chosen as a natural way to give birth; it should only be applied if the mother or baby has a specific condition to do so. Bearing this in mind, it is possible to analyze the advantages of cesarean delivery.
As cesarean section is a short-term surgery, you can schedule it and choose the date of birth of the child. Thus, the mother's stress during childbirth is reduced and any problems can be foreseen in advance, in a sterilized and safe environment.
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Another advantage of the cesarean section is that scheduling guarantees the availability of the obstetrician on the day of delivery, which may not happen if the woman performs a normal delivery. In addition, cesarean section reduces births over 42 weeks of gestation (associated with risks for the baby).
Surgery also reduces complications of vaginal delivery, such as brachial plexus injury, bone trauma, and asphyxia, and decreases the risk of uterine or bladder prolapse and urinary incontinence for the mother.
Regardless of how you want your birth to be, the most important thing is that it happens in a safe and secure way. If you are afraid of normal delivery or if you do not want to have a cesarean, take these afflictions to the health professional who is accompanying you. Feel safe for that moment that will change your life and trust your body!
