http://www.or-live.com/shawneemission/1891 MERRIAM, KS – Experience the miracle of birth during a live broadcast from Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Leah D. Ridgway, MD, of Women's Health Associates, PA, will perform a Cesarean Section birth during a live surgery Webcast on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. According to the Centers for Disease Control, every year more than 1 million women in the United States deliver by Cesarean Section, commonly known as a C-section. During the Webcast, Ridgway will make an incision in the woman's lower abdomen and the uterus to deliver the baby. The Webcast will highlight the surgical techniques used to open and close the womb, and viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions during the live procedure. A C-section is performed when the baby is unable to be delivered vaginally. The majority of C-sections are planned for reasons including a large baby or a baby that is in a breech position, or if the mother had a previous delivery by C-section. Reasons for an unplanned C-section include fetal distress, preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and arrested labor. About Shawnee Mission Medical Center Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) is a 383-bed facility with nearly 20,000 inpatient admissions and more than 195,000 outpatient admissions annually. The Special Addition Birth Center at SMMC delivers more than 3,000 babies each year, the most in the Kansas City metropolitan area. SMMC is the only hospital in the area to have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse attend every birth, and our Level III NICU Nursery cares for babies born as early as 28 weeks gestation. In addition, on-site perinatologists allow us to serve patients with high-risk pregnancy.