Birth Plans

How to Prepare for an Unplanned Cesarean

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Most women wish to avoid a cesarean despite popular opinion that women are opting for surgery vs. vaginal birth. The unfortunate reality is, however, that if you choose to give birth in a hospital, you are going to subject yourself to arbitrary labor timelines, potentially harmful interventions and monitoring that will increase your chances of having a surgical birth. If you are going to deliver in a hospital, no matter what your intentions, you should always be prepared for the possibility of a cesarean delivery.

Recent research shows that c-sections today account for almost 30% of all births. If you’re an expectant mom, you may want to think about that.

Most c-sections are planned due to medical conditions, some c-sections are even a choice women make to avoid childbirth pain, however many occur in the wake of complications during labor, and these are the c-sections that catch moms off guard.

For a mom planning a vaginal birth it can be a mental and often emotional shock to know that your birth expectations won’t be met. Instead you’ll be confronted with anesthesia, catheters, surgery, a longer hospital stay and a host of potential complications.

Without careful thought and planning, you are left with your doctor and hospital staff making decisions for you that can leave you feeling out of control and emotionally compromised.

But whether a c-section is expected or unexpected, you still need to be prepared.

Statistics show that women suffer a lesser degree of emotional stress and depression from having a c-section if they are prepared for the process by fully understanding why it is needed and take part in the decisions being made.

You may be thinking that it’s easy to plan for something you expect to happen, but how do you plan for something you don’t expect?

“Expect the unexpected”, as they say and plan accordingly.

Regardless of whether you expect to have a c-section or it comes as a surprise, be prepared! That means understanding the risks, familiarizing yourself with the procedures, knowing your options and giving careful thought to what you want most for you and your baby. If problems should occur, be familiar with what they are and be ready for how you will respond to them.

Let’s take a look at why c-sections occur in the first place.

Planned c-sections typically occur because of things like breech birth, carrying multiple babies, having had a previous Cesarean, age, obesity and other medical conditions that clearly dictate a surgical birth.

Sheryl’s comment:
Most of the reasons listed in the previous paragraph are not valid reasons for a cesarean. They are doctor invented, not based in medical science and may protect the doctor but a cesarean is always more risky for both mom and baby. You need to know your facts so you can refuse a cesarean. Any doctor who fillets a mother’s baby from her womb because she has crossed an arbitrary age limit, should be drawn and quartered (in my humble opinion).

For healthy moms that don’t expect a c-section, things like failure of labor to progress, fetal distress or baby isn’t able to successfully pass through the birth canal can also require a c-section.

So how do you effectively prepare?

You’ve probably heard women say that they didn’t feel their c-section was really necessary or that doctors are often too quick to perform c-sections due to convenience or avoidance of legal issues. This may or may not be true in many cases however; wouldn’t you want to be sure that your c-section was the best choice for you?

Making clear decisions and immediate choices are a lot harder while flat on your back in labor. This is why keeping yourself informed, and having a plan for what may occur is so important. The last thing you want is your doctor and/or hospital staff making decisions for you. This is your baby’s birth and it should be as you would like it.

No matter how you expect the birth of your baby to go, take the time to go over possible complications, understand the choices and be ready emotionally and physically.

Here are some things you should think about and work into your plan:

The anesthesia There are basically 3 types of anesthesia, spinal, epidural and General. Spinal and Epidural are regional anesthesias which mean they numb a region of your body. In the case of a c-section the region is roughly from the waist down. A general anesthesia puts you completely under. Most c-sections use a spinal or epidural. In case a c-section should occur you should have an idea for which one you would prefer.

The urinary catheter You will be admini

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