Reply With QuoteOr, in my case, risk of not having a caesarean section: -
1. Death of mother
2. Death of daughter
Let's not forget that ceseareans are not always by choice. But, faced with the "choice" I was given, I would choose a cesearean every time.
Registered User
Risks of caesarean section
http://www.motherfriendly.org/Resour...bruary2010.pdf
What are the potential harms of cesarean surgery compared with vaginal birth?
Health outcomes after a cesarean may be worse because medical problems may lead to surgery. This fact sheet, however, is based on research that determined excess harms arising from the surgery itself. In other words, women with a healthy pregnancy who have a cesarean rather than a vaginal birth are at increased risk for the following complications as are their babies:
Potential Harms to the Mother
Compared with vaginal birth, women who have a cesarean are more likely to experience:
• Accidental surgical cuts to internal organs.53,60,72
• Major infection.43,48
• Emergency hysterectomy (because of uncontrollable bleeding).38,48,83
• Complications from anesthesia.28
• Deep venous clots that can travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) and brain (stroke).28,48
• Admission to intensive care.58
• Readmission to the hospital for complications related to the surgery.18,28
• Pain that may last six months or longer after the delivery.19 More women report problems with pain from the cesarean incision than report pain in the genital area after vaginal birth.19
• Adhesions, thick internal scar tissue that may cause future chronic pain, in rare cases a twisted bowel, and can complicate future abdominal or pelvic surgeries.19
• Endometriosis (cells from the uterine lining that grow outside of the womb) causing pain, bleeding, or both severe enough to require major surgery to remove the abnormal cells.27
• Appendicitis, stroke, or gallstones in the ensuing year.18,46,47,50 Gall bladder problems and stroke may be because high-weight women and women with high blood pressure are more likely to have cesareans.
• Negative psychological consequences with unplanned cesarean. These include:
o Poor birth experience, overall impaired mental health, and/or self-esteem.12
o Feelings of being overwhelmed, frightened, or helpless during the birth.20
o A sense of loss, grief, personal failure , acute trauma symptoms, posttraumatic stress, and clinical depression.37
• Death.12,22
Potential Harms to the Baby
Compared with vaginal birth, babies born by cesarean section are more likely to experience:
• Accidental surgical cuts, sometimes severe enough to require suturing.1,28
• Being born late-preterm (34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy) as a result of scheduled surgery.6
• Complications from prematurity, including difficulties with respiration, digestion, liver function, jaundice, dehydration, infection, feeding, and regulating blood sugar levels and body temperature.25,26 Late-preterm babies also have more immature brains,63 and they are more likely to have learning and behavior problems at school age.25,26
• Respiratory complications, sometimes severe enough to require admission to a special care nursery, even in infants born at early term (37 to 39 weeks of pregnancy).28 Scheduling surgery after 39 completed weeks minimizes, but does not eliminate, the risk.31,32
• Readmission to the hospital.25
• Childhood development of asthma,3,78 sensitivity to allergens,61 or Type 1 diabetes.11
• Death in the first 28 days after birth.51
Potential Harms to Maternal Attachment and Breastfeeding
Failure to breastfeed has adverse health consequences for mothers and babies. Breastfeeding helps protect mothers against postpartum depression, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, ovarian and pre-menopausal breast cancer, and osteoporosis later in life.36,71 Breastfeeding helps protect babies against ear infections, stomach infections, severe respiratory infections, allergies, asthma, obesity, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and necrotizing enterocolitis (a severe, life-threatening intestinal infection).15,36
• Women who have unplanned cesareans are more likely to have difficulties forming an attachment to their babies.23
• Women who have cesareans are less likely to have their infants with them skin-to-skin (cradled naked against their bare chest) after the delivery.20 Babies who have skin-to-skin contact interact more with their mothers, stay warmer, and cry less. When skin-to-skin, babies are more likely to be breastfed early and well, and to be breastfed for longer. They may also be more likely to have a good early relationship with their mothers, but the evidence for this is not as strong.16,57
• Women are less likely to breastfeed.21,44
Potential Harms to Future Pregnancies
With prior cesarean, women and their babies are more likely to experience serious complications during subsequent pregnancy and birth regardless of whether they plan repeat cesarean or vaginal birth. The likelihood of serious complications increases with each additional operation.28
Compared with prior vaginal birth, prior cesarean puts women at increased risk of:
• Uterine scar rupture. Planning repeat cesarean reduces the excess risk, but it is not completely protective.8,49,55,75
• Infertility, either voluntary (doesn’t want more children) or involuntary (can’t have more children).7,12,56,70,74,79,80
• Cesarean scar ectopic pregnancy (implantation within the cesarean scar), a condition that is life-threatening to the mother and always fatal for the embryo.67
• Placenta previa (placenta covers the cervix, the opening to the womb), placental abruption (placenta detaches partially or completely before the birth), and placenta accreta, (placenta grows into the uterine muscle and sometimes through the uterus, invading other organs), all of which increase the risk for severe hemorrhage and are potentially life-threatening complications for mother and baby.17,28,85
• Emergency hysterectomy.42,53
• Preterm birth and low birth weight.6,40,65,73,76
• A baby with congenital malformation or central nervous system injury12 due to a poorly functioning placenta.
