The
Latin word 'cedere' means 'to cut', from which 'Cesarean' might have originated. 'Cesarean section' means to 'cut out'.
C-section
is the most commonly performed surgery in the U.S.A., and approximately 1.3 million children each year or
Although the gap between higher and
lower-resource settings remains, C-section rates have increased.
Cesarean section was
initially done when pregnant mothers died due to illness. The baby was removed
from the mother's womb. Later it was also done when the mother was alive; in
cases of breech position, low levels of amniotic fluid, failure to labor.
‘Cesarean awareness month is observed to improve maternal and child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans, reducing the growing number of cesareans through education and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean.’
Lower rate of fetal
mortality, birth injury, neonatal asphyxia and
encephalopathy,
a lesser risk of postpartum hemorrhage and stress urinary incontinence are few
other reasons for a c-section.
There
are personal preferences and decisions that call for a C-Section. Various
repeated reasons in many studies are:
- fear
of pain or labor
- concerns
about genital modifications after vaginal delivery
- safety
of the baby: misconception that CS is safer for the baby
- availability
of doctors/specialists: the convenience for health professionals and also
for the mother and family
- lower
tolerance to any complications or outcomes
Why Not a C-Section?
In
middle and high income countries, the use of CS has increased despite the lack
of evidence supporting maternal and paternal benefits and some studies showing
a link between increasing CS rates and poorer outcomes.
A study done using data
collected from 26 countries found that no significant differences existed in
maternal mortality or serious maternal morbidity between planned cesarean
section and planned vaginal birth for breech presentation.
WHO global survey on
maternal and perinatal health in Latin America, in fact, revealed that
the
rate of cesarean delivery was positively associated with postpartum antibiotic
treatment referring to the infection after surgery, severe maternal and
neonatal morbidity, and maternal and fetal death.
Compared to planned vaginal delivery and unplanned CS,
planned cesarean delivery was associated
with
- an increased risk
of infection, anesthetic complications and placenta previa (discharge of
placenta before the baby is delivered)
- risk of
complications in subsequent pregnancies
- longer hospital
stay of mothers and neonates
- higher risk of
respiratory morbidity for infants
Apart from health concerns, the medical
expenses are higher as far as C-section delivery is concerned.
Bottomline
The Cesarean awareness
month calls for reducing the number of unnecessary C-sections and promote
vaginal birth after C-section which can be achieved with the guidance and
support of health care providers.
Reference :- Caesarean
section delivery in India: causes and concerns - (https://iussp.org/sites/default/files/event_call_for_papers/Caesarean%20section%20delivery%20in%20India_0.pdf)
- The Increasing Trend in Caesarean Section Rates:
Global, Regional and National Estimates: 1990-2014 - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4743929/)
Source: Medindia
