Currently, surgical delivery - the extraction of the fetus through an incision in the abdominal wall and the wall of the uterus - is used for many indications. When doctors, given the woman’s problems, both related to this pregnancy and other diseases, decide to have an operative delivery, it’s called planned.
If indications for surgery arose during childbirth, this will be an emergency cesarean section. The pros and cons of surgery will be discussed below.
First of all, it must be said about those cases when this method of delivery is the only one. In these situations, natural childbirth threatens the death of the mother or child. Then they say that the indications for the operation are absolute. They are as follows:
- Preeclampsia or eclampsia in women.
- The transverse position of the fetus.
- A narrow basin in the future mother.
- Presentation or detachment of the placenta, which threatens the death of the baby.
Modern surgical techniques can reduce the risks of complications after it to a minimum, which is much easier than the consequences that may occur after a pathological natural birth.
Negative moments of cesarean section :
- Recovery will be longer than with natural births, and can take up to several weeks. There may be severe abdominal pain for several days, a woman may have difficulty taking care of the baby and arranging breastfeeding.
- After the operation, there will be a seam, which will subsequently turn into a scar.
- There will also be a scar on the uterus, this can lead to problems with subsequent pregnancies, and also again serve as the reason for delivery by surgery.
The rehabilitation period after this surgical intervention deserves special attention. After all, this operation is characterized by the difficulties that exist in any surgery, that's what a cesarean section is. Recovery after it, however, will have its own special features associated with differences from the standard operation. Let's talk about all this in more detail.
Caesarean section: restoration
As already mentioned, it often happens that this is initially the only way to save the life of the mother and child. But it also happens that at the beginning or in the process of natural birth complications arise, and then a caesarean section is also shown. Recovery after it, by the way, depends on whether the readings were absolute from the very beginning, or whether they arose later. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that in the first case, the operation is carried out as planned with all the necessary preparation and taking into account possible complicating factors. Rehabilitation after this will be faster and almost devoid of surprises. In the case of cesarean section during the birth process, the operation is carried out urgently, and the recovery period may be marked by some complications, especially if the woman in labor has concomitant diseases.
The operated woman will need to use special techniques for feeding the baby, because she has pain and needs to be cared for. You may need to wear a special brace to ensure proper load on the spine and muscles. After 6 hours, you can begin therapeutic exercises with a gradual increase in its intensity. It improves the healing process and helps restore the shape of the abdomen. In the first 24 hours, the diet is poor: you can drink only still water. In the next few days - kefir, yogurt, cereals, lean meat, you can return to a normal diet in a week. Painkillers, flatulence agents may be required.
Allocation of Lochia lasts up to three weeks. Sexual contact is prohibited for a month and a half.
Prognosis of further birth after surgical delivery
Many people have the misconception that subsequent deliveries after cesarean section must be carried out only in the same way. This is not at all true. For the healing of the scar on the uterus , approximately 1-2 years are needed. Doctors say that the optimal period for subsequent pregnancy and normal birth is after two to three years. What are the factors in the presence of which it is highly likely that the natural birth will subsequently become more complicated? In cases where a woman is overweight, her age is more than 35 years, the last intervention was carried out according to indications associated with a narrow pelvis or other problems on the part of the woman's body, the fetus weighs more than 4 kg.