From the first incision to the final staple, getting a newborn out via a cesarean section takes less than an hour. (Photo: iStock)
Whether it’s a scheduled procedure or a last-minute switch in plans because labor isn’t progressing, a cesarean section is major surgery. And since approximately 30 percent of all U.S. births are C-sections, an expectant mom has a one in three chance of giving birth via a surgeon’s scalpel.
True, having a baby in an operating room in front of a dozen surgical team members isn’t very intimate, and the recovery time is longer than with a vaginal delivery. But the good news is, a C-section is relatively safe and low-risk for mom and baby. Here’s a step-by-step look at what goes on from the moment you sign the consent form until you’re wheeled into the recovery room.
Surgeons prep you for the procedure. In the operating room, members of the surgical team wipe your belly with an antiseptic solution. “A catheter is also put inside your bladder to keep it empty, since you can’t exactly get up to go to the bathroom anytime soon,” Dr. Gil Weiss, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Northwestern University and an ob-gyn in Chicago, tells Yahoo Parenting. Your partner can be there with you, of course, usually after putting on scrubs to protect you from germs. But it’s not like a birthing room, where multiple family members are usually allowed to crowd around.
You’re given anesthesia. “You generally have a choice of an epidural or spinal block, both of which will numb your entire lower body, so you’re awake and alert during the operation,” Dr. Alyssa Dweck, ob-gyn in Westchester, New York, and coauthor of V Is for Vagina, tells Yahoo Parenting. “Though you won’t feel any pain during the procedure, some women do feel some pushing or pressure,” says Dweck.
Drapes are placed around your belly. Sterile drapes will cover all but your bump, and a screen or drape will also block the surgery from your view, so you don’t have to watch if you’re squeamish. “But some women and their partners want to see, so in that case, we’ll use a transparent drape that keeps germs out but allows you to watch,” says Weiss.
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