To think recovery from a csection is not necessarily harder than from a vb?

[Cathycomehome]

Have had both. Second ELCS because of secondary tokophobia. I have a friend who is militant about home birth/natural childbirth. She states on her facebook pages"Recovery from section is painful, hard and unpleasant."

Not in my case.

I would have no issue if she'd said "can be", like I might say, "recovery from vb CAN BE painful, hard and undignified".

She also said to my face that "women like me" cause fear and put people off natural childbirth.

Well, I must go to sleep, but thanks for responses, glad I don't seem to be totally U!

Can I just add, OP, that I am quite militantly in favour of reducing the caesarean birth rate in this country. But I focus my militancy on all those factors that make it harder for women to labour confidently and effectively - like, too few midwives, uncomfortable birth suites, poorly trained staff, a focus on process rather than individual etc.

I think tokophobia is an excellent reason for caesarean. I can't bear women who guilt-trip other women over what kind of birth they had. It's not a moral crusade, FGS.

I have had a vb and an emcs. I was very keen to avoid a CS becaus ei was petrified, mostly due to this kind of thing! but dd2 is an awkward bugger and was foot first at 32 weeks in Thr middle of the night.

The first 24 hours I would say we're worse than the vb but after that it was much better and much quicker to get over and given the choice, I'd pick an elcs as I think having it all planned and calm would be a much better experience.

Your friend sounds horrid.

I have had 2 sections, one EMCS after a 36 hour labour, and one elective. Recovery from the elective was a breeze.
Recovery from the EMCS - it was 6 weeks before my wound healed and I could walk upright, and I still felt unwell and sore at 6 months postpartum.

So IMO anyone who has had a straightforward recovery from an ELCS has very much had the easy end of the spectrum.

There is a whole range of normal, and then there are the really horrid experiences which can happen with any kind of birth.

Has she watched that program that was on the other night about babies born in other countries (4 Born Every Second)? That might change her mind about the wonders of natural childbirth. It's only wonderful if it happens to fortuitously go right, a lot of people are very thankful that we are lucky to live in a country where there is medical back-up on hand.

My DS was born by EMCS after careful monitoring showed distress. He had the cord wrapped around his neck 3 times, which could have ended very badly had they not whipped him out. Then 3 days post-birth the hospital picked up that he had Group B Strep and put him on strong antibiotics which prevented another horrendous outcome. This time there is no doubt in my mind that I want an ELCS to avoid these possible eventualities.

If she has had a natural birth, she should consider herself bloody lucky rather than superior to everyone else.

i was amazed at how easy the recovery was from the cs, i was sitting cross-legged reading the paper on bed a couple of days afterwards. i think it's labour that we find it hard to recover from, personally. after my vb i felt like my fanny was going to fall out for weeks afterwards.

Totally depends on personal experience. I had a c section 4 years ago and it's a nightmare still. I don't think anyone can make any assessment as everyone and every birth is different

My planned CS was much easier. My vaginal delivery with DS was hard. I was induced due to pre eclampsia, he had should dystopia so needed the ventouse and the cord was round his neck so was strangling him everytime I pushed.

CS 11 months later was a walk in the park in comparison

I have nothing to compare with, but can honestly say my ELCS was a breeze, and I would definitely want the same again for any second child.

I've had three vbs and an emcs.

Ds1 was vb with forceps, 3rd degree tear, haemorrhaging and weighed 11lb 2, so was my most difficult vb

Ds3 was an emcs,which I found far more difficult than the vbs, but I have a hip to hip scar and internal cuts into my womb. So not a typical csection experience.

I may find out what an elcs is like in a few months, however I think it will still be harder to recover from than ds2s vb. It was quick, no stitches, no intervention.

So I think it depends on the individual experiance.

So: lovely easy VB the best, horrendous traumatic VB the worst, ELCS generally easier than EMCS. But individual variation trumps the lot.

I think we've got that sorted . Tell your friend she's been outvoted.

