Cesarean Section

A Cesarean section, or C-section, is a surgery performed to deliver a baby through the mother’s lower abdomen, usually when unexpected problems develop during delivery. These problems may involve how the baby is positioned in the womb (uterus), whether the baby is too large to fit through the vagina, the mother’s current health and medical history, and signs of distress in the baby, such as an abnormal heart rate. During this surgery, the mother usually is awake but numbed from chest to feet using spinal or epidural anesthesia. The procedure requires an incision (cut) across the belly and into the womb and the amniotic sac that surrounds the baby, then the baby is removed.

Classified as major surgery, C-sections involve some risk. Women take longer to recover from a C-section than from a vaginal delivery. The incision may leave a weak area in the wall of the womb that could cause problems if a vaginal birth is attempted later, but most women who have a C-section can later give birth normally through the vagina.

UAB Obstetrics and Gynecology offers comprehensive women’s health care in a private, personal environment, with physicians and nurses who are dedicated to delivering excellent care. Our services range from complete obstetric care to the medical and surgical treatment of complicated gynecological concerns. We work closely with the UAB Medicine Interventional Radiology team to diagnose and treat your condition, using the latest and most accurate technology and imaging methods, including fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and CT scans.

Should the need arise, we offer immediate access to specialists and subspecialists who focus on a wide range of complex conditions and treatments. For example, a group of UAB Medicine specialists formed a team to specifically treat cases of placenta accreta, a serious complication of C-section delivery. The placenta accreta team features special equipment and the expertise of obstetric, surgical, anesthesia, nursing, and critical care specialists.

Because our physicians are nationally recognized specialists in their fields, you can rest assured that you are receiving the most advanced care available. UAB Obstetrics and Gynecology is consistently ranked among the best programs of its kind in the country by U.S. News & World Report. As an academic health center, UAB Medicine can offer patients participation in clinical research trials that may provide access to new techniques and treatments not available elsewhere.

Care Providers

Margaret Boozer, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology Stefanie Fieno, CRNP Obstetrics and Gynecology Shweta Patel, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology Alan Tita, MD, PhD Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology Luisa Wetta, MD Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Videos

Meet the Team: Margaret Boozer, MD

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Resources

• Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• National Institutes of Health
• Warning Signs of Post-Birth Complications