Cesarean Section

About Cesarean section

Nomenclature: Cesarean section, Classical Cesarean section, Lower Segment Cesarean Section, LSCS, Caesar, C-Section

The Latin word 'cedere' means 'to cut' and the word Cesarean probably originated from this word. 'Cesarean section' means to 'cut out'.

Delivery of a baby through an incision in the mother's abdomen is known as cesarean section or a C-section. It is a surgical method of delivering a baby, undertaken when normal vaginal delivery is not possible or risky for the mother or baby.

Nowadays, it is performed even electively, as a procedure of choice, on the request of would-be mothers around the world.

World Health Organization, however, recommends that the procedure must be resorted to for medical reasons alone. The recommendation comes in the wake of increasing rates of Cesarean sections and despite the safety of the procedure, it poses certain risks to the mother and baby alike.

C-section is the most commonly performed surgery in the U.S.A. and approximately about 1.3 million children each year or one of every three babies are being delivered by Cesarean section.

Researchers estimate that in over 50% of instances when C-sections are performed in the U.S.A. the babies could be safely delivered vaginally. Performing a surgical procedure when it isn't indicated poses avoidable risks to the mother and her child and also escalates the cost of care.

History

of Cesarean Section & Anatomy

Cesarean section existed among ancient Hindus and Egyptians who performed it to save the baby if the mother died. In the pre-Christian era, the Jews practiced it even when the mother was alive. In the nineteenth century, European travellers have described Cesarean section being performed by African tribes, using alcohol to anaesthetize the mother and herbs for wound healing. It was established as a mode of delivery by the latter part of the 19th century.

Anatomy

The baby lies within the mother's womb usually with its head abutting against the mother's lower portion of the uterus. In majority of the deliveries, it is the head of the baby, which emerges first from the mother's womb into the world. In some cases the baby's buttock may lie against the mother's lower portion and may emerge first during delivery, when it is referred to as a breech presentation. The baby is extracted from the womb by cutting open the lower portion of the uterus.