AIBU to think we shouldn’t worry about an increase in c-sections?

[PancakeCloud]

I came across an instagram post earlier where someone had shared data indicating the UK’s c-section rates have increased significantly in the last five or so years. The commenters almost universally consider this to be ‘tragic’ and think it is ‘so so sad’ that some women are electing to deliver via section. There are also a whole bunch of commenters who think if only women were properly informed they would push for a natural birth even if drs are recommending inductions etc.

I accept the UK’s maternity system is under strain and needs improvement, but really isn’t the point that we have healthy mothers and babies not that women give birth via one method or another.

There are downsides of attempted vaginal births, because of course not all of them go to plan! There is an increased risk of severe birth trauma or hypoxic brain injury to baby vs choosing a c section. For women, tears and pelvic floor injury are very common. While C-sections come with their own risks, these are well known and often presented without acknowledgement that vaginal births have downsides too.

For the NHS I understand planned c sections are cheaper than other births, given so many of them end in emergency sections anyway and because of payouts when things go horribly wrong.

Are we not looking at this all wrong? The goal should be healthy mothers and babies irrespective of how those babies get out. Why are people so fixated on reducing the c section rate?

I had my first c section as my baby was breach and then a 2nd because the first one went well and I still didnt know a single person that had a positive natural birth story! With the endless articles on understaffing and dangerous scenarios giving birth it wasn’t something I wanted to gamble with. Some people are extremely pro natural birth and that’s fine but I don’t blame people for having a c-section over risking damage or having a traumatic experience.

Well how many are elective vs emergency? I’ve had one of each and the elective was still medically necessary because of the nature of the first one and it still went wrong and I got a big internal injury. I’d have loved a vaginal birth, that’s what I thought I was doing until the shit massively hit the fan and it took me a long time to come to terms with the whole thing.

Rates of sections are increasing due to maternal age and obesity from what I remember reading so that’s not to be celebrated because women are having major intervention through necessity rather than choice. Safe, calm deliveries and healthy happy mums and babies are obviously the goal and if that means surgery rather than not that’s what should happen and no woman should be denied an elective section.

I've seen people claim it's a big ol' drain on NHS money etc etc but when you show them the research stating it would SAVE money in compo if every woman had an elcs they have nothing to say.

I had an elective with my 9mo due to my ex husband sexual abusing me with knives, no way was I having a bunch of strangers down there with scalpels.

I have quite a few friends that are doctors and they all chose to have elective c-sections. A lot of c-section data mixes the emergency and elective data together which makes it seem the risker option.

I chose to have a c-section for both my children; it was a wonderful experience and my children are healthy. I know far too many women who had traumatic experiences and injuries from vaginal births. Too many women get sold the dream that they can breathe a baby out with a bit of hypnobirthing. Women really need to be educated in the dwnsides of vaginal births too.

I had an elective CS & vag birth. Would take the latter option every day over the CS but I wouldn’t like to have a baby now. I don’t think the care is good enough.

That's unusual you don't know ANYONE who had a natural birth without issues. I had 3 such births my DDs have had 4 and 2 such births respectively.

My mum had a vaginal birth with a 9lb breech baby

It's hardly unusual to have a normal uncomplicated birth

Rates of sections are increasing due to maternal age and obesity from what I remember reading so that’s not to be celebrated because women are having major intervention through necessity rather than choice

Agree

Why would they be using scalpels in the vaginal area?

There has just been a BBC article on the increase of life threatening undiagnosed placenta accreta that has correlated with the rise in C sections. The risks aren’t talked about enough imo, especially on mn where so many posters are strongly in favour of CS and will shut down other opinions and experiences.

episiotomy?

I had an elective section and have absolutely no regrets, it was a great experience.

I have OCD and couldn't cope with the unknowns of vaginal birth. I also personally read about every risk under the sun for all options, and ultimately the controlled risks of an elective section felt far safer to me.

Childbirth is dangerous however it happens. All that matters is that women are provided with the options to make an informed choice. Given the current state of maternity services, tbh I suspect elective sections are genuinely a safer option. It's not a bad thing if more women have their babies safely.

There are people who care way too much about how others give birth and parent their children. There was a time where i’d have been scared to say I had c sections or formula fed because i so desperately wanted to do things the ‘right’ way according to the strident bossy women on the internet who say how sad it is that everyone didn’t go to the effort of huffing out a baby on two paracetamol like they did. Now I look back and think, I was cut open whilst still awake and immediately handed a baby to look after. If anyone should have felt smugly proud of themselves, it should have been me!

That's not every birth , or even most of them

When did you give birth? I’ve had two babies in last 3 years and in 30s so prime baby having time and hear lots of birth stories and know of very few births that I would describe as ‘natural and uncomplicated’. Certainly aware of far far more emergency sections, severe tears, forceps etc.

I think it's a worry that expertise in managing some types of labour is disappearing, because c sections are becoming more common. I'm pregnant and a lot of medics have said that c sections are becoming standard for breech babies, simply because fewer people see breech deliveries and therefore the knowledge of how to manage them isn't being passed on. That's a bit frightening.

I also think a c section isn't something to be blase about. It's major surgery.

Frankly (and I have vested interests here, being one of those older mothers who is more likely to be directed towards a section), I wish we could prioritise learning more about why stillbirth happens, and why the placenta starts to fail, rather than worrying about what kind of deliveries women have.

Me a long while a ago. My DDs in the other hand had 3 babies within the last 2 years ( both in their 30s)

But the point is going in you don’t know if it will be you, so if you have a phobia it’s reasonable to avoid the risk isn’t it.

... I never said it was every birth? It's a genuine risk though that I wanted to avoid. It's not super rare either.

Mine are 26 and 18. When I had DS26 I stayed in for five nights while the staff tried to get bf going. Eventually I asked when I was going home! I had an en-suite room and heat lamp therapy for my second degree tear. DS spent most of the first three nights in the nursery. We were both looked after very well.

Eight years later the staff were rushed off their feet. I do view my cs very positively though as the whole thing was handled well and the evidence suggests if I’d refused it there would have been an emergency.

Yeah I'd be terrified of a CS and actually refused one

Interesting. Perhaps your DDs lucky (or my acquaintances unlucky) or its area dependent. My local hospital is inadequate for maternity care but so are the majority of hospitals in England I think, which is depressing.

You can bet your bottom dollar that if it were men who endured labour, the proportion of c sections would be near 100% and no one would be trying to shame them for it.

The numbers also don’t take into account the pelvic floor issues in later life that vaginal births cause and the cost of dealing with them.
I have done it both ways. Vaginal with third degree tear and two elective sections. The sections were easier to recover from. I too know a consultant obstetrician that opted for a section with her first despite no concerns. That tells you all you need to know! I wish I had spoken to her before my first. Not looking forward to prolapse issues in later life.

But if you started with a vaginal birth and things went wrong you might have not been able to avoid it? I’m glad you had a positive experience but I can’t see how you really have much control unless you go for elective section . You can maximise your chances of a natural uncomplicated birth but babies often have other ideas.

Dd2 had her last one at home accidentally after labour pains for under an hour. No tears or stitches with either

Dd1 had stitches with her eldest but not the 3 after