Procedures for a C-Section

 

	Procedures for a Caesarean Section
	Coping after a Caesar
	Once a Caesar .. Always a Caesar?

On admission to a general or private ward you will be visited by the anaesthesist who will evaluate and discuss your medical history. A nurse will then begin preparing you for theatre by shaving your pubic area and administering an enema or suppository to help in emptying your bowels. A catheter will also be inserted to keep your bladder empty throughout the operation. A blood sample will be taken and you will be hooked up to a drip that will supply you with a sugar and salt solution that is needed during and after the operation.

Once you have been wheeled into theatre your abdomen will be cleansed with a cold sterilising fluid while the anaesthesist prepares the anaesthetic.
After it has taken effect, the surgeon will make a cut (usually horizontally), through the outer layer of the skin. The underlying muscles are then separated until the uterus wall is finally opened.


After your waters have been broken and the amniotic fluid sucked out, a theatre nurse will push against your lower abdomen while the surgeon places his fingers underneath the baby and gently guides her out of your abdomen. Sometimes forceps are used to deliver the baby.


After delivery, the umbilical cord will be cut and clamped and your baby will be taken away for a thorough check by the paediatrician. Your partner will have the privilege of holding your newborn, as soon as a full apgar score has been obtained.
Meanwhile you will be given an oxytocin (hormone) injection to speed up the delivery of the placenta. It will peel away from your womb and the surgeon will remove it through the opening. Your uterus will then be cleaned and any remaining swabs removed before the opening is carefully stitched closed. Various techniques are used to close the incision in the abdomen, aimed at achieving a scar which is both discreet and strong; sometimes clips rather than stitches are used depending on the surgeon's preferences. This procedure can take up to anywhere from half an hour to forty-five minutes, which is the longest part of the operation, considering that the actual birth takes ten minutes or less. The wound will then be covered with a suitable dressing and the mother will be wheeled back to the ward or alternatively to the recovery room if the staff feel it necessary to monitor your progress for a while.