At Home with Chris Jessen 2018 - 180

PROMOTION

Having a safe

caesarean
Choosing how you want to give birth is one of the
most important decisions you will ever make. Be
sure you are fully informed and in good hands

B

ecoming pregnant and
having a child is one of the
most important experiences
of a woman's life. Therefore,
it's vital that every woman is in charge
of her own childbirth. After assessing
the pros and cons, each motherto-be should be able to choose
her preference for delivery.
A planned, or elective, caesarean
section is much safer than an
emergency caesarean section or
a complicated vaginal delivery, which
could result in a third or fourth-degree
skin tear causing bowel and bladder
incontinence, weakness of the pelvic
ﬂoor muscles or painful sex.
The reasons for choosing a planned
caesarean section are very varied and
include a fear of having a complicated
vaginal birth or sustaining physical

MEET THE EXPERT
Mr Ashfaq
Khan, FRCOG,
has practised
gynaecology and
obstetrics for 18
years in the NHS
and at Harley
Street, London.
His specialties are
cervical and vulvo-vaginal in pregnancy
and after delivery.
Mr Khan is head of the lower genital tract
disease unit at the Whittington Hospital
in north London. He's also senior clinical
lecturer at the UCL medical school.

damage, a previous traumatic birth
experience or a wish to control the
timing of the birth, just as people
do with other important life events,
such as getting married.
Postnatal mental health assessment
is also important for every mother
- unfortunately, this area of care has
been neglected for many years.
There is nothing wrong with choosing
a planned abdominal delivery over a
vaginal delivery, as long as mothers
are fully aware of the risks and beneﬁts
associated with the procedure.
After all, it's your birth and you are
at liberty to decide what is best for
you and your family.

How to make caesarean
sections safer

Every mother should have a proper
risk assessment with their obstetrician
and discuss the pros and cons. A date
should be agreed for the section
The procedure should take place
after 39 weeks of gestation
A steroid injection for the baby's
lung maturation, if indicated
Bleeding must be minimised during
the section - a good surgical and
anaesthetic team will ensure this
Intra and postoperative medications
need to be optimised
Infections must be reduced by
judicious use of antibiotics. (Avoid
Lotus delivery as it increases the risk
of neonatal infection)
Discuss the enhanced recovery plan
Ensure the birth is a memorable one
- for all of the right reasons!

TIPS FOR A GENTLE
caesarean birth

Drop the drape so that both
mum and dad can witness the birth
of their child
Ensure immediate skin-to-skin
contact between mum and baby
once the baby is born - while
mum is being repaired, if possible
If not, dad can have skin-to-skin
contact with the baby during the
rest of the procedure
Foster an early nursing
relationship by putting the baby
on mum's chest as soon as possible,
even while she is being tended to,
so baby can start to nurse if he or
she wishes to
Let the cord continue to pulse
after the birth, if possible
Let the father cut the cord
Keep mum, dad and the baby
together during the recovery to
enhance the bonding
Fix all IVs and so on to the
non-dominant arm, so that mum
can touch and hold her baby once
he or she has been born
Play music if possible and
desired by the parents.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Call 020 3303 0316
Visit www.ashfaqkhan.com or
harleystreetgynaecology.com
http://www.ashfaqkhan.com http://www.harleystreetgynaecology.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of At Home with Chris Jessen 2018
