Caesarean Section: Scalpel Over Natural Process In Risky Settings
Monday, March 15th, 2010When vaginal delivery possibly threatens the life of a mother and the baby, doctors suggest an an alternative surgical mode of bringing the baby into this world. This Surgical procedure is famously known in medical and surgical societies as Casearean Section. While hypnobirthing is becoming more and more popular in promoting natural delivery, birth at home or vaginal delivery, if time taking is possibly dangerous for mother and child and in these circumstances, Caesarean Section is the most realistic and recommended alternative accessible to doctors. The World Health Organization recommends the rate of Caesarean sections should be maintained under 15%. But in sharp contrast to this proposal, 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 made first 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 distinctions between them is the type of incision that is made on the womb or uterus. The Classical Caesarean Section is rarely performed today because there is a elevated 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 interfere with normal labor an Emergency Caesarean Section is performed. The method mostly used nowadays is Lower Uterine Segment Section in which, a transverse or horizontal incision is made above the bladder edge. There are two advantages of this procedure. Blood loss is less and the resulting wound is easily repaired. Sometimes, during Caesarean Sections, uncontrollable bleeding occurs. In such instances, doctors need to perform a Caesarean Hysterectomy which means removing the womb as a whole.
In the Western world, a steady drop has been noticed in the maternal mortality rates after 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 an occlusion of its caliber and leading to obstruction. Obstructions must have surgical attention. Hernias are abnormal protrusion of body contents through defects in body walls.
There are some risks for children related to Caesarean Section. Some babies have a negative reaction to the effects of anesthesia given to the mother. This causes an episode of sluggishness following delivery. There is an interesting 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 should not allow the risks to belittle the statistically established advantages that Caesarean Sections give to both mother and child. Doctors are constantly examining different approaches to enhance the Caesarean Section Procedure to reduce the mortality rate.