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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that some MNers are just a tweensy bit biased when it comes to elective CS?

371 replies

youcannotbeserious · 26/06/2008 17:06

Why is it, when anyone ever posts that they want an elective CS / considering going private, LOTS of MNers start going on about the risks (I appreciate that they exist and, to be fair, they are explained in detail by the consultant and you have to sign a waiver so you are fully aware of them) and needing to be in an NHS hospital 'just in case' and you wouldn't want to be in one of those pesky private hospitals, but the same never gets said for home births which, as far as I can see, must have a reasonably equal risk of needing to go to transfer to a hospital?

Why is it that Elec. CSs are so frowned upon?

I'm genuinely curious - I had to defend my 'birth plan' several times here on MN - and I don't honestly see why it's so emotive... Should I run for it now?

OP posts:
Original poster
youcannotbeserious · 26/06/2008 17:26

HI Lulumama..

No, not tokophobia. Mainly, it was the advice of friends: Most had had Elec CS and raved about them. The few friends who had delivered naturally had far fewer positive stories and a couple had horrendous stories (one friend ended up with such bad PND, she is sure because of the birth and is still now having trouble with her DH because it's affected them and also he wants another child and she is just unable to commit to have one)

Plus, my DH was very supportive, as was my mum (unlikely source, I know, but she too had a bad tear - I didn't know that before!! TMI!!)

Also, I wanted to deliver my baby on a Saturday because my DH works abroad and I really wanted him to be there.

I appreciate it wasn't your average birth plan!!!

OP posts:
MrsMattie · 26/06/2008 17:26

Many good points from ILikeToMOveIt and lulumama

SheikYerbouti · 26/06/2008 17:27

My elective was great too.

Twelvelegs · 26/06/2008 17:27

Planned sections are the safest form of delivery for a baby (as they eliminate emergency section ).
It's not just MN that people are likely to speak out against planned sections but in RL people want to know why too!!
The risk of breathing problems is reduced to a neglible level when c-section is after 39 weeks.

BouncingTurtle · 26/06/2008 17:28

SY - yes I agree - that whole too posh to push is just media hype imo.
I know a few people who have had elective cs - and they were all for medical reasons.

lulumama · 26/06/2008 17:28

no, your VB. i know you have often said that all the people who discussed VBAC with you went by the wayside when your VB went so disastrously wrong and that is awful. sorry, am getting all convoluted

i had a 'friend' helpfully tell me to book a planned section with DD as i could get my hair done first and i should also ask to be sterilised as i don;t cope with having babies very well

ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 26/06/2008 17:30

And there are still risks for elec cs:

Breathing difficulties with the baby - most elec cs's are performed at 39 weeks, however if left to go to natural term that baby may want to be in there for another 3 weeks or longer. Also mucus and general gunk are squeezed out of the babies lungs during a vaginal delivery, something that doesn't happen with a cs.

Internal adhesions, higher risk of hysterectomy, an affect on future fertility - these are all risks to the mother whether you have an elec or emerg.

FAQ · 26/06/2008 17:30

I have met plenty of women who had a had an EMC after having had a EMS the first time round. Without fail all of them have done so because they were led to believe that an EC carried less risks than a (well managed) VBAC.

I had an EMC (well it was more like an EC - but was classed as EMC as it wasn't planned unti lthe day - although looking back if I'd had the knowledge I would have refused as I don't believe my DS1 was in any risk at all - if he was why on earth did they make me wait for 4hrs before taking me to theatre??)

With DS2 I had an induced, horrendously managed VBAC - I won't lie it wasn't a pleasant experience.

DS3 was a well managed, well supported VBAC and was amazing. I had been able to arm myself with all the facts and information before seeing the consultant and had the support of a doula who helped ensure that it was able to happen in the best way possible.

RubyRioja · 26/06/2008 17:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lulumama · 26/06/2008 17:30

fair enough YCBS.

see for me, planning a birth according to a schedule was just, well, wrong. i have a DH who works away, works long hours, i had him block out 4 weeks before and after my due date when he would not be more than 90 minutes away from home.

you will also never know if you could h ave been one of the many , many, many , many women who had a positive, empowering, thrilling and exhiliarating vaginal birth biased, moi??

wasabipeanut · 26/06/2008 17:30

I'm not a medic but I would be genuinely interested to see how the risk factors present in an emergency cs are not present in a planned one.

