requesting a c section

[emblosion]

Hi all,

Wondered if anyone has done this & could advise me? Just found out I'm expecting #2. It's early days as am only 6 weeks & was a bit of a shock as my son is only 5 months old .

My last birth was horrendous - dry, back to back labour ending in keillands forceps & episiotomy. I had continence issues for the first few weeks which thankfully have resolved but ended up with PTSD/PND & am still having treatment.

I know that my first labour was unusually awful but I'm terrified of going through similar this time round. Obviously a section isn't a walk in the park but I feel that I could cope with the physical recovery better than another traumatic labour/delivery & it would take a lot of the anxiety out of the equation for me.

So do I have good grounds for asking for an elcs? How do I go about it? What do I do if they refuse? Am seeing my GP tomorrow so I'm hoping she'll support me on this but would love to hear others experiences :)

[weegiemum]

You could, you'd have grounds.

But ...
I had a 37 hour btb labour with augmentation, 10lb "stargazer" dd at the end, ventouse with 2nd degree tear (at end, no time for epis), 25 mins of stitching, weeks of incontinence, trouble re-establishing sex.

Ds was born 24 months later, 9lb3, spontaneous normal labour, born after 10 hrs from srm, 10 mins pushing, small graze.

Even dd2 who was induced for (my) medical reasons was. 12 HR labour, only 7lb13 (at 37 wks), spontaneous delivery though big tear easilymrepaired.


Don't judge subsequent labours by first, though id haver have an issue with anyone who went for elcs after my first labour - personally, I had to try again!!

[growyourown77]

Hi emblosion I can understand your concerns.

There's another current thread on this very topic with help/advice: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1611293-criteria-for-a-CS

Good luck tomorrow, stand up for what you want, it's your body.

Xx

[LadyCurd]

I had an ELCS agreed for my second due to PTSD from first after I hysterically screamed I wanted a termination otherwise. They agreed straight away but they also arranged for me to have therapy and off my own bat I met with the awesome head of maternity unit loads of times to go through my options. Plan was ELCS until 36wks when suddenly I realised I wasn't scared anymore (the CBT and emdr worked as did the intensive planning and support), I was down to have an early epidural instead but went onto have dd2 in 3hours on just gas and air in a beautiful magical calm (but painful!) labour. The anaesthetist got my epidural in but was called away on a crash section and I'd given birth before she came back! Was fine though as we had contingency planned for it and I was calm throughout.

Having the ELCS agreed early on have me the space to be calm and in control and go onto have the best most healing experience - I am now past my PTSD (and

[LadyCurd]

Oops posted too s

[LadyCurd]

Oops posted too soon.

(And planing a home water birth for #3!)

Good luck.

[emblosion]

Thanks both.

Perhaps if more time had passed I might want to try again but I just think it will cause me too much anxiety, yes it could be different but it might be the same/worse.

DS had a giant head & got stuck sideways, I was in such agony that I thought I would die & actually wanted to. It really affected how I bonded with him & its taken a long time to feel anything resembling ok.

I may change my mind later on but want to know I have the option iyswim?

Didn't realise there was another thread tho, soz, will check it out :)

[emblosion]

Thanks ladycurd that sounds like a great experience. I'm kind of hoping for something similar - that getting it agreed will take the pressure off.

[lakeofshiningwaters]

Hi emblosion

I could be you! I had almost the same 1st birth as you (but also had an anaesthetic trauma) - back-to-back, long, kiellands, tears, episiotemy, home with a catheter, PND.

With no 2, I asked for, and got an ELCS. I was lucky in that the consultant was very open to whatever I wanted and would have supported a carefully managed vb or a cs. My cs was fab, recovery and pain levels so much easier than first time round. Also had no further incont. issues despite being in tena ladies all through the pg .

I think it was the combination of incont. and the pnd and that were the key factors in choosing and getting a cs. Hope you get what you want. The great thing about having a cs agreed early on (I think I was 20 weeks) is that you feel as if a weight is lifted off your shoulders, and you can be in more of a position to consider another vb if that's what you want.

Let us know how you get on.

[mayhew]

Emblosion. Whatever path you go down do ask for a psychology referral (unless that is the service you are already seeing) from the midwife or GP. If it is pregnancy related and you are pregnant, then it is an urgent referral.Some units have a dedicated pregnancy mental health team and others refer into local services. The earlier it starts the more likely you will be calm for the birth, however it occurs. And the referral will also ensure your requests regarding delivery are always taken seriously.

[Ushy]

mayhew why the psychological referral? Emblosion is just making a rational decision for what seems to me perfectly good reasons.

Why should someone who seems well balanced and just making a sensible decision, based on previous experience, have to play the 'mental health' card?

Appreciate the suggestion is possibly a practical one but it is kind of scary that this is how the health service works.

[Eskarina]

I had a similar, though not quite as bad labour - lord knows how many hours, definitely longer than the 14 they recorded as that was only from the moment I got the the hospital at 7am and I'd been begging all night for them to let me come in. Ended up having waters broken (did nothing at all), going on the syntocinon drip despite labour starting naturally, nearly 2 hours of pushing, then a huge episiotomy and ventouse, with surgeon poised over me ready to do the emcs. Dd was back to back and going nowhere. Amazingly I recovered fairly well but am not sure how I'd cope with the thought of it again.

However am now pg with #2. (dd is 14months) and am trying not to think about the birth bit at all. I'm seeing my wonderful GP this week and I think I will start the process of asking for a section. I can always change my mind nearer the time. The consultant gynae I saw for my repair work afterwards said that any woman has a right to ask for a section for any reason. GP was a little more reserved on this point, but I figure it would be the consultant doing it and he offered me it already.

The alternative is to look into something like hypno-birthing. A good friend of mine had a horrendous first birthing experience to the point of having panic attacks regularly even before becoming pg with her second. But did a hypnobirth course and had an amazing time the next time round.

Good luck with getting what you want. In theory it is your right to choose but I'm aware that it doesn't always work out that way in practise.