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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Did you have an emergency Caesarean?

99 replies

knittamerrykid · 12/12/2010 10:29

I'm looking (out of interest) into the reasons why emergency caesareans are performed, specially in the UK, and would like to hear your experiences, I'm particularly interested in the chain of events leading up to it.
Thank you.

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TuttiFrutti · 12/12/2010 17:12

Why? Are you doing research? Are you a student midwife? Or a journalist?

Original poster

knittamerrykid · 12/12/2010 17:52

None of the above, gosh didn't mean to spark suspicions!

I am interested in the matter because I'm due in a couple of months with my first one. I'd like a homebirth, but my family are really opposed to it, so I'm trying to convince them or at least gain their understanding before simply telling them that it is our decision. They keep coming up with all these anecdotes of people who have needed emergency c. but they lack a lot of background information, such as if the labour was induced/augmented, at what stage, etc.

They don't live in the UK so it's also very hard for them to understand the differences in medical systems, so I wanted to know about people's experiences here.

Sorry if it is something people would rather not share, I've had great support and a lot of help in these forums, perhaps my post's wording is too formal, I appologize.

OP posts:

ilovesprouts · 12/12/2010 18:01

i had one as an em cs due to eclampsia and one as i was overdue due to failed induction

BikeRunSki · 12/12/2010 18:02

Undiagnosed footling breech.

Diagnosed when I had been in hospital about 4 minutes and I was 8cm dilated and DS was most of the way out. He had to be pushed back to up to perform the CS/

earwicga · 12/12/2010 18:03

Yes, after 20 hours labour the smaller twin went into 'distress' so they were born by emergency C-section ten minutes later.

If there are no risk factors then the likliehood of a c-section being necessary is very low.

scrappydappydoo · 12/12/2010 18:07

Well I technically had a crash c-section - basically dd1 had the cord wrapped round her head and so literally couldn't get herself out naturally - they didn't realise this until she was born though. Beforehand I was being monitored very closely because of irregular hearttbeat. So it would not have made a difference where I started off - home or hospital I would have ended up in hospital being monitored as midwife would have detected it and sent me in.
I'm sure you already have but maybe explain to them how much support you would get with homebirth and the qualified midwife wouldn't take risks and send you in if there were any problems?

SlowComfortableShrew · 12/12/2010 18:07

I had a crash emergency c section due to severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome

BikeRunSki · 12/12/2010 18:09

I was not considered to be at risk. As I said, that DS was in an usual position at all went entirely unnoticed. 3 days before he was born MW told me his head was engaged !

earwicga · 12/12/2010 18:16

Aye, BikeRunSki - I saw your comment which x posted mine. There's always one ;)

Scrappy, my brother who was a homebirth had the same thing - the midwife was competent and was able to untangle this.

AlpinePony · 12/12/2010 18:17

I was due a home birth but at 36 weeks was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and an emcs was performed (following failed induction).

I'm not in the UK, but I'm in a country where home births are the norm.

Original poster

knittamerrykid · 12/12/2010 18:18

Yes scrappy, I have! they just love medicine and doctors...

bike if he was most of the way out already, what was the problem? I thought breech babies can be born vaginally?

ear I know with twins it's much more likely, I thought it took 30 min at hospital to get a c- sec organized, is this a myth from the hb camp? I live very close to the hospital, well, 2.5 miles away, so that makes it not so scary to have to transfer, but would more than 10 min have been dangerous for you? I know it's almost impossible to tell.

OP posts:

earwicga · 12/12/2010 18:18

And the day I went into labour I had been scanned in the morning and was told both babies were 5lb. They weren't - one was which was obviously measured twice. And this is when they could actually see them! Stupid mistake BikeRunSki from your midwife.

earwicga · 12/12/2010 18:20

I have no way of knowing as I wasn't allowed to consider a home birth. It was definately ten minutes as I managed to sneak a look at the notes so I could at least read about the birth of my children from my body.

Original poster

knittamerrykid · 12/12/2010 18:22

Sorry for crossposting.
Silly mistakes to make, those two.
I don't think I'd be even allowed to attempt a hb if i developed pre-eclampsia or any other condition, and I agree with that, I don't intend to put anybody in danger!

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biglips · 12/12/2010 18:26

i had a emergengcy section cos my dd1's face was facing the wrong way in the birth canal.

earwicga · 12/12/2010 18:27

Thing is knittamerrykid, everything everybody says makes us think 'am I'. You know best and do what is most comfortable for you. You are pretty close to a hospital if any intervention was needed, and a midwife would (normally) be able to tell way before this would be the case.

missmehalia · 12/12/2010 18:28

I do see your problem.. mirrored by what I felt when pregnant with DD2. Had to write to PCT, etc to tell them I'd basically sue if they refused to send a MW, etc, as drs were unsupportive. Absolutely fixed on HB! Was definitely statistically safer in our case (not enough MWs on shift in our local hosp normally, but if you have to go in as emergency, are seen straight away with all facilities prioritised for you - it's a no brainer IMHO.)

