C-Sections Unsafe?
According to a recent study by the United Nations, the increased frequency of Caesarean delivery in developing countries is associated with an increased risk of sickness and death in babies and mothers alike. C-section rates have risen from around 5% in developed countries in the early 1970s to greater than 50% in some countries today. The study in question was based on a survey of 120 randomly selected hospitals from 24 different regions. A total of 97,000 babies were included in the survey, roughly one-third of which were delivered by c-section. The researchers found that in hospitsals with higher rates of c-sections, there were correspondingly higher rates of pre-term births, babies who died after birth, maternal death, and the use of antibiotics. The results led the authors of the study to conclude that “high rates of Caesarean delivery do not necessarily indicate good quality care or services.” While the relationship between cause and effect remains unclear to me from the news article, it’s an interesting bit of news — especially for someone who’s wife has had four c-sections (two of which were unscheduled, before we wised up).
[Source: IOL]
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thanks for the links regarding cesareans. I myself am considering one more baby, which would be a fourth cesarean… Did you/your wife have any troulbe with the later pregnancies? My doctors did not say “no” but warned me of increased risks with each additional cesarean….
Comment by Tara — Oct 2nd 2007 @ 12:02 amTara,
We were also concerned about what a fourth c-section might entail. Keep in mind that I am not a health professional, and I’m only speaking from personal experience. Here goes… As we were trying to decide whether to have a fourth child, I asked two of my obstetricians (one current, one previous and from different practices and different states) about what to expect. Both agreed that if your previous three c-sections were “uneventful” then having a fourth c-section wouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure I had more scar tissue than someone with a pristine uterus. Since I had a tubal ligation during the fourth c-section, I was on the table for a little longer. Because of this, I can’t definitively say that the c-section itself took longer, but I would guess that because of the scar tissue that it did. I hope this helps. Good luck!!! I wouldn’t trade my youngest for anything!