The cesarean procedure is relatively simple, but it is a surgery. The woman must refrain from drinking liquids and eating food for at least eight hours before the birth takes place. The patient is placed on a surgical table and receives spinal anesthesia. This anesthesia keeps the patient awake during the procedure so she can see the baby as soon as it is born.

The spinal block is given in the lower back, more specifically in the lumbar region, between the vertebrae of the spine until it reaches the spinal cord. Analgesia occurs from the waist down and leaves the legs immobile and numb. After the anesthesia is given, a catheter is placed in the bladder to collect any urine there and is only removed hours after the procedure.

During the cesarean section, the woman is monitored by machines that provide her with special support in cases of low or high blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygenation. After the baby is delivered, the doctors clean the uterus to remove any remaining placenta and tissue from the delivery. They then begin suturing, which can take up to 30 minutes, as there are seven layers of skin, muscle, and even the uterus itself.

Cesarean section is a safe way to deliver a baby, despite all the medication used before delivery and also the recovery that is slower than with a vaginal birth. The problem is that cesarean has become a kind of routine in hospitals and, for some doctors, convenience has outweighed the real need for the way the woman gives birth.