Please help - do doctors try to 'scare' you about having a second section- any good stories about a repeat cs?

[dottytablecloth]

I had a cs with my first baby 16 months ago - I'll be honest and say I couldn't have wished for it to go better. It took me 10 years to get to a position where I could even contemplate giving birth, so the fact that I had a section was fabulous for me.

I'm now pregnant again and had my first scan today and appointment with the consultant. He was very dismissive of my wish for a repeat section and told me that first sections are very easy to do but with a second section there is a risk of damaging my bladder and stomach as they may have moved since my first section

I remained very firm but very polite that I wanted a section but he seemed to be quite irritated with me for not immediately saying ok I'll have a vbac.

I know there are risks, a section is major surgery.

I'm really looking for people who've had two sections to tell me about their experiences.

Do medical staff have to 'put you off' having a section?

[dilys4trevor]

I have had two sections. It was great. I am now having a third in Aug.

Sounds like tiresome NHS scare peddling as it costs them money. They tried to put me off as well. Go for your section. They have to comply, is my understanding.

[Breakhardthewishbone]

I suspect they are briefed to try and dissuade you. Some of this will be for good reasons, others are monetary I suspect.

I've had 2 sections and I found the second one much easier on all fronts.

[Fairylea]

I don't think they like to do c sections on maternal request full stop. I had my first baby vaginally but found the whole thing traumatic so 11 years later (!) I fought tooth and nail for a c section with ds. Which I got eventually.... I don't think it's just a second one scare story thing.

Lots of women cannot give birth vaginally and i'm certain that many of these have more than one child. If you consider how many "showbiz" women who have repeat sections it does seem to lean towards the nhs and costs and everything else really. Maybe I'm wrong though.

My consultant tried to scare the life out of me by saying if I had another c section the risks for me dying or the baby being stillborn were higher.. I think he was trying to talk me out of going for a section at all (this was when I was arguing with him for one with ds). I later told my midwife and another consultant what he had said and they looked at me like he was absolutely crazy.

[dottytablecloth]

Thanks for the advice. I was just left feeling like I was a dreadful person for daring to consider wanting a section since it was so dangerous and carries so many risks.

Most people I know have normal births so it's not something I'm easily able to talk to people about as most don't understand.

One 'acquaintance' said I was too posh to push, so that's what you are up against

[dilys4trevor]

My Consultant told me that planned c sections are actually the safest way to deliver all things considered, as they don't carry the risk of fetal distress. Alot of stillbirths or near-misses are due to not getting to a distressed baby in time, cords round necks, meconium passing etc etc. A planned section avoids all those by going in and then out, before labour even starts. Sounded good advice to me! Then again, I went through one of those near misses first time around, with skeleton staff Christmas midwives not paying attention to a dropping heart rate, and then a scary crash section where they were minutes from disaster. So I was rather inclined to believe it.

[Fairylea]

Dotty please don't let people make you feel bad.

As a parent to an older child as well as a toddler I can safely say that everyone is waiting in the wings to judge you on all kinds of parenting choices so how you give birth is just another one of them. Please don't let it get to you.

I faced opposition and questioning from everyone about my c section. I've had my Dhs family going on at me. But they have no idea - all of them were lucky birthers who popped their babies out relatively pain free in about an hour (I kid you not) so how could they even begin to understand the birth trauma I went through after a 72 hour labour? I just nodded and smiled in the end and said yep I wanted ds removed through the sun roof because I fancied it.

I also formula fed ds from birth because struggling with breastfeeding with dd just tipped me over into severe pnd. So sod that I ff from birth and it suited me fine and I managed to enjoy birth and newborn days in a way I hadn't before.

Only you know what is right for you and your family.

[FaFoutis]

I have had three and nobody tried to persuade me otherwise. All were fine.
My consultant said the same dilys.

[CharlieSierra]

I've had 3 - no issues. I wanted to try for a vaginal birth with DS2 and my consultant was pleased he was a breech 'so we didn't have to have an argument' about it. There is a risk to the uterine scar after a c section so it's always more likely to result in intervention in subsequent deliveries. When I expressed concern to my GP about going for number 3 he said his SIL had had 5, wasn't worried at all.

[dottytablecloth]

Thank you for all your supportive messages, it means a lot.

My hospital has a 33% section rate! the highest in Northern Ireland and I know they are under pressure to reduce it but I feel like why should I be a statistic.

Some of your consultants sound amazing and so supportive of your choices- could you send them my way please?!

fairylea thank you for your comments and what you said about feeding! I think I'll probably ff this baby and it's nice to hear someone talk honestly about it. I do agree people who have easy births just can't really understand the worries and anxiety other women feel.

I've actually broke put in hives today (have never had hem before) and I honestly think it's because I'm feeling so stressed.

[dottytablecloth]

I did say to the consultant that I wasn't willing to take the risk of a uterine rupture and he said after 18 months the risk is so small it's not really worth considering.

[Molotov]

What an interesting thread, thank-you for staring it, dotty

I had a VB in 2009 that resulted in a tailbone injury for me. I had dd2 in 2012 by maternal request ELCS (thr tailbone thing was medical reason enough in my mind). The consultant was, as it turned out, an excellent surgeon but he absolutely frightened the crap out of mewwith all that can go wrong with CS. No balance at all to his argument. Best-case vb pitched against worst-case CS, with the only benefit of CS being the date you know baby will be born.

