RISKS of Cesarean Delivery to Mother and Baby

Please consider this information before opting for a Cesarean Section for your convenience.

• You risk death 5-7 times more than with vaginal birth
• complications during and after surgery include surgical injury to the bladder, uterus and blood vessels, hemorrhage (1-6 women per 100 require a blood transfusion) blood clots in the legs (6-20 per 1000), pulmonary embolism (1-2 per 1000), paralysed bowel(10-20 per 100~mild cases, 1 per 100 severe cases), infection (up to 50 times more common), anesthesia accidents.
• 1/10 women report problems with normal activities for 2 months after the C/S birth...
• Twice as many women require re-hospitalization
• Negative emotions are reported by twice as many women for unplanned C/S
• Related to C/S being an abdominal surgery, internal scar tissue can cause pelvic pain, pain during sexual intercourse, and bowel problems.
• Increase sterility, miscarriage, placenta previa, abruption of the placenta, premature birth, uterine rupture.

Hazards to the BABY for Cesarean Section include:

• for planned C/S. some babies will be inadvertently be delivered prematurely. These babies may then experience breastfeeding problems.
• 1-2 babies per 100 will be cut during the surgery.
• babies are 50 percent more likely to have low APGAR scores, requiring assistance with breathing, and 5 times more likely to be admitted to intensive or intermediate care units.
• Babies born after elective C/S are likely to develop persistent pulmonary hypertension compared with vaginally birthed babies.
• Mother's have more difficulty forming an attachment to the baby.
• Babies are less likely to breastfeed.

Reference:

Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, N.D. The risks of cesarean delivery to mother and baby: A CIMS Fact Sheet: Retrieved by Google website, November 20, 2007, http://www.motherfriendly.org.