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How you prepare

By Mayo Clinic staff

If your C-section is scheduled in advance, your doctor may suggest you talk with an anesthesiologist to discuss your questions about anesthesia and options for pain relief during delivery.

Your doctor may also recommend you have blood tests before your C-section. This is so that information about your blood type and your levels of hemoglobin — the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that gives blood its red color — are available to your health care team during the procedure. This information can be helpful to your medical team in the unlikely event that you need a blood transfusion.

After a C-section, you'll need several weeks to rest and recover. So, before your C-section, consider requesting help at home for the weeks following the birth of your baby. This may include arranging for extra child care if you have older children.

Preparing for the unexpected
Getting the unexpected news that you need a C-section can be stressful, both for you and your partner. And in an emergency, your doctor may not have time to explain the procedure and answer your questions. So, discuss the possibility of a C-section with your doctor well before your due date. Ask questions, share your concerns and review the circumstances that might make a C-section the best option.

What you can expect Risks

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References
  1. Berghella V. Patient information: Cesarean delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2008.
  2. Berghella V. Cesarean delivery: Postoperative issues. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2008.
  3. Risks of a Cesarean procedure. American Pregnancy Association. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cesareanrisks.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2008.
  4. Reasons for a Cesarean birth. American Pregnancy Association. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/reasonsforacesarean.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2008.
  5. Creating a positive Cesarean experience. American Pregnancy Association. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/positivecesarean.html. Accessed Aug. 21, 2008.
  6. Landon MB. Cesarean delivery. In: Gabbe SG, et al. Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/102752869-3/0/1528/181.html?tocnode=54291973&fromURL=181.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06930-7..50021-9_954. Accessed June 23, 2008.
  7. Kennare R, et al. Risks of adverse outcomes in the next birth after a first cesarean delivery. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2007;109(2):270-276.
  8. Daltveit AK, et al. Cesarean delivery and subsequent pregnancies. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2008:111(6):1327-1334.
  9. Sun C. Post-lumbar puncture headache. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 22, 2008.
  10. Berghella V. Cesarean delivery: Preoperative issues. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2008.
  11. About Cesarean childbirth. American College of Surgeons. http://www.facs.org/public_info/operation/cesarean.pdf. Accessed Sept. 9, 2008.
  12. Cesarean birth after care. American Pregnancy Association. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cesareanaftercare.html. Accessed Sept. 23, 2008.
  13. Cesarean procedure. American Pregnancy Association. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/cesareanprocedure.html. Accessed Sept. 23, 2008.
  14. Berghella V. Cesarean delivery: Technique. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2008.
  15. Prevention of pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria among pregnant and postpartum women and their infants: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5704a1.htm. Accessed Sept. 22, 2008.
  16. Is it possible to breastfeed after a Cesarean birth? La Leche League. http://www.llli.org//FAQ/cesarean.html. Accessed Sept. 5, 2008.
  17. Grant GJ. Anesthesia for cesarean delivery. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2008.
  18. Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 9, 2009.
  19. Tita AT, et al. Timing of elective repeat Cesarean delivery at term and neonatal outcomes. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:111.

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