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Chapter 2: The Surgery
There are women who give birth by Cesarean and care only to know the necessary facts—in this case, that their uterus was cut open to deliver their baby. Then there are those who, like us, at some point become curious for more details about the surgery they had days, weeks, months, or even years earlier. Or maybe you’ve just learned that you’ll have your first c-section delivery or you’re scheduling a second, third, even fourth procedure, and you have just as many questions. The following chapter takes you step-by-step through the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the United States. Having a better understanding of how the surgery is done and what your body underwent or will undergo will empower you as you plan for or recover from surgery.
C-Sections: The Most Frequently Performed Surgery
An estimated four million babies were born in the United States between July 2001 and July 2002. Nearly one million of them were delivered by c-section. While a c-section is thought of as a significant surgical procedure, most OBs consider one to be less complicated when compared to, say, a hysterectomy or breast augmentation. Due to the frequency at which Cesarean surgeries are done, you can almost be assured that your OB won't have any time to allow her skills to get rusty. While there are certainly risks involved with Cesarean, it is safer than forceps delivery — for both mother and baby — which used to be the only option for delivery a baby in a "difficult" situation.
The Pain Patrol
It makes sense to begin with the person who will be among the first you’ll talk to as you are prepped for surgery: the anesthesiologist. This person is a medical doctor with specialized training in anesthesiology. Her primary role, as you well know, is to control your pain during the procedure. Pain is managed during a c-section with one of three types of anesthesia: an epidural, a spinal block, or general anesthesia. In roughly 90 percent of c-section deliveries, an epidural and or a spinal block is used; the remaining 8 to 11 percent involve general anesthesia. Epidurals and spinals essentially work the same way. They are both anesthetics that are injected into the fluid or tissue surrounding the spinal column to block the nerve impulses that allow you feel pain from the chest down.
Other information that's included in this chapter:
- Pros and cons of regional and general anesthesia
- Key players on a c-section operating team
- The surgery step by step
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