Exploring Cesarean Birth
“You chose to have a cesarean, why?”
“Couldn’t that have been prevented?”
“Was it really an emergency?”
If you are a person who has had a cesarean birth, you may have heard one or all of these kinds of questions regarding your birth experience. It’s possible that people are asking questions from a place of good intention and inquiry about your birth. We recognize though, that they might feel like judgement too.
Let’s take a moment to explore the difference between the three types of cesarean birth and why they might be applicable to your birthing circumstances.
Elective/Planned: Yes, elective and planned cesareans do happen and there are purposeful reasons for them. An elective cesarean can be planned as a personal choice. A planned repeat cesarean may occur if the person isn’t a good candidate for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), or they choose not to attempt VBAC. Medical reasons can also be cause for a planned cesarean. Sometimes a breech baby doesn’t move into a favorable position for vaginal birth, even after a provider tries to manually turn the baby. If you’re having multiples, a planned cesarean may feel like the most controlled option for you. (Multiples may not always indicate surgical birth, but this may vary from provider to provider.)
Urgent/Unplanned: An urgent cesarean birth is recommended for medical reasons that require the baby to be born soon. Typically this type of cesarean may occur somewhere along the way of labor when there are signs that the baby or the laboring person are not tolerating labor as well as we’d like. Circumstances like failure to progress within a certain time frame, suspected fetal distress, and medical conditions like pre-eclampsia may be reasons that could lend to an unplanned cesarean. This type of cesarean might be the safest option barring the circumstances of your labor experience.
Emergent: An emergent cesarean is suggested in emergency situations in order to protect the life of the person giving birth and the life of the baby. The moments leading up to an emergent cesarean birth everything is expedited. The birthing person is immediately rushed to the operating room and put under general anesthesia. If a support person or Doula is present, they will be asked to wait outside of the OR. Some reasons why an emergent cesarean might happen include prolapsed cord, a uterine rupture, or a placental abruption. The goal of this form of cesarean is to deliver the baby as safely and quickly as possible, while keeping the birthing person as safe as possible.