Elective c-sections - did anyone regret having one?

[Gangle]

I don't want to put too much on here about why I want an elective c-section for fear of getting shouted down and lectured about the expense to the NHS but did wonder how many people had had one and then wished they had had a vaginal birth.

[feedmenow]

Hi Gangle. I had an elective with my ds after a horrid labour and EMCS with my dd. At the time, it was well and truly the best thing I could have done and I certainly don't regret it. However, 6 years on I am having No. 3 and am trying for vbac. Having had the 2nd (elective) section makes it more complicated for me as HCP's are more dubious, but that is the only reason I've ever had for wondering about my choice at the time, IYSWIM!

[whomovedmychocolate]

Gangle I face this choice this pregnancy after a EMCS last time. I think I might regret not having a go at a vBac since this will be my last child. Having said I quite enjoyed the last caesarian - no pain, v quick and mobile within two hours afterwards.

[wardrobemistressakasugarfree]

No,never.
I had PTSD after a crash section with ds1.No way I could have managed a VBAC psychologically.
Ds2 was delivered,calmly,by my choice of obstetrician and with dh beside me,while I was awake.
The being in control thing has been very important to me since Ds1's birth and the only way I felt I could achieve that was by going elective.
Ds3 was an elective too.No brainer.
I'm lucky that my ob/gyn is a lovely,lovely man and all for giving women the right information to make the right choice for them.

[camillathechicken]

Hi gangle... if you want an elective for whatever reason.... then it is up to you.. there are pros and cons, and it is really a good idea to do as you are doing and explore all the ramifications. if you fear that a VBAC would be more damamging psychologically, mentally or physically, then it is not neccesarily the right path.

I know a couple of women who have regretted having an elective, but more who are happy with the decision.

personally, i had an emergency c.s for failure to progress after a failed induction and i knew 100 % that if i had another child i would want to try for a VBAC. which i did, and i got. and it was perfect for me and life changing in a really positive way

nothing to say an elective is not the right choice for you

if there is something in a previous birth experience that is making you anxious or scared, or you need to 'put to bed', it should be dealt with before you give birth, however you choose to have your baby

[TuttiFrutti]

No, not for a minute. Like wardrobemistress, I had a horrible labour and emergency cs with ds, and as a result was determined never to go near that experience again. I had an elective cs for dd, and it couldn't have been more different in every way: a calm, serene experience, not a single minute of pain (honestly), and a quick recovery.

It is a very individual choice, and a lot will depend on both your previous experience, the type of person you are and also the physical reasons for the first cs and whether they are likely to reoccur.

By the way, don't let anyone lecture you on the cost to the NHS of c-sections. They are less expensive than a home birth with 2 midwives in attendance.

[inthegutter]

I had a csection for dc2. It wasn't a dire emergency, but my consultant recommended a csection as safest for my baby who had stopped growing and needed to be deleivered early. I didn't regret it; the procedure is painless (well, not entirely, but certainly relative to labour!). I believed it was the right decision for that birth, and didn't wish afterwards that I'd had a VB. For DC1 I had VB and for DC3 VBAC, and definitely knew it was the best decision medically for those births.

[RedFraggle]

I don't regret it at all. Had crash section with dd and opted for an elective with ds as I could not face the trauma again. Best thing I ever did. I think that for me it helped me put to rest a lot of the nastiness of the first birth experience. I don't even think about ds's birth, he is just here! Whereas after dd all I could think about was her birth if that makes sense...

[JulesJules]

Had elective CS for DD2, and have never regretted that decision for a moment. Like Red Fraggle, I felt that it really helped me get over the trauma I experienced during/after my first labour and delivery, and subsequent repair surgeries. Good luck with whatever you decide, but don't let cost to the NHS be one of the factors!

[puccaupunderthemistletoe]

I regretted having one.

With my dd (1st child) i had a natural birth but ended up with a nasty 3rd degree tear, which also left me partially incontinent for a good while.

Then when pg with no2 (ds) towards the end i suffered incontenence again, and i was advised to have a elective section also because of the previous tear, i was at risk of tearing worse.

I found the section ok but afterwards was hell, at least after having my dd, even though my "bits" were torn to shreds i was up and about within hours, i found the aftermath of a section, the worst experience (pain) ever. So bad infact i wouldn't want another baby for that reason alone, i wish i had pushed (lol) for a vaginal instead (which was a option) which infact there are plently of mums that go on to have natural births again after bad tears all that is needed is a good MW/birthing partner to guide you through the pushing slowly.

I HATED the section, and how people can think it is the easy option, they obviously have never had one, its terrible! i ended up 6 weeks later with infections both inside and a infected scar.I have never and doubt i will never again experienced pain like the following day when i had to stand up.

So thats my take on sections!

[Sabire]

"By the way, don't let anyone lecture you on the cost to the NHS of c-sections. They are less expensive than a home birth with 2 midwives in attendance."

I find this very, very difficult to believe. Can you tell us where you got this information from Tutti Frutti?

BTW - I'm not arguing that cost should be an issue, I'd just like to know how anyone could arrive at that sort of conclusion about the cost of a homebirth!

