Tori Spelling Undergoes Emergency Surgery After C-Section

Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott having been celebrating the birth of their fourth child, son Finn Davey, born August 30th. But the festivities had to be put on hold when Spelling had to undergo emergency surgery.

As her rep told People:

Tori underwent emergency surgery over the weekend due to complications from her c-section. She remains in the hospital and is resting comfortably.

No specifics were given about what complication or what kind of surgery Spelling underwent.

Spelling and McDermott’s third child, daughter Hattie, was born last October, also by c-section.

C-Section Information

Cesarean delivery, also called c-section, is surgery to deliver a baby. The baby is taken out through a surgical incision in the mother’s abdomen (see pictures of the two types below). Most cesarean births result in healthy babies and mothers. But a c-section is major surgery and carries risks. Healing also takes longer than with vaginal birth.

Most healthy pregnant women with no risk factors for problems during labor or delivery have their babies vaginally. Still, the cesarean birth rate in the United States has risen greatly in recent decades. Today, nearly 1 in 3 women have babies by c-section in this country. The rate was 1 in 5 in 1995.

Your doctor might recommend a c-section if she or he thinks it is safer for you or your baby than vaginal birth. Some c-sections are planned. But most c-sections are done when unexpected problems happen during delivery. Even so, there are risks of delivering by c-section.

Studies show that the benefits of having a c-section may outweigh the risks when:

• The mother is carrying more than one baby (twins, triplets, etc.)
• The mother has health problems including HIV infection, herpes infection, and heart disease
• The mother has dangerously high blood pressure
• The mother has problems with the shape of her pelvis
• There are problems with the placenta, such as placenta previa, or placental abruption.
• There are problems with the umbilical cord
• There are problems with the position of the baby, such as breech
• The baby shows signs of distress, such as a slowed heart rate
• The mother has had a previous c-section*

*Some women who have delivered previous babies by c-section would like to have their next baby vaginally. This is called vaginal delivery after c-section or VBAC.

Women give many reasons for wanting a VBAC. Some want to avoid the risks and long recovery of surgery. Others want to experience vaginal delivery.

Today, VBAC is a reasonable and safe choice for most women with prior cesarean delivery, including some women who have had more than one cesarean delivery. A key factor in this decision is the type of incision made to your uterus with previous c-sections.

With VBAC, the most serious danger is the chance that the c-section scar on the uterus will open up during labor and delivery. This is called uterine rupture. Although very rare, uterine rupture is very dangerous for the mother and baby. Less than 1 percent of VBACs lead to uterine rupture.

What are the complications of C-Sections?

A C-section is a safe procedure. The rate of serious complications is extremely low. However, certain risks are higher after C-section than after vaginal delivery.

These include:

• Infection of the bladder or uterus
• Injury to the urinary tract
• Injury to the baby

A C-section may also cause problems in future pregnancies. This includes a higher risk for:

• Placenta previa
• Placenta growing into the muscle of the uterus and has trouble separating after the baby is born (placenta accreta)
• Uterine rupture

These conditions can lead to severe bleeding (hemorrhage), which may require blood transfusions or removal of the uterus (hysterectomy).

All surgeries carry risks. Risks due to anesthesia may include reactions to medications used before, during, or after the procedure, and breathing problems.

Risks related to surgery in general may include:

• Bleeding
• Blood clots in the leg or pelvic veins
• Infection

In any case, we wish Tori well for a speedy recovery!