When vaginal delivery potentially endangers the life of a mother and the baby, doctors offer an an alternative surgical mode of bringing the neonate into this world. This Surgical procedure is widely known in medical and surgical societies as Casearean Section. While hypnobirthing is becoming more and more popular in encouraging natural delivery, birth at home or vaginal delivery, if time taking is potentially dangerous for mother and child and in these situations, Caesarean Section is the most feasible and recommended alternative accessible to doctors. The World Health Organization recommends the rate of Caesarean sections should be kept under 15%. But in sharp contrast to this recommendation, a record 46% incidence has been achieved in China in recent years and, in many other Asian countries, the incidence is 25%.

In Caesarean Section, incisions are created initially through the abdomen and then the womb of the mother. The former procedure is called “Laparotomy” while the latter is recognized as “hysterotomy”. Through these incisions, the cavity of the womb is accessed and the child is delivered. Caesarean Section has many types. The differences between them is the kind of incision that is made on the womb or uterus. The Classical Caesarean Section is seldom carried out today as there is a increased risk of complications. In this type of Caesarean Section, a midline incision (longitudinal incision) is made through the womb to create a wide space for delivery of the baby.

If complications interrupt with normal labor an Emergency Caesarean Section is performed. The strategy mostly used nowadays is Lower Uterine Segment Section in which, a transverse or horizontal incision is made above the bladder edge. There are a couple of advantages of this procedure. Blood loss is minimal and the resulting wound is easily mended. Sometimes, during Caesarean Sections, uncontrollable bleeding occurs. In such instances, doctors need to perform a Caesarean Hysterectomy which means removing the womb altogether.

In the Western world, a steady decline has been noticed in the maternal mortality rates following Caesarean Section. For every million surgeries performed in the United States, there were 20 fatalities in the year 2000. Like all abdominal surgeries, Caesarean section can have complications. some of these complications are post-operative adhesions, incisional hernias and wound infections. In post-operative adhesions, various portions of the intestine stick to one another creating a blockage of its caliber and leading to obstruction. Obstructions must have surgical attention. Hernias are anomalous projection of body contents through openings in body walls.

There are some risks for children related to Caesarean Section. Some babies have a adverse reaction to the effects of anesthesia administered to the mother. This causes an episode of sluggishness following delivery. There is an thought provoking finding. Babies delivered through the surgical procedure were less likely to breast feed than those that were vaginally delivered. Like all surgeries, Caesarean Section has its risks. But while considering the procedure, one must not allow the risks to belittle the statistically proven advantages that Caesarean Sections give to both mother and child. Doctors are constantly examining different approaches to improve the Caesarean Section Procedure to reduce the mortality rate.

Tags: Caesarean Section, complications surgery, Emergency Caesarean Section, midline incision, surgical procedure