[candypandy]

Good luck with your choice. I am a VBAC fan (2X) so take this with a pinch of salt. Although electives are much calmer than an emergency I just wanted to say, that it is still very difficult to look after your first child after the op, much harder than if you have a VBAC. But that's just my opinion. I suppose you are less tired after an elective but on the other hand you haven't had the major surgery.. I think so long as you have the confidence to go with what you want and aren't pushed either way, the first few weeks always go a lot more smoothly.

[TuttiFrutti]

I read this in a newspaper article (think it was the Times). So obviously it might not be correct in all cases...

On the other hand, I didn't find it that unbelievable. If you think the average planned section takes about 45 minutes in theatre, OK with a surgeon and anaesthetist and midwife there, but a home birth could take 24 hours and you've got to have 2 midwives who while they are there (plus their travelling time) can't be giving any attention to any other women.

I agree with you Sabire that cost shouldn't be an issue. However, it really annoys me that some people use the cost argument to try to prevent women having c-sections, but never home births which are definitely more expensive than normal vaginal births in hospital.

[Sabire]

Yup - a homebirth CAN take 24 hours - but it's very rare for this to happen as most homebirth mums are second timers and don't take this long. And the midwives generally won't stay until you're in active labour! Also - most homebirths only involve one midwife for the bulk of the labour - the second one usually just appears for the birth.

I also wonder if the cost of the elective section factors in the pre-op consultation with the anaesthetist, the increased incidence of scbu stays for babies, the cost of treating post operative infections, the increased costs for consultant care in any pregnancy to follow, the cost of a 3 day stay in hospital, the costs of a stay in ICU for the small number of women who end up with complications like thrombosis....
hospital to make the comparison a fair one.

I also wonder if homebirths are 'definitely more expensive' than vaginal births in hospital if the woman in hospital isn't getting one to one care. At our local birth centre you get one to one care in labour so I really can't seen the difference.......

And it only seems fair to factor in the large decrease in the rates of c-section, assisted births and epidural usage in homebirthing mums compared to similar mums birthing in hospital. I bet the Times comparison didn't take any of these things into account and only looked at cost per hour of the midwife's attendance at the birth.

[Liz79]

When comparing the cost of normal delivery at home/hospital. You have to factor in the price of the tea & snacks and the laundering of all the linen, which at home the woman will pay for. Midwives drink a lot of tea you know and it is pricey to launder linen to hospital standards. Also the price of a hospital bed even if you are literally doing nothing more than sitting in it is many £££££s

[Liz79]

When comparing the cost of normal delivery at home/hospital. You have to factor in the price of the tea & snacks and the laundering of all the linen, which at home the woman will pay for. Midwives drink a lot of tea you know and it is pricey to launder linen to hospital standards. Also the price of a hospital bed even if you are literally doing nothing more than sitting in it is many £££££s

[camillathechicken]

also, second MW for a homebirth is not there the whole time , she is called in as it becomes apparent the birth is imminent, so not got 2 midwives in one place for hours

and what sabire said !

[malfoy]

My first birth was an emergency Csection because of failure to progress after induction + DS was huge (over 11 lbs) + I had a fibroid. I did find it quite traumatic as I was really not prepared for it.

I did however opt for an elective csection second time round which was an amazing experience -calm/ organised/ almost relaxing.

• I recover really quickly.
  
  HOWEVER there will always be a part of me who will regret not experience "natural" childbirth.

[TinyTimLivesinVictorianSqualor]

I had one and iwshed I hadn't but mainly because I didn't get given a choice to decide myself. I think it is often the same no matter which way you are 'forced' into giving birth.

And FWIW, Costs have been mentioned on another thread before, homebirths are not expensive.

[bellabelly]

i had an elective c-section with my twins and loved it. My recovery was MUCH quicker and easier than I'd thought it'd be and for me the whole experience was great. I would definitely go the elective c-section route again if I'm lucky enough to have another child. The only crap bit was the aftercare but that would have been crap however the babies had been born iyswim.

[jabberwocky]

loved my elective. I had a horrible experience with my first birth that ended in emergency section. But to have it all planned and calm...really nice. And I recovered amazingly fast. Two days after I pushed ds2 in his little roller/crib thingy down a looong hallway to have his first picture taken.

[evelina]

I didn't regret my elective c/s. It was the best decision for me on medical grounds as the baby had a large head- no pelvic floor damage and baby didn't get stuck like my last vaginal birth. Very glad I avoided an emergency c/s.

[needmorecoffee]

I had 3 sections and thought i regreted them. Then had a vagianl birth and wish to goodness I'd had another section. sections were quick, and you're not sitting on stitches. natural birth left me sitting on a cushion and with a brain damaged child.

[LadyMuck]

Not for a second. And as just too many of my friends of a similar age have had to have post-birth repair ops I would definitely plump for electives again, even though I read the home-birth stories and think "how awesome".

[eidsvold]

had one emergency and two electives and do not regret any of it for a minute. I recovered well and quite quickly and found no need for heavy pain relief after the first day or so.

after my second I went home to a husband with no time off - had started a new job day after dd2 was born and a 2yo with sn - not walking - needing nappies changed etc. Had no real problems at all.

third section - had dd3 fri morning, home sunday morning... so not real long hospital stay. About the same length of stay for a woman who had a vaginal birth around the same time as I did.