While a Caesarean delivery appears less painful and less
demanding, it has some important adverse effects. We have
described them below:
Pain
A C-section is a major surgery involving a surgical cut
(wound) and a suture to close the wound. In all likelihood,
you will feel pain in your wound for the first few days and
discomfort in your tummy for at least the first seven days
after the operation, while your body recovers. This may
affect your daily activities. In some women, abdominal
discomfort may last for a few months.
Infection
Infection can occur in three locations: a) the surgical wound, b) the uterus and c) the urinary tract.
An infected surgical wound can become red, may pain, or
discharge a liquid, or at times, may separate causing
intense pain and discomfort, especially in the case of a
pregnant woman with diabetes or who is overweight. Infection
in the uterus can lead to bleeding, smelly discharge, or a
fever after delivery. Infection in the urinary tract may
occur due to the thin tube called urinary ‘catheter’
inserted during the C-section and left for at least 12 hours
after the surgery. This can cause lower abdominal or groin
pain, high temperature and chills. However, it is uncommon
to get this infection if you deliver in any major hospital
with standard precautions taken by doctors.
Bleeding
C-section leads to MORE blood loss than a straightforward
delivery, although one may perceive the opposite. This is
because, it is a major surgery. Bleeding will mainly occur
during the surgery so it will be controlled by the attending
doctor and the medical team. Rarely, a blood transfusion may
be needed in case of heavy bleeding.
Blood clots
Any surgery can cause blood clots. These are normally
removed but at times they may lodge in certain places such
as your lungs, which can be life threatening. You may
experience cough with shortness of breath, or pain and
swelling in your calf, so call your doctor if you notice
these things after your C-section. In any case,
post-surgery, the doctor will give you drugs to increase
blood flow (and lessen the chance of clot formation) and
elastic stockings to improve the circulation. It is also
important to move about as much as possible, after the
C-section to increase blood flow in the limbs.
Adhesions
As you heal after undergoing a major surgery, bands of soft
tissue may glue the abdominal organs to each other or to the
inner wall of the tummy. These are called adhesions. These
are uncommon and may not cause symptoms but in severe cases,
they can cause problems with bowel movements or in fertility
if they impinge on neighboring organs (e.g. such as the
intestine in case of bowel obstruction).
Effect of anesthesia
You may experience a severe headache, or rarely a nerve
damage (lasting for a few days or weeks).
Surgical injury
Although rare, injuries to the bladder or bowel may
occur.
Risks to the baby
These are minor such as temporary fast breathing during the
first few days after birth (in some babies) or an accidental
cut to the baby’s skin during the surgery, which usually
heals without causing any harm.
Risk in future pregnancies
There is a likely risk of low-lying placenta or placenta
previa, or another condition where the placenta becomes
abnormally attached to the wall of the uterus (placenta
accreta) This can lead to significant blood loss during
childbirth and a need for blood transfusion. There is a rare
possibility of the uterus tearing open along the surgical
scar line from a prior C-section (uterine rupture) if the
woman attempts a vaginal birth the next time. This is rare
as in most cases, the next delivery would have to be done
through a C-section.
