Pros and Cons of a C-Section
- January 2, 2014
- by Melissa Lawrence
Hello, everyone! I’m here today to answer this question from YouTube viewer Banoutamasreya: what are the pros and cons of a c-section? First, you may be as surprised as I was to learn that c-sections are actually on the DECLINE, largely because the American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAOG) now advises against inducements and elective c-sections before 39 weeks of gestation. Also, the standards for allowing women to have a VBAC or a vaginal birth after caesarean have been broadened to make this procedure more available. According to a CDC report from 2013, there had previously been a rapid rise of c-sections in the U.S. from 1998 to 2009, which led to some babies being born before they were ready and resulted in cases of breathing difficulties and pneumonia.
So, what ARE the pros and cons of a c-section?
Benefits to having a c-section include a possible decrease in incontinence, decreased risk of oxygen depravation when the baby is born, reduced risk of birth trauma to the baby sustained from passing through the birth canal or from forceps or vacuum extraction, greater sense of control with women, a better chance to plan for family help and work leave, reduced anxiety about labor, etc. Those are some great benefits, but there are also some pretty serious medical risks associated with c-sections which you should discuss with your doctor. In addition to the medical risks, you may want to consider how painful it may be because a Caesarian is a pretty serious surgery, and recovery can take a while and be painful. For more on the benefits and risks of c-sections, watch my vlog!
How did you deliver your baby? Drop a comment below and share your experience!
Comments
Katherine Cook
I had a section with my daughter in 2007 due to an emergency during actual labor!!! I thank God for that section or neither of us would be here!!! The pain after and recovery were actually nothing… I would do it a million times… I had my son in 2010 by section and things then went smooth as well.. The only set back from having my son was that gas pockets were trapped in my chest, so I had to stay 3 days longer than planned!! I wouldn’t change a thing about birthing my children by section…
Melissa Lawrence
God bless, so happy for you…
C-Section Con!
C-sections carry a high risk of infection including, cellulitis, Necrotising Fasciitis, Sepsis etc, I would recommend a natural birth at every given oppertunity as my life was ruined after Necrotising Fasciitis after c-section, pain was only about 4 on the c-section itself and probably if no infection etc takes hold then if really required a c-section is not all that bad, in my own option I would opt for a natural birth if given the chance to choice.
Melissa Lawrence
Thanks for sharing and so sorry for what you went through, Elaine… are things better now?
Jodie
I have had four c-sections and am due at the end of this month for my fifth.
My first was an emergency c-section in 1993 after a failed induction which cause my fist born to suffer fetal distress.
The next three were in 1996,98 and 2000.
I had a general for all four and am choosing a spinal this time.
I have never had any problems with recovery and am grateful that there is another way than naturally to give birth.
Melissa Lawrence
Jodie, congrats on #5 and thanks so much for sharing! Glad things went so well for you. M
anna
I just had a section with my first due to prior fibroid surgery (myomectomy.) Everything went great and she’s very healthy.
Another con has to do with baby’s gut community (good bacteria), which I learned about from this aricle: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?_r=0
Having read this (and because I have a great pediatrician) I am giving my baby probiotics to help develop a healthy gut community.
Here’s a quote from the article:
Most of the microbes that make up a baby’s gut community are acquired during birth — a microbially rich and messy process that exposes the baby to a whole suite of maternal microbes. Babies born by Caesarean, however, a comparatively sterile procedure, do not acquire their mother’s vaginal and intestinal microbes at birth. Their initial gut communities more closely resemble that of their mother’s (and father’s) skin, which is less than ideal and may account for higher rates of allergy, asthma and autoimmune problems in C-section babies: not having been seeded with the optimal assortment of microbes at birth, their immune systems may fail to develop properly.
Rhiannon Reese
I had an emergency cesarean at 39 weeks due to preeclampsia, and it was scary! (Initially went to the hospital for severe back pain and wound up staying and having my little Booger.)
The recovery was pretty intense, and stressful at times (not being able to do anything drove me bonkers.) But overall I believe it was better for me in the long run. I had been so freaked out about the labor, and was doubting myself. It just really depends on the mom, and mostly the situation. It all comes down to being prepared for anything, because anything can and will happen.