Caesarean Birth:
Making Informed Choices.
Making Informed Choices
About Caesarean Birth.
What are the Common Caesarean Risks?
For the Mother and/or Baby
-
Anaesthetic risks (explained in more detail further
on in the booklet)
-
Increased blood loss - which may lead to a need
for a blood transfusion, or a hysterectomy
-
Damage to the bladder or intestines
-
Wound and uterine infection
-
Blood clots forming in the deep veins of the legs,
or pelvis. Rarely these clots can travel to the lungs, causing
life-threatening pulmonary embolus
-
In elective caesarean
-
Unplanned prematurity of the baby if the dates
are wrong, which may increase the risk of the baby having
breathing problems).
-
Respiratory distress syndrome - where
the baby retains fluid in his/her lungs (vaginal birth assists
the baby to clear this fluid, which normally fills the lungs
when your baby is still inside your uterus, whereas some of
it can remain after a caesarean). This can be serious, or
even fatal
-
Each caesarean increases risks involved in future
pregnancies - the risk of the placenta implanting low in the
uterus (placenta praevia) or into the uterine scar (placenta accreta)
and the risk of uterine scar separation
-
Future difficulties becoming pregnant, and increased
chance of ectopic pregnancy - due to scarring
-
Small risk of the baby being cut by the scalpel
-
Increased risk of maternal death (4 per 10,000
births for all caesareans, 2 per 10,000 for elective caesareans
and 1 per 10,000 for all vaginal births)6
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