Source: Unsplash | Patricia Prudente
C section is considered to be the safest delivery option when there are concerns about the health of your baby. In fact, caesarean section name origin did occur from Julius Caesar who was assumed to be the first baby who was born by this method. There are benefits along with risks associated with this type of delivery as you need to discuss with your doctor before going ahead.
The benefits
In case if a woman did not have a C section delivery before, if the C section is planned it could prove to be beneficial for the following reasons:
- Vaginal injury
- Pain before and after the delivery
- After birth heavy bleeding
In no way this does not mean that these things are not going to happen. The risk would a lot lower in the event of a vaginal delivery. The risk of pain during bowel movements and sex cannot be a lot higher than vaginal birth.
The risks
Once you are having a C section delivery it enhances risk to both the mother and even the baby. Why is a Caesarean called a Caesarean is because of this reason as well. Discuss with your doctor on how these risks can have an impact on the baby
- Bleeding could pave way for transfusion of blood or even the womb can be removed. Though this would be a lot uncommon and this could arise in case if you had any problem with the placenta or when pregnant suffer from heavy bleeding
- Issues may crop up of becoming pregnant in the future
- Possibility of heart attack
Once a C section delivery is undertaken late during the stage of pregnancy there is a strong chance of preterm birth in the following pregnancies. If it is done at full dilation, the risk would increase from 2 % to 15 %. The list of possible risks to the baby might include
- A cut to the baby during the course of surgery if the baby is a minor and they are known to heal quickly.
- Occurrence of breathing problems once the baby is born before 39 weeks of pregnancy. Though in most of the cases the breathing problems are expected to become a lot better after a few days, though some babies might have to proceed to a neonatal unit. Discuss with your doctor in case if you are worried about the breathing of your baby when you are still at the hospital.
C section and implications in long term conditions
Till date there is not a lot of material available on how C section has long term implications on the health of a baby. Though there are traces of evidence that is available showcasing the fact that long term implications can occur due to C section delivery. Why this risk is higher still there is no clarity on the same. Yes, it all could boil down to the cause of C section itself. One of the theories could be that the baby is not exposed to enough bacteria in the vagina of the mother.