Cesarean Section

A Cesarean section, or C-section, is a surgery performed to deliver a baby through the mother's lower abdomen, usually when unexpected problems develop during delivery. These problems may involve how the baby is positioned in the womb (uterus), whether the baby is too large to fit through the vagina, the mother’s current health and medical history, and signs of distress in the baby, such as an abnormal heart rate. During this surgery, the mother usually is awake but numbed from chest to feet using spinal or epidural anesthesia. The procedure requires an incision (cut) across the belly and into the womb and the amniotic sac that surrounds the baby, then the baby is removed.

Classified as major surgery, C-sections involve some risk. Women take longer to recover from a C-section than from a vaginal delivery. The incision may leave a weak area in the wall of the womb that could cause problems if a vaginal birth is attempted later, but most women who have a C-section can later give birth normally through the vagina.