Also called: Also called: C-section
A Cesarean section (C-section) is surgery to deliver a baby. The baby is taken out through the mother's abdomen. In the United States, about one in four women have their babies this way. Most C-sections are done when unexpected problems happen during delivery. These include
- Health problems in the mother
- The position of the baby
- Not enough room for the baby to go through the vagina
- Signs of distress in the baby
C-sections are also more common among women carrying more than one baby.
The surgery is relatively safe for mother and baby. Still, it is major surgery and carries risks. It also takes longer to recover from a C-section than from vaginal birth. After healing, the incision may leave a weak spot in the wall of the uterus. This could cause problems with an attempted vaginal birth later. However, more than half of women who have a C-section can give vaginal birth later.
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C-Section
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/csection/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/csectionspanish/htm/index.htm -
C-Section: Medical Reasons(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/240_1031.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9255_9681.asp
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Cesarean Sections(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/c_sections.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/c_sections_esp.html
- C-Section: Birth and the Road to Recovery(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/c-section/PR00101/METHOD=print
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Cesarean Birth(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ2T2B627C&sub_cat=2001
Also available in Spanish http://acog.org/publications/patient_education/sp006.cfm
- C-Section Cuts Risk of Hepatitis B Transmission(09/26/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69754.html
- Cesarean Section Linked to Allergy in Children(09/18/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69428.html
- Natural Childbirth Moms More Attuned to Babies' Cry(09/11/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69189.html
- C-Section: When Is It the Best Option?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/c-section/PR00078/METHOD=print
- Cesarean Birth After Care(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cesareanaftercare.html
- Creating a Positive Cesarean Experience(American Pregnancy Association) - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/positivecesarean.html
- Fetal Surgery(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site891/mainpageS891P0.html
- Is It Possible to Breastfeed After a Cesarean Birth?(La Leche League International) - http://www.llli.org//FAQ/cesarean.html
- Pain Relief during Labor and Delivery(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp086.cfm
- Patient-Requested Cesarean Update(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr05-09-06-1.cfm
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Recovering from Delivery(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/home/recovering_delivery.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/embarazo/recovering_delivery_esp.html
- Trying to Avoid a Cesarean(American Pregnancy Association) - http://americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/avoidcesarean.html
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Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp070.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/sp070.cfm
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C-Section(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/csection/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/csectionspanish/htm/index.htm
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Cesarean Section Birth(OR-Live) - Requires Flash Player - One hour program - 3/13/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/shm_1891/rnh.cfm?id=709
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Cesarean Section
(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Cesarean+Section%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: P6 stimulation for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18806045&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: A randomized double-blinded comparison of phenylephrine and ephedrine infusion combinations... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18806043&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: The unexpected when expecting. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18756651&tool=MedlinePlus
- Cesarean Section -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=cesarean+section[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - http://www.acog.org/
- FASTATS: Births -- Method of Delivery(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm
- FASTATS: Obstetrical Procedures(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obgyn.htm
- PeriStats(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/
- Childbirth - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childbirth.html
- Female Reproductive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/femalereproductivesystem.html
- Pregnancy and Reproduction - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pregnancyandreproduction.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html
Cesarean Section - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/cesareansection.html