It’s the initial scenario that raises many questions, from the credibility of the doctor to various blames on the hospital.

We feel it’s high time we educate our “to-be mothers” so that they understand why caesarean sections can still be a reality even if everything went well during the pregnancy. 

There are mainly two major reasons that even the doctor may not foresee before the labour begins. One is whether the baby’s head will successfully pass through the pelvis without getting obstructed anywhere there and ultimately reach a point where it can be assisted to be delivered vaginally. Secondly, how the baby will respond to the stress of continuous uterine contractions for an average of eight to ten hours. These two are mainly the reasons why mothers end up in a caesarean section. So Failure to Progress in the first and second stage and Foetal distress are the two main reasons for unexpected emergency caesarea n sections. 

Then there are other very infrequent causes of emergency caesarean sections like cord prolapse, excessive bleeding, severe hypertension, etc. The latter are uncommon and do not happen very frequently.

During the labour you will be examined internally every 2 to 3 hours to assess the womb opening and descent of the foetal head. The baby’s heartbeat is continuously being monitored for signs of distress. Whenever the latter is suspected your doctor will discuss it with you in detail and every now and then will keep updating you as well.

Your consultant obstetrician will discuss all the above in detail with you around the 36th week of pregnancy when she discusses labour and epidural with you.

Medicsi wishes you a happy and healthy experience of childbirth.