To request ELCS ...

[KeepOnKeepingOnAndOnAndOnAndOn]

After instrumental birth and haemorrage with dd 1 ( which resulted in anemia and no breast milk)

I was induced at 10 days over and in and out of labour for over 48 hours. I was totally and utterly dejected and very ill by the time dd came.

I have just foun out I am pregnant again :) - I know this time maybe different, but quite frankly I would rather skip at the distress for the ext dc and me , and have a ELCS. I know it will be a longer recovery (can be) but my last born left me with weeks of pain (plus exhaustion )

AIBU to request a. ELCS? Will I have mucho hope?

Thanks system / I had a pessary which I belive comes out as I remember hve the pessary contractions (agonizing) then later in having milder ones - these were obviously just general contractions- still sore, but bearable.

Backward possum - glad to hear all went better for you second time, though sorry to hear about your dc. That is also a concern of mine. I will need to enquire how common problems are with dc's born through ELCS.

My DS also had mucous related problems following my ELCS. He was very reluctant to feed and most times he did he was vomiting it back up and his sick was always full of phlegm. It really worried me but the midwives said it is very common for CS babies. He didn't need any special care or monitoring but he did lose over 9% of his birthweight in 48 hours. His feeding did get better but he was still mucusy and sickly for a good week or so.

He's now just over 5 weeks old and is absolutely fine

Thanks writer.

Well this is definitely good for thought. One of the reasons I want a ELCS is because dd didnt feed well (as I had no milk due to haemorrage/ stress / aneamia. She lost over 9% of her birth weight and I was distraught. It really affected me. I never ever want to experience that again. I would rather have a difficult vaginal birth for myself, than cause problems for dc...

I have a lot to consider.

Dd was a vahinal birth though- not a cs. I think what I am going to do is request an ELCS if I go overdue ( as I do not want to risk being induced and havin instrumental delivery / pain relief etc- all of which are a higher risk when induced)

If I give birth around due date by naturually goin into labour, then I am more likely to have an easier birth.

Oh I really dunno!!!

It was difficult at the time and at one point I was expressing colostrum into a syringe for them to give to my DS because he just wouldn't latch and feed. Seeing him vomit did upset me but at the same time I knew the phlegm had to come out and was glad he was expelling it. I had my ELCS on a Friday afternoon and was still home by Sunday afternoon, his phlegm and weight loss wasn't an issue that meant DS couldn't go home. As he cleared more phlegm over the next few days and started feeding better he gained weight fantastically.

He was back up to his birth weight in less than a week. He was 7lb 11oz when discharged (8lb 7 at birth) and now, 5 weeks later he is weighing 10lb 7oz so an increase of almost 3lbs in 5 weeks.

It was upsetting at the time but it probably seemed worse in my eyes because I was sore from the procedure and sleep deprived. In hindsight it wasn't bad enough to make me not want to have another CS. There were plenty of other women on the ward who'd had Sections and their babies were absolutely fine.

I was also given the option of Induction under an epidural or a CS and after discussing it with my DH we opted for the CS as research showed that over 60% of inductions under epidural result in either a complicated or assisted delivery, or ending up with a CS anyway.

My friend had her baby a week before mine and she was booked in for induction as they didn't want her going overdue. However, despite all their induction method she didn't actually go into labour for 5 days. Within an hour of being in labour she was rushed off for an emergency CS as the baby was in distress. Why they just didn't do an elective CS earlier is beyond me.

Really? Thanks writer. That is reassuring. I think the reason I got so upset with dds weigh loss is because I blamed myself for persisting to breastfeed, thinking it best for her. Ironically, in her case - the bottle was going to be best for her. I must say she gained lot of weight too, so much so the midwife was shocked! Ithink in the haze of exhaustion, painkillers and pain everything seems worse!

I will speak to the midwife about figures regarding problems with babies after a cs.

I empathise with blaming yourself, that's exactly what I did and I was an emotional mess. I felt like I was letting my baby down and was in tears a lot. The doctors kept telling me to give formula and on two occasions I agreed but it really upset me. Even when I got home I was full of self blame and guilt which in hindsight was ridiculous but at the time it was the only emotions felt. But like I said, he's thriving on breast milk now and all the upset and initial feeding problems just seem so insignificant.

As you already know, a VB doesn't guarantee a happy and problem free labour - so it's just a case of you weighing up the pros and cons.

Thanks writer. I feel, deep down, instinct is telling me to go for an ELCS - for so, so many reasons.

So glad you and baby are well now. What a lovely outcome :) thanks for sharing!

Go with your instincts - if I was in your position I think I'd go for the ELCS too. It is a very strange sensation having one (and there are some downsides for the mother) but in general the birth/arrival was still magical and overwhelming. I'm lying in bed now with my gorgeous baby fast asleep on my chest and when I look back I know I made the right choice in opting for a CS as opposed to possibly exposing myself and the baby to all the potential problems of labouring under induction.

