to just want to say having a c section for me was a wonderful experience

[diamondlizard]

when i was pg alot of people told me i didnt need a c section, not drs no, they recomended it,due to previos 4th degree tear and birth injury, just aquantances etc
mums on the schol run etc
even though they do not know my medical history

i was told i wouldnt be able to bond sowell etc

but for me and my baby it was a wonderful experience
Calm in control nothing went wrong, he came out pink and crying at 37 weeks
He was placed on me while I was stiched up

Then we spend the whole entire rest of the day, he was born before 10am
Having a massive snuggle in bed skin to skin, the whole day, it was bliss
Really really lovely day

And a very very positive experience for us

in fact i still need to write to the hospital to thank them

anyway it just annoys me that noone ever warns you of the dangers of vaginal birth like i never even knew what a 4th degree tear is
let other things that can go wrong

yes neither way is without risk
i just feel all risks should be pointed out so women are actually making informed decsions

Congratulations on the birth of your baby!

I don't understand why total strangers feel the need to critise other people's birth decisions.

As long as you're happy with it that's the main thing. Who cares what others think?

Although I can't believe that no-one ever discussed the potential complications of a natural birth....surely every woman going into that knows the risks?

I loved it! Calm, controlled, I knew the date so could prepare especially for the day, there were no complications and I was up and about comparatively quickly.

Nice to see a positive c section post. All 3 of mine were sections and I had good experiences with all.
The aftermath of my body is not so great...!

JohnCusacksWife, certainly when I was discussing my options the only negatives and risks which were brought up were those of the c-section. It wasn't a remotely balanced discussion and I didn't feel like I was being helped to come to a decision, I felt like they were trying to scare me.

Yes, I knew most of the risks myself but not everybody does

JohnCusack, no one discusses the risk of a normal birth. I tried to get senior midwives to give me stats on how many women end up with instrumental births or 3 or 4th degree tears on their first baby. These were senior midwives counselling me on the risks of my cs. They only knew the risks of a cs, but only anecdoctal risks of a botched vb.

Women since time immemorial have had to put up with the ravages of a vaginal birth as it is their lot in life. If men had to take those risks, you would bet they would all be having cs.

In the same way, my husband asked (at this point I was upset as the first consultant I saw was, to be blunt, a total cow) what the probability was that given my physical state I would actually have a natural, low intervention birth.

She replied by quoting the non-c-section birth rate for the hospital. No consideration to my individual health, mobility issues or to the fact that their forceps rate was running about 25% and I had categorically said I was terrified of instrumental delivery.

Ok, I stand corrected. I just remember having discussions about tears etc during ante natal classes when I had mine. Perhaps that's changed now.

If I ever get pregnant, I'm having an elective CS. No question.

My CS was fantastic; quick recovery and healing, home in 2 days and no issues since. I always tell people to send their mates who have been terrified of a cs to me so I can give a different point of view.

I had 1 emergency and 2 planned c sections. Planned ones amazing, relaxed, exciting experiences. No problems bonding or breastfeeding any of them though despite a horrific experience with my first.

Have to say OP - CS is the only way to have safe, happy, without PND hysteria.

Sorry I hat to be the only voice of dissent on this thread, and I know they can be wonderful. But ^^this just isn't true!

I had a great CS experience as well and planning on a second one now.

I was also not told of any of the risks of VB (in France) but terrorised every time I brought up the possibility of a ELCS.

I had an awful experience with dd2 birth..17 hour labour followed by emergency section, my bladder was damaged, my wound ruptured 2 days later and wouldn't heal for months an I was in so much pain.

However dd3 birth was a planned section and it was th most fantastic experience out of all four of mine (my first two were normal births)

calm, chilled, beautiful and I recovered quickly and was out of hospital 3 days later. Fantastic experience

After my forceps delivery with DS I felt like I hadn't donewell enough. It took me over 2 years to recover emotionally and not to be angry at myself when I looked back.

My ELCS with DD had no such negative feelings.

I'm pregnant with my first and wondering whether to ask for ELCS. I'm 34, overweight (though not obese) and looking at the stats my risk of intervention is really high.

akachan google scholar is a good resource for scientific information on the risks and benefits of various birth methods (although you need ATHENS to access most of the articles themselves, or to pay for individual access). It's a good start for getting information, especially articles that distinguish between EMCS and ELCS. It will give you a base from which to discuss your individual circumstances with your doctor.

Thanks booboo I need to do some reading. My ideal of course would be a lovely homebirth but I want to be realistic and I'd much much rather have an ELCS than a hideous labour and end up with a brutal instamental birth or an EMCS.

Wonderful would not be the first adjective I'd use to describe my emergency c-section, but since it certainly saved my baby's life, it'd be a bit churlish to complain about the procedure.

I was fortunate to still be conscious when she was born, and to hear her first cries.

Lying in recovery looking at her little face, and waiting for someone to show me how to breastfeed, was an anxious but unbearably beautiful time. At that point, I'd been expecting her to die for the past hour, and was only just comprehending what a lovely little thing she was, and how much I could have lost. Then, when she was forty minutes old, we had a sharp (but minor) earthquake, and I realised that the fear had intensified a hundred times because of the need to protect this delicate little thing now.

It was one of the worst days of my life but it had a happy ending, for which I have the c-section (and the surgeons) to thank. Because of the operation, she will be my only child, but I wouldn't have this narky, delightful little toddler now but for it, so overall my thoughts about c-sections are positive.

My c section was an extremely positive experience.

Can't stand it when people expect a reason or you to justify why you had a section.

Will def have a section if I decide to have number 2.

YANBU. It sounds like it was definitely the right thing for you.

Statisticallychallenged Yes they always do that...very selective use of stats. Like they will always give you the overall c-section stats (which include dire emergency situations like premature birth and VBs gone wrong where there are lots of other factors going on etc) to try to scare you about complications and mortality. If you ask for the stats for just ELCS they either stonewall by saying they don't encourage ELCS, or say they don't know. My guess is that ELCS has the lowest complication rate of all, particularly for the over-35s, but the NHS, the RCM, RCOG and NCT would go to hell and back before admitting it.

StickyStick, I think you've got a good point. When I demanded a CS to bring my endless induction to an end, a bumptious junior doctor told me that I was making a mistake 'for me, for my baby and the for my future babies'. When I asked him to justify this he umm-ed.

However...I had a great CS and was walking about the next next day, but a friend who had a VB with her second was at Alton towers two days later for DC1's birthday. You don't do that after a CS.

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