One page summary: Cuts to the baby during a C-section

In two sentences

During a cesarean birth, the surgeon cuts through the wall of the uterus to reach the baby. Sometimes the scalpel also cuts the baby. ¹

Most of these cuts are small, superficial and heal well, often with nothing more than skin glue or a stitch. They are most common on the head, face, ear, buttock or leg, depending on how the baby is lying, and they are more likely in an emergency, when the membranes have already ruptured, and where the baby is very close to the uterine wall. ¹

The numbers, with their sources

• Where they usually are. On whichever part of the baby is closest to the uterine incision, which is most often the head or face in a head-down baby and the buttock or leg in a breech baby ²
• When risk is higher. Emergency cesarean, ruptured membranes with little fluid remaining, and a thin lower uterine segment after a long labor ¹
• How serious. The great majority are superficial cuts of the skin that heal with simple closure ³
• What matters afterward. Proper closure to limit scarring, and watching for infection ³
• Cesarean rate in the United States. About 32 percent of births in the United States are by cesarean, according to national vital statistics ⁴
• Why cesareans happen quickly. In an emergency, many hospitals work to a decision-to-incision target of 30 minutes for the most urgent cases, and speed increases the chance of an incidental cut ¹

What to do this week

1. Ask for the cut to be documented, including its location, length and how it was repaired.
2. Ask whether it needed closure and what kind.
3. Ask what infection looks like and when to call.
4. If the cut is near the eye or ear, ask for specialist review.
5. Photograph the wound, dated, and again as it heals.
6. Ask for the operative note, including whether the cesarean was an emergency and the state of the membranes.
7. Ask about scar care and when it should start.

Questions to take with you

Take these with you. Write the answers down in the moment, because you will not remember them later.

For the pediatrician or surgeon

• How deep is the cut, and is anything beneath the skin involved?
• How was it closed, and does it need review?
• What are the signs of infection?
• Will there be a lasting scar, and what can we do about it?

For the obstetric team

• Was this an emergency cesarean, and what was the indication?
• Had my membranes ruptured, and how much fluid was there?
• Is the laceration recorded in the operative note?
• What was the decision-to-incision time?

You can also build a printable list with the question generator.

Where to read more

The full page on this condition covers how it happens, causes split into what happens even with perfect care and what is associated with gaps in care, signs by age, diagnosis, treatment, outlook, daily life and lifetime cost.

Read the full page on Cuts to the baby during a C-section

Related pages are listed at the bottom of it, including the events that can lead to this condition and the guides that cover therapy, school and money.