C-Section

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C-Section: Indications

The decision to have a C-section delivery can depend on the obstetrician, the delivery location, and the woman's past deliveries or medical history. Some of the main reasons for C-section instead of vaginal delivery include the following.

Reasons related to the baby:

• Developmental abnormalities of the fetus, such as hydrocephalus or spina bifida
• Abnormal fetal heart rate pattern
• Abnormal position of the baby within the uterus, such as crosswise (transverse) or buttocks-first (breech)
• Multiple babies within the uterus (triplet and some twin pregnancies)

Reasons related to the mother:

• Extreme maternal illness, such as heart disease, toxemia, pre-eclampsia or eclampsia
• Active genital herpes infection
• Maternal HIV infection
• Previous surgery in the uterus, including myomectomy and previous C-sections

Problems with labor or delivery:

• Prolonged or arrested labor
• Very large baby (macrosomia)
• Baby's head is too large to pass through mother's pelvis (cephalopelvic disproportion)

Problems with the placenta or unbilical cord:

• Umbilical cord prolapse (the umbilical cord comes through the cervix)
• Placenta attached in abnormal location (placenta previa) or prematurely separated from uterine wall (placenta abruptio)