April is Cesarean Awareness Month

The International Cesarean Awareness Network is the sponsor of the annual Cesarean Awareness Month in April. According to the ICAN, cesarean deliveries account for almost one third of all births in the United States. Because of the rising number of cesarean deliveries, women want to know more information on cesarean section and what their options are.

A cesarean section, also called a C-section, is when a woman has a surgical procedure through an incision in her abdomen and uterus to give birth to her baby. A cesarean section is an option that is used for childbirth when a woman can't safely have a vaginal delivery.

A cesarean section is usually performed when one of the following problems occurs during the labor process, or before:

Fetal distress. Meconium, a thick black tar-like substance, is what lines a baby's intestines while still in the womb. Meconium is typically not released in a baby's bowel movements until after birth but there are times when it can occur before delivery. If the meconium is present and released into the amniotic fluid prior to giving birth, there is a possibility your baby could go into fetal distress. It can be very dangerous for your baby to inhale meconium into his or her lungs so a cesarean delivery may be performed to prevent this and fetal distress.

If a baby's heart rate continually drops too low during the labor process, a C-section may be performed. This is considered a form of fetal distress.

Placenta previa. This is when the placenta is partially covering the cervix - it's basically implanted. Placenta previa occurs in approximately one in 200 pregnancies. Placenta previa is usually diagnosed during the last trimester of pregnancy when bleeding occurs. Other symptoms that can found with placenta previa include premature contractions, breech positioning, or if the uterus measures larger than what it should for how far along in the pregnancy a woman is.

Breech positioning. If a baby is in the breech position, it's not in the "head down" position. The baby is lying bottom down. It is estimated that approximately 3 - 4 % of babies are in the breech position at the time of birth. A breech birth is more likely to occur in someone who has placenta previa, if the mother has already had many babies, and if excessive amounts of amniotic fluid are present. The majority of babies will start turning in the head down position between 28 - 32 weeks in the mother's womb and will continue to turn right through labor.

Breech babies can be born vaginally and many times it is the mother's choice, with the advice of her physician, to determine if she wants to deliver the baby naturally or through cesarean section. As a mother who went through a vaginal delivery, there is no way that I would have a breech baby vaginally. It would be so much more painful delivering a baby in a breech position.

Multiple births. For those women who have three or more babies, a cesarean delivery is usually necessary.

In this day and age, it is becoming more popular for women to have a VBAC, which is a vaginal delivery after already having a cesarean delivery. It used to be that once a woman had a cesarean delivery, she would have cesarean deliveries for each child after.

Cesarean Awareness Month provides women with all kinds of information and on their options for natural versus cesarean deliveries and VBAC.

A cesarean section can be a life saving experience for both a mother and baby and raising awareness for this is an important issue for women everywhere.