The first meaning of Caesarea mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to that which is linked to the emperor or the empire . That is why several cities have or had that name, such as Caesarea Maritima or Caesarea Philippi . In these cases the term is used without an accent as a derivation of the Latin Caesarea .
The most common use of the term Caesarean section, however, is in the health field. A Caesarean section is a surgical procedure that involves opening the uterus to extract a baby .
A caesarean section is therefore a birthing operation. It involves an incision made in the pelvis when vaginal birth poses a risk to the baby and/or the mother.
There are various reasons why a gynecologist may suggest a cesarean section. Some women , regardless of the recommendations, are willing to have a vaginal birth and accept the risks. Like any operation, however, a cesarean section also carries risks. That is why it is recommended that a specialist decide on the best way to give birth and that the pregnant woman accept the medical advice.
Specifically, among the most common reasons that lead doctors to determine the need to perform a cesarean section are some such as these:
-The pregnant woman has a heart condition.
-There is an obvious disproportion between the baby's head and the mother's pelvis.
-The future mother has a tumor in the cervical area.
-The woman has already had other cesarean sections in previous births.
However, there are many other situations, in this case related directly to the baby, which require a caesarean section to be performed for the baby to come into the world. We are referring, for example, to the baby being breech, to the baby being underweight, to the detection of various foetal malformations or to the fact that the foetal health has been lost.
Not to mention that infections in the mother, severe preeclampsia, and illnesses in the mother such as diabetes can also lead to this cesarean section.
Nowadays, it is common for women to receive epidural anesthesia before the procedure. This way, they remain awake during labor and only the lower part of their body is anesthetized.
In addition to all of the above, we cannot forget to highlight that there are several types of cesarean section based on different criteria:
-If we start from the moment in which the decision to carry it out is made, we come across the scheduled one, which is determined before labor begins, and the intrapartum one, which is the one decided when delivery has begun.
-If we take into account the area where the incision is made, there are two: the corporal and the segmental.
After a Caesarean section, the patient must rest and take certain precautions. Recovery , even if everything goes well during the operation, takes several days.