C-Sections at Our San Martín Hospital
During labor, your doctor may recommend a C-section if they determine it is a safer method of delivery for you, your baby, or both. At San Martín’s Birth Center, our labor and delivery physicians could suggest a C-section for the following reasons:
- Your baby is very large or you are pregnant with multiple babies
- Labor isn’t progressing
- Fetal distress
- Health problems, such as birth defects, in the baby
- You had a previous C-section
- Unusual positioning of the baby
- You have health problems, such as eclampsia
- Problems with the placenta, including placenta previa
What To Expect From a C-Section
During a C-section, you’re given either general anesthesia to put you to sleep, or spinal anesthesia through an epidural injection. You won’t feel any pain from your waist down, but you’ll remain awake throughout the procedure. After the surgical team preps your abdomen with antiseptic solution, your surgeon makes an incision in your abdomen and into your womb. Your baby is brought through this opening and your doctor closes the incisions. Generally, a C-section lasts about an hour. Your baby is born within the first few minutes of the procedure.
Most moms will stay in the hospital for two to three days following a C-section. Our team will monitor your incision to ensure it heals properly, and you’ll be given medication for pain as needed. Recovery from a C-section takes longer than a vaginal birth. Patients are cleared to go home once they are able to tolerate food, urinate, and pass a bowel movement without difficulty. Be sure to contact your doctor if you develop redness at the incision, foul drainage, or a fever. Your doctor may wish to see your for a postpartum checkup about six weeks after your procedure to make sure you’re healing as expected.
Interested in Exploring Our San Martín Birth Center?
We understand that you have options when choosing a doctor and hospital for your pregnancy journey, so we’d love to show you around our birth center and answer any of your questions. Together, we can help you figure out if we’re the right fit.
Take a Virtual Tour