Let’s talk about C-Section because about 33% of pregnant women in the United States will have a C-Section. These are not Mamas that want or plan for a C-Section. Many of these women go into labor thinking they will have their baby vaginally, and it doesn’t happen because of _______ . This is scary, you want your baby to be safe, and the medical team makes the decision for you. WHAT?!
Maybe you are thinking: “Well, of course the medical team makes the decision. They know best.”
Yes, the doctors and nurses are medically trained, but I still want every Mama to know the risks, benefits, and how to prevent an unnecessary C-Section because not every C-Section is absolutely necessary.
Yet they still happen even with the associated risks. In fact, I read recently on OB/GYN News about a study of 7.3 million singleton deliveries in high-income countries, which reveals that “delivery by C-section (especially when elective) carries a much higher risk of hospitalization for severe infection in the first 5 years of life.”
This means that your baby, if delivered by C-Section is at greater risk for infection in the first five years of his or her life. What mom wants to hear that?
There are many reasons why C-Section poses a risk for infection in Baby.
For one, we want your baby to deliver through the birth canal to squeeze out amniotic fluid that may be in Baby’s lungs. That amniotic fluid that could remain in the lungs after a C-Section mean baby could develop a lung infection or worse.
C-Sections also increases the risk of infection in Mom because her organs were exposed to the outside. Yes, the room is sterile, but that does not mean infection cannot happen. Mom has an incision that needs to be treated with care, which can be very difficult when she has a newborn baby to care for in addition to herself.
I am not going to belabor the risks. You get the point that C-Sections should not be an equal choice sitting next to vaginal delivery. C-Sections should be for the high risk situations. Come on and dive in with me on how to prevent an unnecessary C-Section.
Before I go any further, I want to mention my FREE Natural Birth Workbook! This 4 Step Process is a great start if you are considering a med-free birth. Click the button below to download the workbook…
Trust your healthcare provider.
Healthcare providers and birth settings with low rates of intervention are so important when planning for a vaginal delivery.
You must talk to your doctor about his or her view on C-Section, infection, risk factors, and ability to help Mom change positions for a safe and healthy vaginal delivery.
Ask your doctor about his or her philosophy on C-Sections and his Cesarean Section rate. Make sure you ask about rate of primary C-Sections. This means first time Moms, not repeat C-Section rate. Their primary C-Section rate should be less than 10% for first time moms.
Take time to call the hospital where you are going to deliver and ask about on-call doctors and their C-Section rates. Get the low-down! You want to know about the people that will be “making” the decision on delivery day.
And PLEASE don’t feel like you are stuck with your doctor. If he or she does not line up with your birth plan, or if he/she has a high C-Section rate, then go find another doctor. I am not kidding. You need to trust your doctor and feel safe in his/her care.
Get educated.
Information means more power to you. This means having enough of a foundation to visualize and plan how you want your pregnancy, labor, and delivery to happen in a realistic way. You need to create a flexible birth plan and discuss this plan with your doctor or midwife.
Get educated about birth by taking a childbirth class (I recommend online), reading books, and asking a lot of questions: “Do I want a natural birth or epidural? Who is going to be my support person? Where do I want to be when labor progresses? Etc.”
Now is the time to take steps to get what you want.
Here are some stepping stones to prevent an unnecessary C-Section.
- Stay at home until you are in active labor to decrease C-Section risk by 50%.
Active labor means that your cervix is dilated to at least 5 cm. How do you know? Your contraction interval will be less than 5 minutes between each contraction (this means that your contractions are regular). Each contraction will last 60-90 seconds. You will be in severe pain to the point of not being able to talk through each contraction. And the regular, painful contractions will last for at least 1-2 hours and continue. You will know.
- Choosing no epidural.
Epidurals in and of themselves do not increase your risk for C-Section. BUT epidurals means that you are on bedrest in the hospital, and epidurals will slow down labor.
Your baby has electric fetal monitoring on for an extended period of time, and that does increase your risk for C-Section because the doctors don’t like to see your baby’s heart rate “decel”.
The monitor is showing your baby’s heart rate decrease (and then return to normal) for an extended period of time. This is a normal process, but it makes the doctors nervous when they are dealing with life and lawsuits.
- Stay away from unnecessary interventions.
Interventions such as induction of labor increases your risk for C-Section. Induction means that we are synthetically initiating the progression of labor. WHY? Maybe you are past your due date, your husband or the doctor is going out of town, or baby is measuring too big/small.
The doctor is trying to make the baby come “now”. This may mean medication placed in your vagina, Pitocin IV in your arm, breaking your bag of waters, etc.
Example of how interventions increase your risk for C-Section: your bag of waters is broken, but your cervix does not open and soften like the doctor wanted it to open. You are waiting for labor to progress, and it has been more than 24 hours. Your baby is now at increased risk for infection. So, the doctor decides that you need a C-Section.
Thus, avoid induction and interventions by staying at home, away from unnecessary medical interventions, and take little steps to have a vaginal delivery.
Labor support.
Labor support means that you have someone by your side coaching you towards a successful vaginal delivery with no epidural. This person has been with you through your pregnancy, he knows what you need in time of pain and stress, and he has practiced labor with you.
For me, this coach was my husband. He knows me better than anyone else in the world. He knows when I am weak, and what I need to hear when I feel like I can’t do something hard.
You may not want your husband as your coach, but you need someone who knows you well.
Studies show that women with continuous support during labor are 26% less likely to have a C-Section! This is amazing. Mama, choose your labor coach WAYYYYYY in advance from due date, and make sure that person knows you IN and OUT (not just your good side).
Practice labor with that person. Practice different laboring and pushing positions that work for you as this helps labor progress. The successful progression of labor is very important when it comes to steering clear of a C-Section. Make sure your support person knows how you cope with pain because he/she will not be helpful if they don’t speak “your language” in time of pain, stress, anxiety, fear, anger, and well, the emotions just keep going. You get the gist.
Do you want some help making a plan? I have created my FREE Natural Birth Workbook just for you. This 4 Step Process is a great start if you are considering a med-free birth. Download below…
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