What's the difference between a planned and an emergency caesarean?

Planned c-sections may happen for a variety of reasons before the onset of labour - previous c-section, complications in pregnancy, or request for c-section. It is scheduled in advanced and everything is planned beforehand. An emergency c-section happens when a decison has been made to deliver the baby quickly, and this is usually decided when there is an issue with labour such as slow labour progression or the baby being in distress.