I'm feeling broody now for a dc3. The idea of having to request another CS is putting me off. I loved the consultant post-CS, buy don't know if I could face him again.

[dottytablecloth]

motolov I think that's exactly what they do, best case vbac against worst case section. Thank you for pointing that out.

I'm going to spend the next few months terrified that they will cut my bladder during surgery, assuming I can get them to agree to it.

[Quangle]

Yes they tried to persuade me and I said absolutely no way. A family member had a rupture with a vbac so no way on earth was I doing that. I think the 'family history' thing helped although I didn't tell them she was related by marriage not genetically.

Both CSs absolutely fine although it took an hour to stitch me up after number two and I was told Id have to be very carefully monitored if I was to have a third pg. No intention of going for a third though. And I got the impression that a vbac wouldn't have been such a good idea after all since there was so much sorting and tidying required

Stand your ground for the birth you want.

[Quangle]

I think that's the problem OP - they'd be liable for damage to your bladder caused by accidental damage during surgery but if you end up with a fourth degree tear and permanent incontinence as a result of VB it wouldn't be their problem - just another problem for women to deal with in private for the rest of their lives. Makes me quite

[dottytablecloth]

Thanks quangle, did you have to wait to 36 weeks to get it agreed?

[AlarmOnSnooze]

I've had 3 c sections, and no one has tried to convince me otherwise with dc2 and 3 (dc1 was an emcs following 36 hours of non-progressing labour; I say emcs, but no distress either for me or dd1).

I did have a non-convinced trial of vbac with dd2, but unsurprisingly I yet again had non-progession, so had dc after 4 hours (expected by everyone, and I was fine to have a trial; if I had said no way, then would have been straight to elcs)

Ds was elcs, and no one suggested otherwise given previous history. Consultant did say having a dc4 would be unwise, but them it was never on the cards (imo) anyway.

[AlarmOnSnooze]

Grrr should say had CS after 4 hours (although suppose I had dc then too

[FaFoutis]

My friend had her bladder cut during a c-section. She had a catheter (strapped to her leg) for a week and the cut healed on its own. She has no problems from it. I would rather risk that than a scar rupture. I have read far too much about that.
Don't worry dotty, stick to what you want.

[dottytablecloth]

fa that's good to hear (not that it happened to your friend) you see I imagined that cutting a bladder would lead to permanent incontinence.

I really do feel that the consultant today was trying to scare me and not present a balanced view and I'm very about that.

[Quangle]

I think they were intending to make me wait till 36 weeks to confirm cs or not but then I developed a liver issue that meant early delivery anyway so the options were limited anyway so they caved on the CS. It was actually a pleasant experience !

[lotsofcheese]

I had an EMCS 1st time, with DS (no labour, had severe PE at 29 weeks)

When I was pregnant with DD, all the registrars at clinic kept asking me if I'd consider vbac. I knew I was a crap candidate, having never been in labour & with a high-risk pregnancy.

My consultant was a lot more pragmatic & said she expected me to require another section pre-term.

And that is exactly what happened - DD was breech & needed to come out at 35+6. So I had another EMCS. No bladder injuries etc.

I did find the Caesarian shelf much worse & my stomach has an "apron" of fat. Wish I could have had a tummy tuck at the same time

[lotsofcheese]

Whoops - posted too soon!

Meant to say that the surgery took longer 2nd time (40 mins to get in v's 5 mins 1st time) as they go in through old scar tissue.

I would choose an ELCS over EMCS any day.

[Molotov]

Ah, lotsofcheese its the dreaded overhang/apron/shelf that worries me if I went on to have a 3rd pg/2nd CS (sorry, dotty, this is off-subject).

I have read on here somewhere that, as well as obvious stuff like your build and pre-pg health/weight/fitness, that where the incision is placed makes a difference so, the lower (below line of pubic hair) the better.

I don't know too many ladies IRL who have had sections. Certainly not well enough to ask this kind of question without them thinking I'm bonkers, or awfully vain.

Dunno, could be both ...

[BunnyBaby]

DS1 was VB, DS2 was EMCS, went along to see consultant with the attitude that he is the expert, and would assess my own individual needs. My instinct was that an ELCS would be best for me and baby, without me offering this opinion and him looking at the risk factors I presented, he didn't talk once about benefits of a VBAC for me, and in fact focussed on the risks.

As such, I feel comfortable with an ELCS option, and just wanted to give others the flip side of the coin.

My risk factors were: 9lb and 10lb babies, 2 x 26 hour labours (preceded by 3 nights of posterior labouring), 18 and 11 days overdue, always requiring induction, posterior presentation and babies too big to move.

Despite me having successfully having DS1 as a VB, there was no suggestion that DC3 should be a VBAC as the risks were too high, and there is every chance this one will be bigger than the other two.

Good luck :-)

[hatsybatsy]

ds was breech so had ELCS with him.

with dd I wanted to give VBAC a go but then I got cold feet and changed my mind at about 35 weeks. Registrar tried telling me I couldn't change my mind - but I insisted and drew up a revised birth plan with the consultant.

in terms of the 2 experiences, I'm not sure which was easier emotionally - is it better to know what's coming or not? At least I knew roughly what was going on but on the other hand - I knew what was going on!!

I agree with the comments about the second section being longer - it was a far more physical experience than the first one for me. Rather than the 'rummaging' sensation with ds, it was more like being punched repeatedly with dd. Not nice - but I guess that bit only lasted 3-4 minutes tops?