Emergency C-Section Delays Can Create Lifelong Disability Outcomes
In 2018, 31.9% of all deliveries in the U.S. were by cesarean (c-section), according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This represents only a small decrease from 32% in 2017. That same year, the cesarean delivery rate had increased for the first time since 2009, when it peaked at 32.9% after increasing every year since 1996 (20.7%).
If there are complications with a pregnancy, or problems identified that might impact a baby or the labor process, a doctor may recommend cesarean. This is an invasive surgery in which the baby is born through a cut in a mother’s stomach and uterus. While some c-sections are planned, others are emergencies because the mother’s health or her baby’s health is in danger. When complications are detected during birth, medical practitioners must take quick action to perform c-sections in a timely manner. Failure to do so may result in serious birth injury to the child, including brain damage and lifelong disabilities due to oxygen deprivation.