YANBU. Send her my way. It's been over 2 years since DC1's birth (VB) and I am still not recovered. Two major gynae operations down, and one to go. Two medical procedures on my coccyx, and one to go. Plus all the therapy for the PTSD. Send her my way. Please!! I'm feeling really pissed off at the moment and could do with having someone to rant at!!

not necessarily, devora. i had a lovely easy vb, and a lovely elective (well, a bit of an emergency cos dd2 was in big trouble) cs. cs DEFINITELY easier to recover from in my case.

sorry, not wishing to gloat, cardamom.

I had ELCS. It was fine. I can honestly say I didn't experiance any discomfort at all. I discharged myself after 2 days and was eating out at Jaime Olivers with the Inlaws. Painkillers are great!
It wasn't exactly chosen (I went in for a scan and the doctor took one look and decided the baby needed to come out NOW) but I felt nothing but relief at avoiding a VB. VB sounds horrible!

That's fine Aitch. Pleased you were fine. X

Having had both VB and CS I agree that VB is the easier option to recover from.

Having said that, I had absolutely no choice. In the first instance of CS my DD would have died had I not had it and that would have taken a hell of a lot longer to get over than CS did. In the second instance, both myself and my DS would have died had I not had the CS, I clearly would have never recovered.

It IS major surgery, no getting away from that, though usually performed without the need for general anaesthetic, which adds to risk. Some people just do not have the luxury of choice and it is better to just accept that than regret the how not to give birth any other way than home birth without medication, she certainly does not sound pro birth choice to me!!

Anyone who bangs in about their birth being far more awful than anyone else's is a boring twat....

The plain fact is that giving birth can be freakin easy, like a bad period pain or fuckin bloody awful and cause mom long term damage and trauma.

It's not a competition of a race.

You can't prepare for it and its ALL about luck... If its an easy beautiful process for you then you haven't got the divine key to motherhood you arnt clever or well prepared or been to the right classes you are just lucky.

Well for me the emcs was worse than the horrendous vb and I think the elcs will still be worse than the lovely vb, but haven't experiances it yet so not sure

at aitch's lovely easy births...

I think that there is no point in having any kind of an 'X is better than Y' argument when there are so many factors and variables. Sometimes CS is easier to recover from, sometimes VBs are easier. Many people favour one or another, and many of them don't have experience of both. Even among those who have experience of both there people who have had good VBs and bad VBs, good CSs and bad CSs. When it comes down to it, every woman experiences birth in their own way. It is individual to them.

(If it comes down to it, though, everyone knows VBs are better than CSs. And I've had one of each, so I should know! )

lol, sorry Devora. second one was a bit... fraught, obv, but the right result at the end.

Ladies! It's not a competition! Really! The only person who cares is you,, and your partner.

Soz but think like most posters went straight to last page.

Birth stories are the most boring in the history of boring so not boring you with my 4.

I found the oft repeated stance that vb was a breeze once it was all done and that women were up and about the day after quite upsetting. I had a really difficult birth with DS and was unable to sit down or walk without pain for three months. So felt like a bit of a failure.

Though that delivery has scared me so much I will definitely be having a CS next time round. Could just not face it.

Ooh I disagree, I think birth stories are endlessly fascinating! (Except for my own, strangely enough; revisiting it holds no charms.)

I've been lucky enough to be a birth partner a few times, and it is such a fantastic experience to witness how other women give birth. The first friend I supported in labour had a fantastic vb, almost Leboyerish. All the way through she was very quiet, very controlled, kept saying, "Do you know, this really doesn't hurt as much as I expected". Though she had said she would want the option of pain relief, when it came to it she felt she didn't need it.

The baby came out very quietly, eyes wide open, staring up at his mum the moment he was born. It was very calm, very beautiful, and of course not terribly typical.

it was a wonderful first birth to start with. It didn't make me unrealistic about birth, but it did show me what is possible (yes, if you're lucky).

Of course, it bore absolutely no comparison with my own experience of labour and birth: two nights of bellowing like a bison, followed by klaxons and rushing off to theatre. Not exactly Leboyer