Went into labour at home, lovely labour but when MW arrived to check me over after waters broke (fresh meconium), baby was in weird position so elected to go to hosp. Got there, monitored for a bit but tests to check baby's condition inconclusive. Elected for a CS (technically I think ANY CS that wasn't planned is termed an emergency?) Glad we did, she was face first and shitting herself. Literally.
It might have been OK to proceed in hosp with natural birth, but actually to go into labour naturally and be at home for almost the whole event was good enough for me. Also the hospital staff could see the decision needed to feel like ours. They were wise enough to present the options in a pretty objective way, then leave us alone to consider things. Hate hospitals (bad birth 1st time round, unnecessarily high intervention) and was afraid that being there would make labour protracted and unproductive.

Don't let my story scare you - do what will help you feel safest, it will be the best possible advantage for a good labour.

missmehalia · 12/12/2010 18:33

PS Do not, whatever you do, let your dr or mw tell you what they will 'allow' you to do. (I've seen that on here quite a bit.) Every woman has the right to elect a HB, I saw a couple of consultants who said they wouldn't 'let' me! They said the baby would be enormous (she wasn't at all, v normal weight), that I was taking enormous risks, etc. Was tested for GT, scanned, all kinds. No problems present.

I'm not silly, I wouldn't fly in the face of evidence-based risk. But so many discussions are academic during PG, they have no more idea than you do about so many things. They tell you to go for a hosp birth every time to avoid being sued.

Guacamohohohole · 12/12/2010 18:37

I had an emcs because my induction wasn't going to well and my baby was getting distressed.

Original poster

knittamerrykid · 12/12/2010 18:38

missmehalia you story does everything but scare me, it shows that it is possible to be at home for as long as possible giving the chance of a hb a real go, and then if things don't go to plan there is still time to go to hospital and everything to go well anyway. I am not set on having it my way, but deffinetly want to avoid unecessary interventions. I think you are right too on saying that emergency c is just a non-planned one, that's why I've found it so hard to find concrete info about them.

thank you earwicga, I think I'll frame your post and keep it by my side in the next few weeks...

biglips when was this discovered? was it a case of having back pain or did she descend enough to be seen? or a scan?

OP posts:

Original poster

knittamerrykid · 12/12/2010 18:41

miss my mws have been very supportive of hb, but will keep your post in mind nevertheless.

guacamole (love guacamole btw....)that seems ot be very often the case, hope everything ended up alright for you and your baby.

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lucybrad · 12/12/2010 18:41

but am i right in saying that homebirth is statistically safer, because if there were any dodgy circumstances then they wouldnt be having a homebirth in the first place, and if anything went wrong, they would be sent to hospital and therefore wouldnt be classed as a homebirth either. This could skew the stats somewhat.

Portofino · 12/12/2010 18:44

I had a emcs after induction and a long labour that failed to progress. I got to the point of discussing an epidural for a cs vs forceps then dd got distressed so I was whipped into theatre and knocked out pronto.

MiasMARY · 12/12/2010 18:45

I had an emergency section at 27 weeks because on an abruption.

I probably would have had to have a ceaserean anyway though as I had a shirodkar suture in my cervix and had lost all my waters 5 weeks early so ds was wedged breech in my pelvis.

Ds is fine now.

snownutty · 12/12/2010 18:49

I had an emcs. Was 40+8 when contractions started. Laboured for 29 hours. Went to hospital (as planned) after 14 hours when contractions were coming more regularly and lasting longer. Also when I knew I needed more pain relief than tens.

Had G&A while in birth pool (where I wanted to labour and give birth), but needed more pain relief so had to get out of pool.

Had morphine but was failing to progress quickly enough so had waters broken which I found excrutiating. Midwife recommended epidural which I had and gave me some well needed respite. But I still failed to progress.

I was at 8 cm (after 27 hours) and stayed there till the decision was made to perform the emcs as DS heartrate was dropping dangerously at every contraction.

My pregnancy was normal - no complications or warning signs - but DS was 9lb 6 and a half oz and by the state of his head looked like he'd got stuck in my pelvis and probably wouldn't have come out vaginally even if I had fully dilated.

I think you're brave to go for a home birth for your first but if you have a group of community midwives you trust then I see no reason for not giving it a go. But don't feel bad if you end up in hospital for whatever reason. I felt guilty for the epidural but I could not have coped with the pain without it.

Have your plan but be flexible! Good luck!

Sorry that this is long!

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