HealthPartners - Preparing for childbirth

BABY’S POSITION

FACE OR BROW SHOWS FIRST A face or brow

TRANSVERSE LIE When your baby is sideways in the uterus, it’s called a transverse lie . Almost all people with babies in a transverse lie must have a cesarean birth.

presentation is when the baby’s face or forehead (instead of the back of the head) comes through the birth canal first. Some people can give birth vaginally in this position, but many can’t.

CESAREAN

BIRTH

BREECH If your baby’s bottom or feet show first (instead of their head), it’s called breech . Today, most people with a breech presentation in labor will have a cesarean birth.

COMPLETE

FRANK

FOOTLING

MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS

PLACENTA AND CORD COMPLICATIONS

A complication refers to any serious medical condition that could affect your health or your baby’s health during labor. Sometimes complications may require you to have a cesarean birth. Complications can include: • A very premature baby • A heart condition • Poorly controlled diabetes • Preeclampsia • High blood pressure • An active case of genital herpes • Rupture of membranes with signs of infection • An earlier cesarean with a classical or vertical incision into the uterus

PLACENTAL ABRUPTION

The placenta detaches from the wall of your uterus before the baby is born. If this happens, your baby may not get enough oxygen. You will bleed, have pain in your uterus, and you may need to have a cesarean birth.

PLACENTA PREVIA The placenta is attached too low on the wall of your uterus or is covering the cervix, causing painless bleeding. If your provider finds the condition early, you may have to stay in bed until the birth. If there is too much bleeding, the baby may need to be born by cesarean.

PROLAPSED CORD The umbilical cord slides out of your cervix before the baby. If this happens, compression on the umbilical cord can block blood flow to the baby. This may happen in a pre-term birth, if the baby is in breech position, or if the baby’s head hasn’t settled into your pelvis when your water breaks.

Chapter 6: Cesarean Birth 73