Even with the problems my dd had after her birth, I would still go with elcs again. Selfish perhaps, but I was in a much better place to deal with the problems and can't imagine being exhausted from labour and still having had an emcs or awful tearing and recovering from that and dealing with it. With the elcs, I'd had a reasonable amount of sleep the night before (although was up at 4am as I was nervous/excited and couldn't get back to sleep!), was in theatre at 9am, she was born before half past and everything was very calm. It is a case of weighing up the pros and cons, and I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you.

I had a horrible time having DS1
I was offered an ELCS with DS2, I didn't have to ask.
Grabbed the opportunity with both hands, and I LOVED it!

Well I have already been telling family today I will be having an ELCS. My mum did retort with a 'says who!' , but I know I have decent grounds and I will persevere for one.

Sounds like there are two things going on here, and maybe you have to think about them separately. You had a horrendous birth first time, and will need to find ways of coming to terms with that trauma during your pregnancy (says the woman who spent ante-natal classes 2nd time round shaking and in floods of tears, terrifying a room full of first-timers with stories of a v long hideous labour ending up in scbu). You also have to make an informed decision about the relative risks for you and baby of vb and elcs. And you have several months to do it. Find a doctor or midwife you trust and ask them to spend some time with you on both. Ask for your first time notes if you need to understand what went wrong, and whether it was a random occurrence or something that might reoccur. YANBU, though.

could you clarify what you mean by MWs being too free to agree to epidurals? Some of the possible interpretations of that sentence are rather terrifying.

Really? How so?

I mean just that...I think that epidurals are agreed too freely. I don't believe that an epidural, with all the risks it comes with (such as assisted births/emcs) should be an 'available on demand' form of pain relief. IMO, they should be used as a last resort, agreed only by a consultant.

The risks of epidurals are not explained in many cases. I've heard so many stories of women labouring 'normally'...getting to a point of 7/8cm, screaming for an epidural and being provided one instantly. Then progression stops, intervention is necessary and so on.

YANBU your body, your choice!

I hve to admit I think the epidural played a part in my ventouse delivery. I couldn't feel a thing, so pushing was very surreal. I did have diamorphine though, this made me sick and out of it. Exhaustion also played a part. I think it is often several factors. The main thing is, induced labours often result in pain relief ( as they are often more painful), there for I think if a woman is overdue i think an ELCS should be a discussed choice. As opposed to an induced labour, inevitable pain relief (often the case) and subsequent instrumental birth.

... Basically, ELCS should be discussed earlier -as well as induced labour

I was denied an epidural, having been made to think from community MW and birth classes that it would actually be an option, like gas and air. At no point was it made clear to me there was a high chance of not actually getting one.

I was denied one, and baby turned out back to back. I spoke to consultant prior to next birth and she said you cannot say whether epidural slow things down or result in intervention. She said lots of women are usually labouring with something amiss, like back to back or other issues for them to want epidural anyway....so chicken and egg.

Anyway, I was denied one, in too much pain and had an ELC the next time.

BTW op I had no pushing with first in that, my body just did it, it just started to push it self. So whether I had felt this or not would have made no difference to my body as I , did not instigate anything.

And this is the great problem with assuming that because women who have epidurals experience more complications, it must be the epidural causing the complication rather than vice versa

I agree.

There is a body of thought that refuses to accept that sometimes intervention is needed no matter what and things go wrong frequently...even is you say you had a home birth with no drugs, a doula and whale music they would come up with somehting you did or that was wrong, anything than admit that labour is not easy and things go wrong

The use of the term 'last resort' is potentially pretty worrying too, maybe you could give further clarification there

I don't really know how I can clarify my pov further tbh.

I do not believe that epidurals should be available on demand. We do not always get what we want in regards to medication, with good reason. How often do people demand antibiotics for a viral illness as they believe it's their right? These requests should be refused, by someone who knows better. Similar with an epidural.

There are lots of other pain relief medications available for birth. An epidural is not a necessity, but many women ask for one, mid-labour, because they just want it to stop. Of course they (we) do...labour is the most painful thing you can put your body through. With ds1, there was a time when I literally just wanted to die. I didn't care what happened to me, had I had a switch to push, I would have chosen death over continuing with that level of pain for another hour. Which is obviously ridiculous...now.

Is this really an acceptable state of mind for a person to be in when making a choice about such an invasive medication, with potential for immediate and long-term side-effects? Or should the decision be made by a medical professional?

I believe it should be made by a Doctor only, not the patient, not a mw, a Doctor or Consultant. As a last resort for extended labours only, once other pain relief (much less likely to result in the numerous problems epidurals can cause), has already been tried.