Midwifery - Case Study 2: Elective LSCS

Caesarean section is an increasingly common obstetric intervention that involves the birth of a baby through an abdominal incision. Current data suggests that in 2012, 32.4% of women in Australia had a caesarean section (Hilder et al 2014). In contrast, the rate of caesarean section in New Zealand in 2010 was 23.6% with a total of 10.7% of those being elective ( Ministry of Health 2012). Caesarean section is indicated in the event of significant maternal an/or fetal compromise (including fetal distress, maternal infection, malpresentation), medical or obstetric complications (such as placenta praevia, placental abruption, multiple pregnancy) and elevtively due to either previous LSCS or maternal request (Hilder et al 2014).