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.

[NicknameTaken]

I had no problem with an emergency c-section. I had a failed induction and never properly went into labour, so I had a weirdly pain-free experience - I actually felt slightly guilty for a while about it.

In the bed opposite me in the maternity woman was someone who had a forceps birth, and I'll never forget the little moans she made all night. When she had visitors, she managed to put a brave face on it, but she was truly suffering.

A friend who gets obsessed about anything to the point where they disregard your feelings is a problem. For some, it's temporary - she'll probably get over it when her dcs are a bit older and it's not so fresh in her mind. But until then, I would block her on facebook and avoid contact for a while.

[NicknameTaken]

maternity ward. Aggh.

[thebody]

Oh aitch not sure the world is that interested in our views chik.

My post stated that other people's birth stories are boring.. They are. Lots of posters will have scrolled down the details of others stories here because they are essentially only relevant to each individual.

The ops friend was advocating that her way if giving birth was ''worse' than hers... That's the sort of ridiculous bollocks some women foist in others.

As I said in my post I have seen a lot of suffering from women on the reviving end of this when I was that dreadful nasty thing called a nurse.

I suggest you address your own prejudices and not project those onto me.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

chik?

point is, thebody, this whole thread is full of people telling their very interesting and very personal birth stories. you do not speak for anyone other than yourself in saying that they're boring. to you, maybe. not to me, or devora, or many other people who are taking the time to talk about their experiences.

yours, sadly, is just a typical 'caring profession' stance, shut up, don't talk about it, least said soonest mended. all done under the guise of knowing more and caring more... if there is a sense of competition over this then just dismissing it doesn't actually help anyone.

[IWipeArses]

I took ages to recover from my emergency section, I lost about 800ml, but apart from that had no problems apart from anaemia and sort of shell shock.
With DC2 I had a VBAC, and despite the best efforts of the staff managed a VB without intervention. It was brilliant and my stitches healed ok.
Everyone is different, and if I hadn't been up for the VBAC would have happily had an elective section if I thought the other option was an emergency section, as that seems to be the worst of both.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

My physical recovery from my EMCS was probably better. The scar healed beautifully. I had little pain. Emotionally, it was hard because it was unexpected and (ridiculously), I thought I'd failed.

After my VBAC, I had a blood transfusion, a second degree tear, and horrendous piles. Lots of pain. Ironically, I'd opted for a VBAC because I wanted to be more mobile to look after DS1. Actually I was probably less mobile and in more pain

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

I think birth stories are cathartic for the teller, and therefore important to share with someone, A bit like when you tell someone about your dream/nightmare. Not always interesting for the person you tell, but respectfully listened to anyway

[RedToothbrush]

My post stated that other people's birth stories are boring. They are.

How many series have there been of OBEM? I'd love to know the viewing figures on that, cos I was under the impression it was pretty damn popular and that people found it interesting. I think that alone safety proves that other people's birth stories are in your opinion boring, but to lots and lots of other people they clearly aren't.

This is the problem when people present opinions as fact. They are not facts. You are perfectly entitled to an opinion, but when other people disagree with it, you can not say you are right and they are wrong. Facts need substance, not hot air.

[thebody]

Er I don't think I presented my opinion as a fact i just said its boring to me. Of course birth programmes are popular, so is emergency 999 and coastguard rescue, people love a bit of drama.

however it is a fact that many women on these threads are very affected by other people's stories in a negative way.

Surely that's the point behind the whole bloody post.



Red the whole point of aibu is to agree or disagree, that's the point of asking opinions.

Jamie you stated that you 'thought you had failed' so presumably others birth stories had made you feel a failure?

Aitch, clearly you have issues with the nursing/medical profession and I can't be bothered to counter your silly prejudices and assumptions.

I have had 4 kids so was also once in labour but its my story and no one else's.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

no you didn't say 'to me', thebody, neither time. i think that's where the problem lies. (well, one of the problems, at any rate... )

[thebody]

Aitch sorry chik ( that's what we say in affection around here) can't be arsed with you any more so leaving thread.

Op your friend is a silly twunt. Ignore her.

[whistlestopcafe]

I had two sections and recovery was easy both times despite not being very particularly fit. I'm not sure why people are so concerned with the way other women give birth. Your friend sounds like a bore.

[RosannaBanana]

I've had an elcs for breech and a induced vb. I would say the c section was harder to recover from physically, but the vb harder emotionally. I had flash backs for about six months or so of the mind bending agony :(

I find it extremely irritating if people are in any way judgy about others birth experiences.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

i don't think you feel any affection for me, thebody, hence the fact i queried it.

better to stick to the facts, i think, rather than present your opinion as the be all and end all. we're all equal on here, that's the joy of MN.

[searching4serenity]

Ugh mine was much harder. Everyone's different though!

[hazeyjane]

A lot of people say that elcs are easier because there has been no labour, and they are calmer and people have an idea of what will happen

Just for balance, my elcs was fucking awful! I felt like a woman sawn in half for months afterwards, lost 1500ml of blood, reacted badly to the drugs used and spent the rest of the day vomiting (this is is really, really horrible when you have been cut open!), I developed an inflammation in the veins of my legs (causing one to swell up like an elephants) because I tried to walk too quickly. Plus ds went straight to nicu with respiratory distress (more common in babies born by elcs). I ended up having flashbacks about the birth, it was definitely the worst of my 3 births.

[Rudolphstolemycarrots]

I've had both. Both were good births and yes the V-Bac took much longer to recover.

[Rudolphstolemycarrots]

Sorry meant elective C-section was harder to recover from but then it is major surgery isn't it. With my C-section I was mobile very very quickly and only in hospital two nights but getting up stairs, lifting and pushing the buggy was exceptionally hard for a week despite being ultra fit beforehand. I felt sluggish from the drugs for about a month also. The V-births were quick and I was up and about with only a minor tear.

[stillsmarting]

Never had a C-section, but it does occur to me that at least you don't have to sit on your stitches.

[hazeyjane]

No but, in my case, my stitches pulled and tugged and hurt every time I moved. I can't explain the soreness I felt around my girdle (I think that's the right area!) it exhausted me.

I had 3rd and 2nd degree tears with dd1 and 2, with botched stitching in the second birth, and yes, it definitely hurt, but didn't touch the pain when the morphine wore off after cs

[Moominsarescary]

Same with me hazey trying to stand up straight and walk was agony.

[lola88]

I had a VB 3 weeks before 2 friends had sections days apart both are completely recovered i am still in pain and suffering due to my 'natural birth' almost 10 months later. Next time i will be getting a section.

[IWipeArses]

lola, don't count on it on the NHS, I assumed after my first emergency section I'd have to fight for a VBAC and it was the other way round, assumed I'd be offered an elective, in order to avoid an emergency and was very bluntly talked out of it. Thankfully a nice nurse actually went through my notes from my previous birth and chatted about it and I found the right support and am very glad I went for it in the end, but I don't know quite how I'd have got an elective if I'd really wanted it.

[iismum]

I had two EMCS after long, difficult labours and recovered just fine. I was thankful to avoid the tearing/incontinence/horrible piles, etc, that some of my friends suffered.