I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant and expect to discuss birth options with my consultant in a couple of weeks.
If there is any medical reason he suggests a c-section I'd just go for it immediately.
Absent any medical reason I'm torn between both options. Any advice welcome particularly regarding recovery etc (Detailed circumstances below which will be relevant).
We had a stillbirth at 37 weeks in January. I went into labour naturally then - waters broke went to hospital, was told to labour at home, came back at around 5cm dilation. They couldn't find a heartbeat. Dilated from 5cm to 10cm and gave birth to our stillborn son vaginally all within a space of about 30 mins.
Extensive investigations haven't found a cause for the stillbirth or why my labour was so sudden and quick.
I didn't have an epidural despite begging for one (long story) and had some first degree tears which healed up quickly.
On c-sec I'm worried about needing GA (I'm so freaked out and anxious about birth I would like to be awake and have my DH in with me), worried about being groggy and nauseous during first days, establishing breastfeeding etc.
But obviously main priority is just getting this LO out safe and sound.
On vaginal birth I'm worried about my pelvic floor, but mostly worried about my ability to deal with labour. Obviously when I am calm I can handle it and am grieving but it is manageable. I wonder if I'll just freak out mid labour if it reminds me too much of last time. I worry about baby undergoing stress (perhaps that's what went wrong with our son?) and so on.
FWIW we've gone private this time so hopefully a much lower chance of all the endless fuckups with pain relief and monitoring that we had on the NHS. I'm not specifically blaming anyone but if we had been monitored better this wouldn't have happened, and the emotional pain of delivering my dead baby was only compounded by their continuous fuckups with regards to the epidural.
I've tried to make this as unemotional as possible following multiple rewrites, but you know what I mean? I want help making a decision and right now I'm struggling to do so.
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Childbirth
C-section vs Vaginal birth - Advice needed
59 replies
Bisquick · 11/09/2017 10:17
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