Caesarean section: when and how long the operation with anesthesia lasts

Caesarean section: when and why is it done?

There are several reasons why a caesarean delivery must be planned even ahead of time. Most importantly, it is used when natural childbirth is not possible. Here's why:

• mom's pelvis is too tight
• the baby is too big to pass vaginally
• c "is an obstacle that prevents the baby from leaving, such as a fibroid, an ovarian cyst, a malformation of the placenta (called placenta praevia)
• the baby is in the wrong position, for example on the side or in the breech position

Often it is necessary to anticipate the birth with a caesarean section due to various risk factors for the mother or the unborn child. The main reasons are as follows:

• diseases of the child (diabetes, growth retardation, risks due to various types of malformations, especially affecting the organs)
• maternal bleeding
• multiple births: twin or multiple births
• diseases of the mother
• incompatibility of RH

In other cases, it is decided at the last moment, without having planned it, to resort to a caesarean section. For example, if the natural birth presents problems or difficulties such as:

• excessive fatigue of the mother
• cardiovascular problems of the mother that prevent ending labor
• the cervix stops dilating
• the baby's head is too big for the dilation, and the eventual episiotomy would not be enough
• fetal distress, identified thanks to monitoring

Caesarean section: anesthesia and surgery

The caesarean section, as we said, is a real surgery that takes place in the operating room, not in the delivery room. The surgeon cuts into the abdomen and then the uterus, to subsequently extract the baby. The pubic hair is shaved and a probe is placed in the bladder, so that it does not bother the surgeon during the operation or it is not punctured. The skin of the abdomen is disinfected. The surgeon cuts the skin, then the abdominal muscles and the uterus. The baby is extracted and, soon after, the placenta is extracted. In a second time all the engraved fabrics are sewn, with thread or staples that will be removed 5 - 7 days later. How long does a caesarean delivery last? The duration ranges from an "hour to an hour and a half", if everything goes as planned, without complications or difficulties. The caesarean is done under epidural anesthesia, or under general anesthesia in case of extreme urgency, since it takes about 15 minutes for the epidural to take effect.

What happens after the operation? How to deal with the after-effects

Immediately after the caesarean operation, the mother is monitored in the recovery room. Often the fatigue she feels is greater than that of natural childbirth. The resumption of digestion, for example, can cause pain that requires special nutrition. Scarring can be painful, especially due to postpartum contractions. The scar that remains after a cesarean section takes on its final appearance after about 8 months, but it must not be exposed to the sun for a year. the baby, it can often happen that milk is difficult to produce due to fatigue.The care to which the mother and child are subjected immediately after birth can then be experienced badly due to the separation they cause. Returning home usually takes a week. The resumption of normal activities must be progressive and slower than for a natural birth, but, in most cases, after a month the caesarean is just a memory. Many mothers have above all to overcome the "regret" of having been deprived of the experience of childbirth, of seeing and hearing their baby arrive. The mother, after the first times in which she has recovered her strength and established a relationship with the baby, can feel to get back in shape, to feel as before.

The risks of caesarean delivery

Although today the caesarean section has become a trivial operation, which in some clinics exceeds 25% of the births, it is still an operation. The risks of cesarean delivery are above all infections, which are three times the number of natural births. In addition to the risks, there has been an increase in caesarean sections in recent years, and the reasons may be different:

• better monitoring of fetal distress
• a better understanding of the risks to babies during natural birth or premature birth
• the increase in high-risk pregnancies, especially twins or late in life
• the progress of surgical and anesthetic techniques

However, there are also controversies because at times the caesarean sections would be an "immediate" solution, which is resorted to too often, even when it is not strictly necessary.