Many conditions during pregnancy or labor can make a C-section necessary, including:
Prolonged or ineffective labor
Placenta issues if the placenta is positioned abnormally low in the cervix (placenta previa), it can block the birth canal.
The placenta can also suddenly separate from the uterus (placenta abruptia), causing the mother to hemorrhage and the baby to have an abnormal heart rate.
Disproportion or multiple births: if the baby’s head is too large for the birth canal, or if there is more than one baby to deliver, a C-section may be safer than a vaginal delivery.
Abnormal presentation: if the baby’s position in the womb is abnormal, it may be safer to deliver via a C-section.
Prolapsed cord: if the umbilical cord cord comes before the baby through the vagina, it can strangle the baby during a vaginal delivery.
Fetal distress or medical problems: if the mother has diabetes, genital herpes, hypertension, cardiac disease, toxemia, or ovarian or uterine cysts, vaginal delivery may be hazardous for both mother and child.
If a C-section may be necessary for you, it is important to plan ahead and know what risks may be involved. Learn more about potential C-section risks .