Would you judge someone for choosing to have a c section?

[ProudOtter]

I’m just curious as to why you would judge someone for choosing to have an elective c section?

For background I’ve decided I’d like to ask for a c section for baby number 2. Some people have made comments about me being insane, or that I’m missing out of giving birth “properly”

I am curious as to why some people have this view.

My first born was semi elective c section, was rushed into an induction due to minor fetal distress and escalated a bit so had to choice to attempt vaginal birth or go for a C-section and I chose the c section. Positive experience and no regrets.

I think it’s a bit sad when grown woman talk about other woman’s birth choices with “I wouldn’t want a mummy ledge” or “I wouldn’t want a baggy vag”

First of all the majority of woman will note no change down their and it’s not only c section mums that have changes to their belly after birth. None of my vaginal birth friends have gone back to their old bodies before birth, we all have extra weight around our stomachs

I've had a vaginal birth, and I'd be way more scared of a C-section. Six week recovery, can cause permanent internal scarring and bladder issues etc.

Definitely don't think it's the wussy option. I'd be way more scared of a C-section - with a good vaginal birth you can be back on your feet straight after and feeling good

Wouldn’t the world be a lovely place if eveyone just shut the fuck up about other people’s choices and only worried about their own lives?

After nearly dying with sepsis, and having forceps/ episiotomy, which left me with a searingly painful ‘excess skin’, which I then had to have burned off with silver (another agonising pain I was told shouldn’t be painful - as I was screaming, having it done 😂) then no judgement here; judging anyone electing to have a c-section is ludicrous to me. I’d recommend 😆 seriously though - your body, your choice. Who gives a flying F what anyone else thinks.

Depends. No medical need? Yeah a little. I’d never ever say it out loud though.
why? Outcomes poorer for babies born by C-section all things being equal. It’s not a neutral choice.

A lot of people can only justify their choices by denigrating others as they aren't confident in their choice hence the shelf, baggy vag shite.

C sections get blamed a lot for overhangs. I’ve have 3 and have an overhang - but I was a massive, fat cow (27stone) at one point, so blaming the c sections on my saggy flap of belly is a bit of a reach.

Emergency c-sections are often included in that though. Some studies show that elective c-sections actually have better outcomes for baby than a vaginal birth.

My MIL likes to judge me, but she also judges us for literally everything and we're low contact.. so no I wouldn't judge anyone!

Do you think about csection is pain free??? The drugs work at the time but it requires a lot of healing and associate pain.

Hence my “medical need” caveat…

I thought this wasn't actually true when you account for the fact that most sections are done because there is some sort of additional risk factor - that's what makes the outcome worse, not the section itself.

And we aren’t comparing like for like. A complication free v birth is better for baby. In terms of breathing issues, breastfeeding rates , allergies etc etc.

obvs a planned section v a complex, instrumental birth is a different beast.

Nope. C section v V birth has material impact on Bf rates, allergies etc. it’s to do with bacteria from vagina and rectum colonising babies gut during birth process, birthing process being instrumental in triggering breastfeeding hormones and excess fluid on lungs being squeezed out during VB.

That's the thing though, a complication free vaginal birth isn't guaranteed. An elective c-section is more controlled.

I wasn't breastfeeding anyway so that part was irrelevant to me.

Well, indeed - you can’t know in advance.

But if the stats combine emergency and elective c-sections, how do we know that babies with complications requiring EMCS were not already more likely to have allergies and less likely to latch?

Do you have a source for this which accounts for the difference between emergency, elective but for medical reasons, and maternal choice sections please?

I’d be a massive hypocrite if I criticised someone for having a section. Mine was originally elective due to concern about potential shoulder dystocia, but became an emergency section undertaken earlier than the elective date.

However, I wouldn’t criticise someone for electing to have a section because they were scared of the pain, etc. Fear can be a crippling thing. Birth is very personal, and a big deal. If an elective section helps a woman combat their anxiety towards birth, and helps baby arrive safely, then that’s fantastic.

There are plenty of severely disabled babies out there who suffered a hypoxic brain injury during a vaginal birth.

In case this needs saying, I’m not judging or blaming the mothers AT ALL for giving birth vaginal, my heart goes out to them. Im just saying it is really simplistic to say vaginal births have poorer outcomes when the babies who have the worst outcome of all would often have been fine had they had an elective section. The risk of this is small but the magnitude is massive and that alone make c-section a reasonable choice.

Separately, I consider the very real risk of injuries such as a 4th degree tear, incontinence, prolapse to be a medical reason to avoid vaginal birth but then I don’t think women’s health issues are trivial, unlike some on this thread

granted - but what I’m talking about is the AVERAGE v birth v AVERAGE elective c section. Of course things go wrong tragically in vaginal births. But for most babies they don’t. And the outcomes are favourable for baby if born vaginally.

I had an elective for both! Not a single person questioned me. Newsflash for those who think you get a medal having a VB - you don’t.

genuine question. Can you have an elective c section, by which I mean just a personal choice with no medical reason on the NHS?

Yes, you can. Although you could have just googled this, so I suspect you're being goady.