Women giving birth by cesarean section - a hundredfold suffering

Facing Prolonged Pain

Ms. Tran Thi H. in Phu Thai town (Kim Thanh) had two cesarean sections. The first time, the incision was more benign so it did not take long to recover. However, the second time, Ms. H. was in much more pain. In the first days after giving birth, she could not walk, take care of herself, do personal hygiene, or take care of her child. The use of many antibiotics during the surgery also affected her, causing her to have no milk for several days after the surgery, so she had to feed her child exclusively with formula milk.

It took about a week after the cesarean section for Ms. H. to be able to crawl out of bed and walk again. However, many days later, the incision was still painful, making her unable to take care of her child and having to depend on relatives. More than a month later, Ms. H. recovered, walked and did personal hygiene normally.

Ms. Nguyen Thi L. in Hai Tan Ward (Hai Duong City) had an accident that affected her pelvis, so when she was pregnant, doctors diagnosed her with a difficult natural birth and required a cesarean section. The surgery was successful, "mother and child are safe", so Ms. L.'s family was very happy. However, the complications after the surgery have haunted Ms. L. for more than 10 years now.

Ms. L. said that now, every time the weather changes, the cesarean section wound becomes inflamed. Especially around the spinal anesthesia injection point during surgery in the lumbar region (near the tailbone), there are times when there is a loss of sensation, sharp pain, and the inability to bend down. Because the pain is too much to walk normally, Ms. L.'s gait has also changed and is no longer straight.

“I have visited the doctor many times, but each time after taking the medicine, the relief is only temporary and then relapses. If this situation continues, not only my health but also my spirit will be affected,” Ms. L. said with a sigh.

Not only do many women suffer physical pain in areas related to the cesarean section procedure, but many women are also affected in subsequent births. After her first cesarean section, Ms. Nguyen Thi Th. in Hop Tien commune (Nam Sach) became pregnant. When she went for a check-up, the doctor discovered that the fetus had nested in the old incision. This is not an uncommon condition in women who have had a cesarean section. However, this condition not only affects the development of the fetus but also causes the risk of rupture of the incision if the fetus grows large. Therefore, Ms. Th. had to terminate the pregnancy. Ms. Th. shared: “The first child is already grown, so my husband and I wanted to have another child. However, when we became pregnant, we discovered that we were pregnant in the old incision and had to terminate the pregnancy, which made my whole family very sad.”

Should consider carefully

In the past, most women chose cesarean section due to the disadvantages of natural birth for both mother and child, but today, cesarean section is the choice of many people due to the immediate benefits it brings. Hai Duong is no exception.

According to statistics from Hai Duong Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, from the beginning of the year to October 18, the cesarean section rate here was 52%, while the whole year of 2023 was 51%. In the past 3 years, the cesarean section rate at this hospital has increased steadily from 3-5%/year.

Most cesarean sections are initiated by the mothers, many of which are performed before 39 weeks of age. According to doctors, in cases of elective cesarean sections, in addition to the fear of pain, many mothers are also concerned about other issues such as the risk of pelvic floor damage leading to urinary incontinence, affecting future sexual relations, etc. In addition, many families want to choose the time and date of birth.

Doctor Do Manh Tung, Deputy Head of the Department of General Planning - Line Command - Nursing (Hai Duong Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital) said that some pregnant women and their families requested to have an early cesarean section from week 37, 38, but doctors did not agree because the risk of affecting the health of the mother and baby was very high. For normal pregnant women, without any accompanying diseases, doctors recommend and only perform cesarean section for pregnant women after 39 weeks of pregnancy.

According to Dr. Tung, at Hai Duong Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, in cesarean sections, many times doctors have to face complications during surgery such as internal bleeding, touching nearby organs causing damage to organs such as intestines, bladder, surgical wound infection, retained lochia causing endometritis... There are complications such as intestinal paralysis, urinary retention, headache, hypotension due to side effects of anesthesia and anesthetics, urethritis of the bladder due to catheter placement. In the long term, the mother may experience the uterus hanging high and attached to the abdominal wall causing menstrual cramps, pregnancy at the old incision in subsequent pregnancies. In particular, all women who have cesarean sections experience pain in the incision every time the weather changes...

In addition, children born by cesarean section also have some limitations compared to normal birth. According to medical experts, children may be affected by health due to anesthesia; are susceptible to respiratory problems, and are at risk of asthma in the first years of life; their immune systems may be weaker than those of normal births, because they do not have the opportunity to be exposed to beneficial bacteria through the vaginal birth canal and are not breastfed with colostrum within the first few hours after birth...

The more times a cesarean section is performed, the higher the rate of complications. Therefore, doctors recommend that cesarean sections should only be performed a maximum of 2 times. In case of additional births, the decision should be based on the mother's health.

To ensure the health of mother and child, in the case of a normal pregnancy, pregnant women should consider carefully before deciding on a method of childbirth.