Elective vs emergency caesarean birth
If you know beforehand you’ll be having a caesarean birth, it’s called an elective operation. Your appointment will normally be before your baby’s due date, so you don’t go into labour.
An emergency caesarean is where your obstetrician recommends a caesarean birth, usually when you are already in labour. If it is very urgent (usually because there is a sudden problem with your baby), then some of the preparations we would normally do may be changed or even left out.