CONTENTS
You must have heard of Gen Y, Gen X, and Gen Z, but ever heard of Gen C-section (aka Cesarean generation)? Well, I guess not. It’s because I just invented this term right now. My baby happens to belong to the generation of C-section. I’m guessing that if you are a new mother reading this then your baby might be of the same generation.
What is a Cesarean?
I mean, I know that you know that it is a surgical process wherein 2 or more slits (c-section scars) are made in the abdomen and uterus of a mother to get the baby out. Funny as it may sound but when my baby was on his way out and I was undergoing a Cesarean section, I could almost feel like a kangaroo. A small pocket-like patch being made on my lower tummy and then I felt a squirm, my gynec had a bit of a struggle locating the baby.
Exactly after 5 minutes, I heard a feeble cry. My little one was out. All of 15 minutes, while my husband (I call him Ace) anxiously waiting outside, frantic and praying to god, lord, and the almighty. He thought I was lying there, in pain, screaming and getting miserable. What he didn’t know was that the entire procedure for most of the mothers is like getting a tetanus injection. There is still some pain involved while getting a shot of T, and I felt absolutely nothing during my C-section.
Expectations and reality:
When I was pregnant, my relatives would ask little about my health. Mostly the conversations would end up with ‘one last question’ (and probably the most IMPORTANT one for their knowledge). ‘Has the doctor indicated if it’s going to be a C-section?’ I would wonder why at all they are asking. Not that I don’t like to discuss such things or consider pregnancy to be a ‘very private affair.
In my opinion, women who have had normal deliveries are very proud of the fact that they have undergone ‘real pains’. Well, yes, indeed you have gone through ‘real pains’ but believe me, no woman prefers a cut or two on her body for the sake of kicks.
However, if someone tells her (and almost in most of the cases, it is at the last minute) that there is a risk to her baby or that the baby’s heartbeat is dipping… At that very moment, one isn’t left with a choice. No woman or her man, no mother, and her husband would like to risk their baby’s life at the cost of ‘real pains’. Having said that, I would also like to tell you that Cesarean delivery is not always the last resort. In some cases, the hospitals where the woman gives birth to plays a key role in deciding whether the delivery would be normal or c-section.
The Gen C-Section (Cesarean generation):
In countries such as India, the Cesarean section is used more frequently than needed. These days, doctors have been recommending the procedure on a proactive basis. They underestimate our will to take pains. For some reason, in recent times, C-section delivery has become a more convenient option, ignoring the travail of c-section recovery. I had mine because of failed labor induction followed by fetal distress. For my friend, it was a cesarean due to breech presentation situation. In her friend’s case, there was an issue of prolonged labour and in her friend’s case, macrosomia. Or, should I say that this is what we were told? Hmmm, well, I still feel that I could have waited a bit longer. I mean, what’s the hurry of delivering on or before the due date?
Major reasons for spike in c-section:
Hospital facilities
Some hospitals might not have a resident gynecologist or anastesiologist. If any foetal distress occurs in the midnight, saving the baby and mother(in some cases) could be impossible. Hence as a contigency plan, the doctor opt for C-section during the day time.
Fear of labor pain
The thought that labor pain would make you wish that you were dead is inculcated in women. The fear of pain forces them to opt for a c-section. Nontheless, most women are unaware of the difficuties of c-section recovery.
Foetal distress
Foetal distress is the most common reason for emergency c-sections. Doctor will have to make a choice if the foetal heartbeat goes down. This indicates that the foetus is not getting enough oxygen. Mostly this situation occurs when the child is entangled with the ubmilical cord.
Babies who are late
Several studies suggest that the first baby usually takes longer than the due date. If I was to carry on till the 40th or the 41st week, what could have happened?
Nothing at all!
These days, there are regular scans and check-ups to monitor the mother’s and baby’s health.
What if I had experienced a huge gush of fluid going all over the floor on the exact due date? What if I had undergone pains, like those ‘real pains’ and my little kangaroo didn’t have to be brought out but rather would have popped out? And what if Ace (my birth partner) had an opportunity to hold my hands at the time of labor?
I just don’t know what could have happened if I were to deliver normally? What if one Cesarean delivery did any damage and I don’t know what all repercussions it will have on my body later. I could have had the complication of cesarean. Yes! Not all is well with a c-section, it comes with its own catalogue of complications.
Possible complications of cesarean delivery:
Being a surgical procedure, c-section has several risk factors, though the incidents are the same are not common.
- Internal injury/ haemorrhage
- Infections like sepsis
- Risk of placenta getting caught in the scar tissue in case of repeated cesarean
- Reactions to anasthesia
- Blood clot
- Complications in future pregnancies
All is well that ends well:
I am not holding any grudges against my gynaecologist. She is a doctor after all. She did what she thought was right at that time. Next time she might opt for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). What matters is the end result. Holding my baby for the first time, my flesh, my blood. Watching him latch on to me, feeling a piece of myself in him, entire him inside me. I don’t care whether he belongs to Gen X, Y, Z, or C-section or my next baby would be VBAC.
I am hoping that if you are a new mother reading this then you shouldn’t bother much either about c section recovery or the baby’s health. The Cesarean generation is not delivered naturally but there is nothing surgical about raising them to become finer humans. So what if the pains were not real? When your heart skips a beat for your baby’s smile, now there is something so REAL about that!
Originally posted at Indian Moms Connect
Doctors push to keep their numbers up but there are also moms who do not even consider a normal birth because they want to do it on a schedule. Husbands who can not or don’t want to take time off and maybe her job as well… I think if the baby and the mom are fine then there is no reason not to wait until the baby is ready. Unfortunately, as you said too, doctors can gives us so many reasons to convince us that it is the only option…