The unplanned Caesarean section

An unplanned or secondary cesarean section occurs when the decision to perform an incision is made during birth, i.e. when the mother is already in labor or the amniotic sac has already ruptured.

Reasons for a secondary cesarean section may be a labor arrest or unforeseen complications for the mother and/or child.

In addition to a physical scar, an unplanned cesarean section can also leave psychological scars.

The unexpected course of birth can cause disappointment, sadness or even trauma.

For example, moms feel…

• the loss of control over the situation due to the surgical intervention as very stressful
• the feeling of having “failed” or not having given birth to the child “on one’s own”
• Feelings of guilt towards the baby or partner
• Mourning the missed experience of a natural, vaginal birth

In addition, a secondary cesarean section is often performed under general anesthesia. This means that mothers miss the first moments with their newborn and cannot hold it in their arms right away. The partner is also usually not allowed to be present during an unplanned cesarean section.

Because of the surgical wound, mothers are unable to physically care for the child after birth as much as they would like. All of these factors can be very stressful for new mothers.

In order to process what has happened, it is important to work through the painful experiences.

This can be helped, for example, by

• Discuss the birth report from the hospital with the midwife or compassionate doctors to understand what happened and why the cesarean section was important and right.
• Join a Caesarean section group and exchange ideas with other women who have had similar experiences
• a shared bathing ritual with the newborn to recreate the missed first time of getting to know each other and thus strengthen the mother-child bond

Ultimately, there is no "right" or "wrong" birth. In many cases, a cesarean section is a medical necessity and a great blessing because it can save the lives of mother and child.