Women of Size and Cesarean Sections: Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Surgery

Most articles about pregnancy in obese women, and even many childbirth providers, assume two things: that being fat interferes with a woman’s ability to give birth vaginally; and that the sky high cesarean rate among women of size is the logical outcome of obesity. Women of size do have very high cesarean rates today. But is this high rate really medically necessary? Or is some of the increase caused by misguided assumptions about obesity and by unneeded interventions and protocols commonly used with women of size? If so, what can a big mom do to lower her personal chances of having a cesarean?Cesareans can be truly necessary and life-saving. But nowadays, more and more women — especially obese women — are having cesareans that are not really needed. This puts them — and their babies — unnecessarily at risk.Women of size can give birth vaginally and safely, but to do so they have to be even more proactive about their childbirth choices than women of average size. CESAREANS ARE MORE RISKY FOR OBESE WOMEN A cesarean is major abdominal surgery and as such poses risks for women of any size. Women who undergo surgical births are more likely than women who have vaginal births to experience severe bleeding, infections, painful scarring, blood clots, bowel obstructions, readmissions to the hospital, and longer-lasting pain.1 In addition, having a cesarean birth increases a woman’s chances of having future reproductive problems, including decreased fertility and an increased rate of placental problems.