The myths of elective cesarean

Schedule a cesarean section to give birth is fashionable among the famous. Non-medical reasons such as agenda issues or aesthetic whims are the arguments these women wield to give birth through an operation, cesarean section, which like any other surgical intervention performed under anesthesia involves risks such as hemorrhages, infections, respiratory problems or reactions to the medication, in addition to greater risks in future pregnancies.

However, the elective cesarean section it allows to schedule the delivery in advance for a date and even for a specific time, although in practice it does not provide any benefit for the mother or for the baby, so there is already talk of unnecessary cesarean or "non-cesarean".

Reasons to choose the cesarean section scheduled without medical reasons

It is increasingly common for women to choose a cesarean section to give birth even without any medical reason to justify such intervention. These are some of the arguments they use to justify this decision:

1. Caesarean section prevents episiotomy. Being born by caesarean section implies that the scar is made in the lower part of the abdomen and not in the perineum to the mother.

Since the baby does not come to the world through the birth canal, the solution to avoid episiotomy is to change the site scar. However, in natural births where the times and the integrity of the mother are respected, where different postures are favored to give birth, it is possible to give birth without need of stitches.

2. Caesarean section avoids the pain of labor contractions. Because the woman does not need to go into labor, contractions do not start and before the surgical process begins, epidural or general anesthesia is administered.

However, epidural anesthesia can also be used in vaginal deliveries and recovery is much faster than when performing a cesarean, since delivery is considered a physiological process and cesarean section is a surgical process, which has possible side effects such as the pain of the scar when getting up or the derivatives of the anesthesia such as migraines.

3. Caesarean section does not damage the pelvic floor. This is because it is not necessary for them to dilate so that the baby's head slides through the birth canal.

However, caesarean section damages other tissues that must be cut before reaching the uterus. The female genitals are not deformed by stretching and the perineum regains its tone shortly after giving birth. Some exercises help to get everything back to its place faster.

4. Caesarean section makes the baby look more handsome. Cesarean section prevents deformities in the baby's head and the baby is born with a rounder head.

When passing through the birth canal, babies tend to have a somewhat stubborn head. This deformation is natural and is provided by nature, since the skull of newborns is unwelded to fit the pelvis, without harming the baby, so it is born with the skull unwelded, that is its function, and after the delivery the skull continues to develop and adopting a more rounded shape.

Cesarean section and delivery: a personal choice

WHO establishes a cesarean section rate of 10-15 percent as normal with respect to the total number of deliveries. However, according to data from the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SEGO), in Spain one in four babies is born by cesarean section and the proportion is higher in private clinics, where the practice of caesarean sections reaches 36.8 percent, while in public schools the rate rises to 21.8 percent.

However, far from questioning the practice of cesarean section, what is questioned is practicing it without medical reasons. Therefore, if there are no medical reasons that advise otherwise, vaginal delivery is more beneficial for both the mother and her child.

Advantages of vaginal delivery for the baby

1. Strengthens your immune system. The baby is impregnated with the bacteria of its progenitor, which strengthens the immune system and protects it from future allergies.
2. It improves your oxygenation. Passing through the birth canal exerts a squeezing effect of the lungs that helps babies to expel the amniotic fluid they have ingested or aspirated. Precisely one of the biggest problems of caesarean section and more of the scheduled caesarean section, because there has been no labor, is that many babies do not expel that liquid properly and present respiratory problems requiring their admission to the ICU.
3. Prepares you for your arrival in the world. The hormones that the baby generates during labor, such as adrenaline, among others, make the newborn stay alert during the first hours of life, which will help generate heat and start breastfeeding.

Advantages of vaginal delivery for the mother

1. It implies having a positive role at the birth of his son.
2. Your recovery is faster, except complications.
3. Requires a shorter hospitalization time. After 2 -3 days, you are discharged before 5 - 7 days of cesarean section.
4. Immediate establishment of the maternal bond, what favors skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding and the safety of the newborn.

Marisol New