A pregnancy can be a truly wonderful experience for a woman. From personal birth plans to hand selected doctors, a mom to be wants to be sure everything goes according to her plan when the time for the new baby to arrive finally comes. However, certain circumstances require alterations to that plan. A caesarean section is one of those alterations.

About one in four women delivers her baby via Caesarean section, or C section, as it is commonly known. Although vaginal delivery is the natural and preferred method for childbirth, a C section may be performed for the safety of mother and baby.

While C sections are relatively common medical procedures, they are still serious surgical operations requiring a full team of surgeons, nurses and other specialists as well as advanced medical equipment. Because they involve an actual surgical procedure, C section deliveries also include a longer recovery time than vaginal deliveries.

There are a number of different factors that go into determining the nature of the surgical procedure and they are different for every C section. The most significant factor is whether the C section is a primary (first time) procedure, or if the woman has had one or more C sections in the past (planned C section). Once a woman has had a C section delivery, it is not uncommon for all pregnancies from that point on to be delivered using the caesarian method.

Mothers and their doctors have a better idea of what to expect with a planned C section and have a few additional options for surgery. Unlike un-planned C sections, which are performed out of immediate concern for the life of the mother or the baby, planned C sections are considered months out from the actual day of birth. These additional options include cosmetic options, such as where the incision will occur on the abdomen. Another consideration that can be made is the choice to refuse a blood transfusion and opt to have a bloodless surgery.

The Role of Bloodless Surgery for C Sections -

The rise of bloodless medicine in the past few decades has provided maternity doctors and surgeons with a number of additional options when performing a C section during childbirth. Bloodless surgery for a C section has several advantages:

• Bloodless Surgery Promotes Faster C Section Recovery - A bloodless surgery can actually allow for a faster C section recovery because of the fact that less blood is lost during the procedure. When less blood is lost, the body is able to recover from the trauma of major surgery faster.

• Reduced Risk of Disease and Infection - When a blood transfusion is used to replace blood lost during a C section procedure, the mother is at risk for contracting any blood borne pathogens that might be present in the donor blood, including infectious diseases and viruses.

• Less Chance of Allergic Reaction and other Complications - A mother who has a bloodless surgery for her C section is at less risk for a number of additional complications during surgery, including allergic reactions. This means that her baby is also at less risk.

Blood management and bloodless surgery programs are becoming available at more hospitals every year and are typically available for a wide range of different operations, in addition to C sections. Contact your local hospital or healthcare system for a list of bloodless surgery operations available near you.