• Stillbirth.28,29,40,65,76
Moderator
Or, in my case, risk of not having a caesarean section: -
1. Death of mother
2. Death of daughter
Let's not forget that ceseareans are not always by choice. But, faced with the "choice" I was given, I would choose a cesearean every time.
Registered User
Absolutely there is a role for caesarean sections. i posted because of a post in another thread where it said that c sections shouldn't be seen as too risky. unfortunately, risks are not always discussed. being in denial of risks does not make them disappear.
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HotI~ sadly so true, the risks associated with my CS were not discussed with me, also probably for another thread but the risks associated with giving the drug to induce contractions (synto?) were not given to me either..which is a bit scary considering that a first time mother is more at risk of uterine rupture from the drug than a woman going for a vbac is. (and they will always push that stat in your face)
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Yep, I agree, risks should always be discussed and considered. Birth is a risky business! There's no getting away from it.
But, as maternal request c-sections only account for about 17 per cent of elective c-sections, and just over three per cent of total number of births in Australia, I think it's important to provide balance and not "demonise" c-sections outright.
I also think the same for home birth and vaginal births by the way!
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Several of my friends have had C sections (emergency & elective) and none of them were ever told of risks to future pregnancies. That is grossly misleading in my opinion. One of my friends was just told that it was 'best' not to have 'too many' c sections but not told the reasons for this.
Because C sections are so commonplace these days, I think it can be easy to forget that they are a major surgical procedure with many associated risks.
And yes, I realise that they save lives.
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I must be among the minority... In this pregnancy and in my last, my OB has gone to great lengths to give me an unbiased understanding of the risks and benefits of a natural birth and a CS.
I've come across this on BB many, many times. But when I've tried to find the actual stats or even a study that supports this I've reached a dead end. I actually haven't been able to find any statistic in relation to the risk of a rupture in a syntocin induced first labor. It would be great if somebody could share the info if they have it.
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Ehhh. Sorry hun but I do take issue with that statement. Birth is not inherently risky. There are risks ofcorse, but so there are with flying, driving your car, using a mobile phone. I wouldn't describe birth as risky in the majority.
Also (and it's been a long time since I've checked this, so I may be off a bit) the WHO deem that the medically necessary Caesarian rate in a developed country should be no more than 2-5%. Here in Aus it's in the 40ish% I believe. I do think it's important to be informed of this risks of any procedure or situation...including the risks for homebirth, a natural birth etc etc.
Last edited by PumpkinZulu; February 28th, 2012 at 01:28 PM.
Registered User
Agree with this completely. There seems to be a desire in our society to not talk about risks but without such a discussion, how can informed choice be made? Personally I am pro elective CS for no medical reason, just as I am pro homebirth even when risk factors are present. But I think the real risks of both situations need to be clear to the woman making the decision.
There was a huge survey done recently about this, I'll try and find it for you.
Registered User
Just so you know, the WHO pulled that number out of thin air with no research behind it all. No one knows what an acceptable number is.
Registered User
It is a little annoying they didn't quantify the risk, and state if it were significant or not, rather than just saying "higher". As a statistician I find it really annoying because with no size of effect, nor significance, it's really hard to determine whether anything of note is actually happening. If I get time I'll open a few of those references and see what the actual odds ratio's are.
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Sorry PZ but I disagree. Birth is a risky business. There are ways of making it safer, such as having a trained medical professional attending the birth and having drugs such as syntometrine on hand though.
Registered User
Firstly i would like to say this is my opinion.
When i said that i don't think c sections should be deemed "too risky" i meant of course there is risks, with any major surgery there are always risks. Its sad that women aren't told about these risks and awful things happen. But just because another famous person has a complication doesn't mean we all should have to fall at her feet and be made 'aware' of the risks. That could just be because i am sour about special treatment celebrities have but thats my own issue. There are risks with everything, like PZ said regarding flying, driving a car, crossing the street....etc.
Maybe as women facing the possibility of having a c section we should educate ourselves and question our doctors/obs thoroughly. But i know of many many women who have had successful c sections, many of them multiple c sections without any complications.
I just think its unneccessary to worry and frighten women. Women have birthed babies for a very long time but some have complications, my mother almost died after having me same with my MIL after having my SIL and a close friend bled out after her daughter. These things happen. They are unfortunate and could have ended very badly but they didn't. My mum wasn't put off by her experience she went on to have two healthy children after me.
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I would rather be frightened by the reality of being fully informed than be kept in the dark because someone deemed it may upset me to know, I'm an adult and deserve to be treated as such and given ALL information pertaining to my own choices
Registered User
Definitely! Of course people should be informed. I want to know what's happening to my body.
Moderator
I agree with Trav, agreeing with me
Childbirth is risky. Thousands of women die from it every day
Registered User
Really? That's good to know. I'm becoming more disenchanted with WHO the more I look into things. I have those numbers noted down from a talk with Rhea Dempsay.
I do not view birth as risky. It has risks. Most things do. But I don't like to her about birth and it beig described as risky first and foremost. When I was pregnant friends y age were horrified that I wanted a natural birth, wasn't it too risky etc? I hated that that was the initial reaction from people.
Registered User
It is only recently that birth, in the western world, can be seen as relatively safe. For most of the world birth is still very risky, and will be for a long time. Wasn't so long ago the first thing a woman did when finding out she was pregnant was make her own shroud. Birth can still be risky, even if you have a completely normal pregnancy.
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