Pregnancy is a magical time for every woman. All nine months, the future mother is waiting for the birth of her child and, of course, hopes that the birth will go well. There are many factors that influence how the baby is born: how the pregnancy went, the choice of the hospital and, of course, the attending physician. It will be he who will decide on how the birth will go.
What is cesarean section surgery ?
Often there are cases when natural childbirth can become a threat to the life of a woman in labor and her unborn baby. In such a situation, the doctor decides to have an operative delivery.
Cesarean section is a method of surgical delivery, in which the fetus is removed from the abdomen of a woman using an incision in the abdominal cavity, as well as the uterus.
Types of Caesarean
There are two types of surgical delivery:
- Planned. The decision to carry out the operation in a planned manner is made by the doctor during the pregnancy of the woman in labor. It is prescribed in the presence of medical indications.
- Unscheduled. An unscheduled operation is possible in the process of childbirth, in case of any difficulties and danger to the life of the mother and her child.
Indications for the operation
Operation cesarean section implies the presence of certain indications. They can be divided into three types:
1. Absolute - conditions suggesting that childbirth is naturally impossible.
- Narrow pelvis - the attending physician measures the width of the pelvic bone at the first examination in the clinic, therefore, when making such a diagnosis, a woman can immediately begin to prepare for surgery. How to prepare for a caesarean section, her doctor will explain to her.
- The presence of a mechanical obstruction that will interfere with the passage of the fetus (for example, a tumor, placenta previa).
- The possibility of rupture of the uterus. Such a situation may occur in the presence of sutures (for example, if the first birth was performed using surgery).
- Detachment of the placenta.
2. Relative - conditions suggesting that the risk for complications and threats to the health of mothers and babies is small and natural birth is possible. They are usually not related to the course of pregnancy and can cause complications during childbirth. These are, for example, problems with eyesight, kidneys, heart, oncological diseases and others.
3. Urgent - conditions that occurred during childbirth that threaten the life and health of the expectant mother and child (for example, if labor is very weak or has stopped altogether).
Planned Cesarean: timing
The day of surgery is appointed depending on the well-being of the woman, as well as the condition and development of the child. If the pregnancy proceeds well and without pathologies, then cesarean is prescribed on the next day to the expected birth.
Two weeks before the alleged event, the gynecologist who monitored the course of the entire pregnancy gives the woman in childbirth a referral to hospitalization and explains how to prepare for cesarean section so that it is easier for a woman to endure the process psychologically. Additionally, the expectant mother can attend psychological seminars that take place at clinics. It will also help to understand and transfer the upcoming process.
Preparation for surgery
Preoperative preparation for cesarean section begins with advance placement in the hospital. Here, the woman undergoes the necessary examination and remains under the supervision of the attending physician several days before the operation. Previously, she is introduced to the progress of the operation, and also how to prepare for cesarean section.
They take all the necessary tests from the woman, learn about her tolerance to anesthesia and the presence of allergies to medications, and do an ultrasound examination to determine the baby’s readiness for childbirth.
The day before surgery, dinner should take place no later than 18 hours. In the morning before the operation, even drinking liquid is prohibited. A woman in labor should go to Cesarean with an empty stomach. Surgical delivery is usually prescribed for the morning hours.
How is the operation
How does cesarean go, the doctor explains the woman in labor the day before. On the appointed day, the woman goes to hygiene procedures. Here she is given a cleansing enema and also shaves the necessary parts of her body. Some time is given to put on compression stockings. After this, the preparation for cesarean section ends, and the woman in labor goes to the operating room.
Types of Anesthesia
Before surgery, a woman is anesthetized. Two types of anesthesia are used:
- Epidural anesthesia
- General anesthesia.
Epidural anesthesia involves the injection of a painkiller into the spinal cord using a needle. This procedure is not painful, rather unpleasant. All sensations pass very quickly, and sensitivity disappears within a few minutes.
General anesthesia is a method used less often. It is used when it becomes necessary to start the process faster than epidural anesthesia begins to act .
After the introduction of the pain medication, the surgical process itself begins. The doctor cuts the stomach, spreads the muscles, and then makes an incision on the uterus and opens the fetal bladder. After removing the baby into the light, the sewing process begins. Sutures are placed on the uterus with the help of threads, which themselves after a few months will dissolve. Then a suture is placed on the stomach. The whole operation takes no more than forty minutes. How Caesarean goes, you now know.
After surgery: condition, diet
After surgery, the woman remains in the hospital for a period of at least seven days. All this time, she is under the supervision of medical personnel who performs all the necessary procedures and provides her and the baby with care.
The first hours after cesarean are the most difficult. The patient is in the intensive care unit in a supine position. For some time she is given painkillers and restorative drugs. Sitting is allowed only six to eight hours after surgery. The next day, the woman was transferred to an ordinary ward.
The diet after surgery is quite strict, but only the first time. On the first day, a heavy drink is recommended, and it is not worth drinking carbonated water. On the second day after cesarean, the use of liquid food (soups, mashed potatoes and broths) is allowed. If the woman’s health is normal, then on the third day she is allowed to start a normal diet suitable for all newly minted mothers.
Home Care and Precautions
After discharge from the hospital, you will need to follow some precautions. So, from taking a bath, visiting the pool and swimming in ponds will have to be abandoned for at least a few months, until complete healing of the joints occurs.
Active physical activity is also contraindicated for at least two months. Women who underwent a cesarean section, at first you can not lift and wear anything heavier than a child.
You can return to normal sex life only after one and a half to two months. During this time, the body has time to recover. In parallel, it is worth deciding on future methods of protection, since the next pregnancy after surgery is possible no earlier than two years later.
Psychological training
How to psychologically prepare for cesarean section? Despite the fact that doctors have a negative attitude to the cesarean section, today, surgical delivery is a process possible not only if there is evidence, but also at the request of the expectant mother. Preparing for a cesarean section involves weighing all the pros and cons of the procedure.
Pros of cesarean:
- The absence of injuries to the female reproductive system.
- The process is painless due to anesthesia.
- The procedure takes no more than forty minutes, while childbirth taking place in a natural way can take many hours.
- You can see the baby immediately after the operation, as in natural birth.
Minuses:
- A longer period of postoperative rehabilitation and being under the supervision of a doctor.
- Stitches on the stomach and uterus that will last a lifetime.
- Some mothers note that the first months do not feel psychological proximity with the baby, referring this to the process of artificial childbirth.
- A long period of complete physical recovery (limitation of water procedures, physical activity and sexual relations).
In order to be mentally prepared for the process, you should read the relevant literature, you can ask your doctor to tell you how to prepare for a cesarean section, and also how the operation goes. From the mouth of a doctor who has been with you for nine months, this will sound more reliable and help you relax.
In the process of childbirth, the main role is played by the psychological attitude, so calm down, and everything else will be done for you by nature itself and your attending physician.