Cesarean births are an increasingly common way to give birth worldwide, but they are generally only recommended when they’re considered the safest way for a baby to be born. However, many medical complications in pregnancy and birth can make a cesarean birth necessary.
Women who experience complications during pregnancy
Many women who deliver by cesarean birth know that it’s going to be necessary long before they go into labor, based on complications that come up during pregnancy. These complications include:
- A large baby: Whether because of some underlying condition – prenatal diabetes, for example, can increase the chance of a very large baby – or just by chance, sometimes it becomes clear that the baby is too large to safely deliver vaginally. However, labor is generally attempted, and most large babies are able to be delivered vaginally.
- Uterine scarring: Women who have had more than two cesarean births are at an increased risk for uterine rupture, making labor more risky.
- Multiples or the baby’s position: Certain types of twins may sometimes be delivered vaginally, though multiples of more than two will likely not be delivered vaginally.
- Single babies in the breech position are also often most safely delivered through cesarean births. Babies lying sideways, in what is called a transverse lie, also require a cesarean birth to avoid head entrapment and fetal distress. You can, however, talk to your doctor about an External Cephalic Version (ECV), a procedure in which they rotate the baby into the right position.
- Placenta previa: If the placenta is covering the cervix and blocks the baby’s exit due to a previa, a cesarean birth is necessary.
- Infection: Women suffering infections, like active herpes outbreaks, may be recommended cesarean births so their babies are not exposed to infection during birth, although women with herpes may be given medicine to prevent outbreaks starting at 36 weeks.
- Other underlying conditions like heart failure, history of strokes, or malformation of blood vessels might make a person a poor candidate for a vaginal delivery.
Women who experience complications during birth
It would be wonderful if every woman who was going to deliver her baby through a cesarean birth could know it was going to happen ahead of time, so she could prepare, research, and be ready. Unfortunately, there are certain complications that aren’t generally detectable until labor is already underway. These last-minute cesarean births are often called “emergency cesarean births,” even if they’re fairly routine ways of dealing with the not-entirely-uncommon complications that sometimes come up during pregnancy. Complications that might mean it’s safest to switch from a planned vaginal birth to a cesarean birth once labor has already started include:
- Failure to progress: If, by the second stage of labor, labor is moving too slowly or has stopped, doctors may order a cesarean birth. This could be due to either the cervix not dilating quickly enough or the baby remaining in the breech position.
- Fetal intolerance: This includes problems with the umbilical cord (like if it’s compressed or wrapped around), placenta, or anything that causes the baby to receive less oxygen than it should. These are often considered emergency cesarean births.
- Other problems that may cause excessive bleeding and be dangerous for both mom and baby
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
Sources
- “Treatments & Procedures: Cesarian birth (C-section).” ClevelandClinic. Cleveland Clinic. copyright 1995-2011. Web.
- “Medical reasons for a c-section.” Marchofdimes. March of Dimes. June 2013. Web.
