By Paula Ford-Martin
After all the planning for delivery day, many women feel let down if their baby ends up being born by Cesarean section, commonly known as C-section, in which an ob/gyn performs surgery to safely remove baby from your womb. But nearly one-third of babies delivered in the US arrive by C-section, so you have plenty of company if baby comes this way. And since labor and delivery can be unpredictable, it’s good to be ready for anything and everything. Here’s your chance to read up on C-section before the big day arrives.
Some women know ahead of time they’re going to have a C-section, called a planned C-section, due to factors ranging from the baby’s position to the position of the placenta. Other women find out much later — during labor, resulting in an emergency C-section. Keep in mind that if your healthcare provider recommends this procedure, it’s because they believe a C-section will provide the best outcome for you and your child. Having surgery doesn’t mean you’ve failed at childbirth — it’s simply a different delivery method.
If your C-section is planned, you’ll be given instructions from your ob/gyn. These usually include what time to stop eating and drinking the night before and when to come to the hospital.
At the hospital, you’ll change into a surgical gown, get hooked up to an IV, and have a chance to talk to your doctor and the anesthesiologist (the doctor responsible for monitoring your body functions and keeping you free of pain during the surgery). “It’s important for a woman to have confidence that she’ll be well taken care of,” says Jeffrey Swisher, MD, chair of the department of anesthesiology at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Meeting your providers is also positive for practical reasons: “The anesthesiologist is the one who’s making sure that all the other medical considerations the patient has, such as allergies, are known,” Swisher adds.
Next, it’s into the operating room. If your surgery is planned, you may walk in. If it’s an unplanned emergency, you may be wheeled into the room on a bed.
Published on December 30, 2015.
Paula Ford-Martin has authored more than a dozen consumer health and parenting books, including the bestselling Everything Pregnancy Book, 4th edition, and The Only Pregnancy Book You’ll Ever Need.
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