Caesarean (emergency)
A caesarean section is an operation to take out the baby directly from the uterus (womb) by making an incision in the lower abdomen. An emergency caesarean is performed if there are complications during labour, but this may not necessarily be an emergency situation.
An emergency caesarean might become necessary in the following situations:
- The cervix (entrance to the uterus) does not fully open (dilate) or dilates too slowly, extending the duration of labour for too long
- The placenta pulls away from the wall of the uterus increasing the risk of haemorrhage (bleeding)
- Placenta praevia
- The baby's heartbeat changes, showing it is in distress
- The baby cannot move down into the vagina, because the pelvis is too small for the baby to get through
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