Pregnancy Lounge

Tag: birth

  • Reasons for Cesareans

    There are many reasons for cesareans and they vary with the individual woman, as well as the individual pregnancy. The chance of needing a cesarean depends on how your pregnancy is progressing and what complications may arise as your due date draws near. Sometimes cesareans aren’t the only option and the reasoning is questionable, while other times there are legitimate medical reasons making a cesarean unavoidable. In some situations, cesareans can be life-saving for mothers and babies.

    Occasionally, an emergency arises when your baby may need to be delivered within a matter of minutes. An emergency cesarean may be caused from such things as: a prolapsed cord (when the umbilical cord comes through the cervix before the baby’s head, preventing blood flow and oxygen from reaching the baby), which occurs in close to 4% of births, placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the uterine wall before birth), placenta previa (when the placenta is low and covers the cervix either partially or completely) and uterine rupture (when the uterine tissue tears).

    Fetal distress is another cause for the need of a quick delivery leading to a cesarean. This happens when there are concerns about the baby’s health during labor. Changes in the baby’s heart rate (when it’s very fast, very slow or irregular) may signal a problem such as he or she is not responding ideally to contractions or is not getting enough oxygen, either because the umbilical cord is being compressed (pinched or wrapped around something) or the placenta isn’t functioning properly.

    If the baby is mal-positioned (not in a good position for vaginal birth), a cesarean may be recommended, although sometimes babies can be turned or can be delivered vaginally anyway. Some common positions include: transverse (lying sideways) and breech (feet or bottom first). Breech positions account for between 12- 15% of all cesareans.

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    << Avoiding Cesareans >>

  • Cesarean – When is a Cesarean Delivery Necessary

    When pregnant women think about childbirth, they rarely envision having a c-section. Most assume they will deliver vaginally, although with the United States’ cesarean rate at an all-time high, the odds are good that you may, in fact, have a c-section. If you’ve had a previous cesarean, you are much more likely to have another, with a decline in vaginal birth rates following previous c-sections. A recent study found that 47% of moms who’ve had a previous c-section aren’t even considering a vaginal birth the next time. Also, pre-planned or “elective” c-sections are becoming more and more common, when many times there is no identifiable medical reason. Cesareans are the most common surgery performed and it’s believed that between 25- 50% are unnecessary. More below:

    If you live in the United States, there is about a one in four chance your baby will be delivered by cesarean, which is a very steep rise since 1970, when only 5% of all deliveries were by cesarean. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was an overall decline in the number of cesarean deliveries in the U.S.

    In the mid 1990s, the rates began to increase rapidly. From 1999 through 2001, the percent of “elective” c-sections grew from about 1.56% to 1.87%, which is a 20% rise. In 2002, cesarean deliveries increased by 67% among low-risk women. Low-risk, first-time moms who were 40 and older were more than five times more likely to have a c-section than first-time moms between the ages of 20 and 24. In 2002, the number of vaginal deliveries was less than 3 million, while the number of cesarean deliveries were about 1.1 million (approximately 634,000 were first time c-sections and 409,000 were repeat c-sections). Now the rate has jumped to well over 27% of all deliveries in the United States, which translates to about 27 c-sections for every 100 births. Some hospitals have a staggering cesarean rate of over 50%!

    Why the increasing cesarean rates? It is believed that the rates of c-sections among women in the United States are on the rise for a number of reasons including: increasing age of pregnant women, more underlying conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, for convenience purposes, fertility treatments yielding more twins and triplets, improved fetal monitoring (which has made it easier to tell if the baby is stressed), as well as liability reasons for doctors and hospitals, who may feel as if their risk of being sued is greater if complications occur during a vaginal delivery.

    << Reasons for Cesareans
    << Avoiding Cesareans

  • Kelsey Grammer and Wife Kayte Welcome a Daughter

    Kelsey Grammer and Wife Kayte Welcome a Daughter

    Kayte and Kelsey Grammer welcomed a baby girl on Friday, July 13th in LA.

    Shortly after announcing that they were expecting twins, the couple lost the little boy and in 2010 they also lost a child.

    In a statement from the couple, “A glorious birth with a lingering sadness is ours today. We choose to celebrate the life that has been given us. We proudly introduce our Faith to the world today looking forward to the days ahead and the children yet to come.”

    Congratulations to Kayte and Kelsey.

  • Dealing with Postpartum Depression

    Having a baby is supposed to be a thrilling and exciting time, but for many women it can also be a time of fear, stress and even depression. After giving birth, many women (as many as 80% of new mothers) experience a week or two of “baby blues,” marked by mood swings, mild depression, and bouts of unexplained crying, but these feelings typically disappear quickly. Postpartum depression, on the other hand can be described as on-going or worsening intense feelings of sadness, restlessness, irritability or being consistently exhausted and unable to function. Up to 15- 30% of new mothers experience full-blown postpartum depression after delivery, which can last as briefly as 2 weeks, but as long as over a year.

    Common symptoms of postpartum depression include: constant or worsening feelings of worthlessness, helplessness or hopelessness, crying more than usual, lack of interest (or over interest) in baby or caring for baby, being unable to function, extreme exhaustion and sleeping too much (or too little), feelings of being overwhelmed or unable to cope, change in eating habits (not eating or overeating), change in weight, as well as loss of interest or pleasure in activities including sex. Also, being unable to make decisions, trouble focusing, feeling out of control or unusual feelings of rage and feelings of wanting life back the way it was before baby are common symptoms of postpartum depression. Frightening thoughts of suicide or harming baby and fear of being alone with baby that won’t go away are more serious symptoms, which a woman should seek help for immediately.

    << click for the rest of the article on postpartum depression >>

    Depression During Pregnancy
    Postpartum Depression
    Depression After Delivery