Birthrites: Healing After Caesarean.

Caesarean Birth:
Making Informed Choices.

Making Informed Choices
About Caesarean Birth.

The Common Medical Reasons for Elective Caesareans
(Although natural birth is often possible in many of these situations) are:5

  • Previous caesarean/s is the commonest reason
  • Suspected CPD - Cephalo-Pelvic Disproportion (i.e. the baby's head is too big to fit through the mother's pelvis)
    • Often due to the head being posterior in labour (baby facing up towards the pubic bone)
    • History of big babies/difficult past deliveries with/without shoulder dystocia involved
    • Gestational Diabetes may lead to extra large babies if poorly controlled
  • Placenta Problems
    • Placenta Praevia - where placenta is situated low and may cover/partially cover the cervix
    • Placental abruption - (where the placenta separates a bit from the uterus)
  • Foetal distress - which may occur in labour or late pregnancy when the blood supply to the placenta is reduced for any reason
    • May be caused by Pre eclampsia (mother's high blood pressure and fluid retention)
    • Intrauterine Growth Restriction
    • Abnormal placental function
    • Cord compression
    • Intra uterine infection
  • Baby's Position
    • Breech baby - especially footling breech
    • Transverse lie - baby is sideways
  • Twins
  • Active Genital Herpes Simplex

The common non-medical reasons for elective caesareans are:

  • Social reasons
    • Choice of baby's Birthday
    • Work leave -> for mother or husband
    • Convenience for Mother and/or her caregiver
  • Retaining control over the birth experience, especially if the Mother experienced a traumatic (physically or emotionally) birth experience previously
  • Other emotional reasons
    • History of sexual abuse of the mother
  • To avoid the 'pain' of vaginal birth
  • To avoid stretching/damage to the vagina

The common medical reasons for emergency caesareans are:

  • Failed induction
  • Prolonged labour that's not progressing
  • Foetal distress
  • Maternal distress
  • Placental problems - bleeding, separations, etc
  • Undiagnosed foetal position - i.e., breech, brow presentation, etc

To find out how to obtain a free copy, or how you can organise to distribute the booklets, please click here.