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?

Not looking forward to prolapse issues in later life.

CS don’t protect you completely from prolapse, pregnancy alone causes damage.

Everyone felt the need to tell me their birth story when I was pregnant and I only know of one uncomplicated birth from anyone who had a child in the last 15 years.

I think a large part of this though is staff intervene earlier these days. More births could be uncomplicated given a little more time to progress but, understandably, nobody wants to take risks.

It does worry me as a lot of women do it because they are scared, and in some cases they feel pressured, plus for personal reasons, I worry about what happens with the infection after (and yes, I know this can happen after any birth, but the mw said it was more common with cs).

Really? I've had 2 and know many more women who've had good births. (Neither of mine was in hospital, which helps).

I had stated with a vaginal birth then they tried to spring a cs on me

But they can't do it without consent. And I refused to give consent. Baby born under an hour later naturally

@Maray1967 I was out the next day with my CS without any painkillers, told to take paracetamol at home. My CS was the right decision but I found my VB so much easier.

Because as the NHS states….An NHS routine vaginal (natural) delivery costs roughly £2,350. An elective Caesarean section (planned C-section) typically costs around £6,000.

So a planned c section is a ‘waste’ of money.

Gosh that sounds like a very high risk strategy but I’m glad it worked out for you, hope baby was okay.

I had my dd by c section and would do it again.

Nope.

Knew this argument would pop up before long. See my previous comment on this very post.

https://www.itv.com/news/2019-04-18/caesareans-cheaper-than-natural-deliveries-once-negligence-claims-taken-into-account

She was absolutely fine. Grown woman with a job and family of her own now.

if we all have cesaerians we'll evolve as a species to not be able to deliver children naturally, which brings a whole host of other issues

It’s an odd one to me. Medical staff do seem fixated on natural birth which sounds lovely in principle but doesn’t seem that way at all in practice.

I had an emergency, crash section after induction. I’m a strong advocate that first time mothers shouldn’t be induced as the risk is awful. I remember after the section (and while I was pregnant) lots of people telling me a natural birth was a necessity and they were shocked when I said I didn’t really care, just hoped it would be a safe arrival. They were also shocked at my response when they tried to console me or tell me I hadn’t really given birth.

I do think c sections are sold as the easy way out which may be one reason for the uptake. following that, they market the mothers as lazy etc. I do imagine my horrific 20 hour labour, with manual water breaking, lots of meconium, decels and near death for us both was easier because I know we made it and I had a lot of pain relief. I have always been genuinely terrified of natural birth.

a family member is a midwife and she said after that if she’d have been there, she believes she could have managed to get a natural birth. Erm, why? I’m glad they stepped in when they did for a section and very much wish they’d done it when everything started to go downhill.

I think this works both ways though. Some women are pressured / shamed into vaginal birth (in fact, I think this is more common).

Ofc risks with both C-section and vaginal birth, just slightly different risks.

It does seem this happens more often after induction and other interferences.

We literally won’t. Need to revise your KS3 biology.

My close friends in their 30s and all healthy ended up needing emergency CS, forceps (which in 1 case caused scarring), horrible tearing causing great distress, pelvic floor issues and haemorrhage. Most said they weren’t listened to or pushed into certain situations. I asked for details as I’m nosy and my own worst enemy sometimes- they weren’t scaremongering.

Why would you ask about this. Fucking hell

I do think c sections are sold as the easy way out which may be one reason for the uptake. following that

I have no idea why it’s considered easy tbh although I did buy into that idea & was confused why my recovery felt very different to my VB. The stupid thing was I had had my appendix removed years ago & was in hospital for days after & on morphine so I should have realised the impact of cutting through muscle!

I have had elective c’s. Tbh I am quite proud of them. I don’t ever feel judged and if people ever were I would just think ‘you do you hunny’.

Having not done natural birth, the description of it sounds much, much worse. Even if it goes well. But I was young and recovered quickly. I always imagined how sore my scar was would be how sore all of me would have been with a natural birth.

I suppose more to the point, who cares if women choose an option they consider to be easier? The objective should be healthy mum and baby and not natural v c section.

Im not saying c section is easy, it’s major surgery, of course it isn’t but a vaginal birth isn’t easy either. You might be one of the lucky ones who does have a straightforward birth with quick recovery but you can never know for sure going in.

A lot of my friends & family have had fairly trouble free VBs although I think at times many struggled with the lack of control. I did & found it scary. I have 2 friends who had difficult CS.

Why do you think this is?
Maternal fitness or poor maternity care? Maybe both.
I'm mid 50s and most of my peers and my family had vaginal births, mostly uncomplicated.

I struggle to understand why anyone cares what another woman chooses as long as it's not harmful.

I wanted elcs and to exclusively bf. My best friend (6 weeks behind me) wanted a vaginal birth and to ff. We just supported each other?