Ask the Expert

Q: I recently read that there are new guidelines for the use of antibiotics for C-sections. What are they, and how will they impact my C-section delivery?       

A:Infection is one of the more common complications of deliveries via cesarean. Nationally, between 10-40% of women who have a c-section are diagnosed with some sort of infection, compared to just 3% of women who deliver vaginally.  Our experience at Southwest Washington Medical Center is quite a bit better and infection after c-section are far less than national averages.

Just this month (Sept. 2010), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists announced new recommendations for patients who are about to undergo a cesarean section. ACOG is now telling doctors to give their patients antibiotics to fight off infections within one hour before their c-section. In the past, infection-fighting medicines were not given to women until after delivery because of fears that the medicines might harm the baby as the medicine reached the child’s bloodstream. Read the full answer >

Book Review:

The Essential C-Section Guide: Pain Control, Healing at Home, Getting Your Body Back, and Everything Else You Need to Know About a Cesarean Birth

by Maureen Connolly and Dana Sullivan

The rate of c-section births has risen dramatically in the United States, accounting for more than twenty-four percent of deliveries in 2001. Yet there is no up-to-date book on the market dedicated to undergoing and recovering from the most commonly performed surgery in the U.S. Now two veteran journalists in health, parenting, and fitness have teamed up to create a candid and carefully researched guide for the nearly one million mothers facing or recovering from a cesarean.

Covering both the physical and emotional aspects of this surgery, The Essential C-Section Guide offers frank discussions of the special circumstances a C-section delivery presents. Readers will discover a host of important facts, ranging from the effects of a C-section on future deliveries to the risks of anesthesia. The authors also share comforting wisdom about the feelings of inadequacy a C-section can cause and tips on caring for an infant while healing from this major procedure. The latest recommendations regarding exercise, pain, and nursing are addressed in-depth as well. Read the full review >

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