You are still doing the same thing?

A proper crash cs I can understand as being higher risk but standard emergency "not really an emergency but its all been going on a bit too long" cs is relatively unhurried.

Why the difference?

FAQ · 26/06/2008 17:32

also meant to say that even after my absolutley horrendouse birth with DS2 I still wanted another VBAC over an EMC.

SheikYerbouti · 26/06/2008 17:33

I remebr after having DS1 going to a coffee morning with the NCT bitches.

All going on anout thier births (asnthey do) and one said to me "Oh, how was yours?" and I said "oh, 18 hr labour ending in a section"

One of them hadd the utter gall to say to me "Oh GOD! I'd never let a surgeon near me with a knife to get a baby out"

Well, I saw red (as you can imagine )

"Oooh, just as well I did let the kniffe weilding surgeon near me, or my DP would now be ordering 2 coffins from the undertakers." said I.

I also managed to get in "You didn;t have nay qualms about letting the surgeon near your nose did you?"

and flouynced.

I'm still very proud of myself for that you know

I never went anywhere near the NCT after that.

EBenes · 26/06/2008 17:33

My elective was for medical reasons and was trauma free and easy to recover from. I have to have another with this pregnancy, and I do hate reading all the warnings when elective cs is discussed about how traumatic and dangerous it is: I genuinely think they overstate the risks. More risk than natural birth does not mean HIGH risk. But the same thing happens in real life when I've told friends I was having elective cs without going into the reasons why: they've warned me about the risks in a really quite angry way and told me they wouldn't have bonded with their babies or felt like a real mother if they had to miss out on the birth experience. I would agree that the too posh crowd are pretty rare, and if they really are too posh most will be having their elective sections privately.

WideWebWitch · 26/06/2008 17:34

twelvelegs, I don't think you're right at all when you say planned sections are the safest. Source and stats please.

Ah, so to the OP, it's because you're afraid of vaginal birth?

Twiglett · 26/06/2008 17:35
Original poster
youcannotbeserious · 26/06/2008 17:35

If I'd asked my DH's employers to block him out for 4 weeks, they would have laughed in my face.

FWIW, I had the baby on Saturday and he went back to work on Monday morning (3 hour flight away)

But, why is it wrong to do that? The only thing I wanted was DH with me and the only way to guarantee that was an Elec CS.

ANd, I did have a positive emplowering thriling and exhilirating birth. I don't have any other experience, so how can I feel I#m mising out? The day my DS was born was the best, happiest and most fulfilling day of my life. Made all the more so by my DH being by my side...

OP posts:
FAQ · 26/06/2008 17:36

I was so exhirlated by my fantastic VBAC with DS3 I would have repeated the whole thing just weeks later if I had to!

DS2's VBAC I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy

DS1's EMC I would have fought against tooth and nail if I'd been better informed

wasabipeanut · 26/06/2008 17:36

Well done Sheik.

Your birth story sounds identical to mine, even down to length of labour! Fortunately my NCT group sound a bit nicer than the ones you so wisely flounced from!

Twelvelegs · 26/06/2008 17:36

Look through the BMJ, I am well versed at this tiresome debate!! It negates the need for emergency c-section and also reduces many other risks that occur during vaginal birth......not safest for mum though.

FAQ · 26/06/2008 17:38
MrsMattie · 26/06/2008 17:38

Every single thing I have ever read on the subject (also pretty well versed) says that vaginal delivery is safest for mother and baby. Confused.

Original poster
youcannotbeserious · 26/06/2008 17:38

PMSL at Sheikyerbouti!!

I wouldv'e LOVED to have come up with that line on a few of the Lovely NCT ladies who had patently obviously had some help in the boob / nose department!!!

OP posts:
WideWebWitch · 26/06/2008 17:38

No, I won't look through the BMJ. But to baldly state as you did that "Planned sections are the safest form of delivery for a baby" is wrong and 'look through the BMJ' is hardly quoting hard stats.

WideWebWitch · 26/06/2008 17:40

And having an ecs purely to avoid an em cs is like saying "I'll have my teeth out in case they rot and I need a filling" or something.