May need an ELCS, I'm gutted ;-( please reassure me with positive stories.

[CrapBag]

I had a third degree tear with DS and this time I have had the choice of whether to go for ELCS or not. I healed well and I have decided to have a natural birth. I dithered for a long time but my MW said go with your gut and it has always told me I didn't want an ELCS.

Now I am 37 weeks and the baby is breech. I have been doing some different positions to try and get her to turn but she seems to be having none of it. I am booked in to have ECV tomorrow but as the success rate is only 50%, I'm not counting on getting the natural birth I want.

I have decided that I need to accept an ELCS is likely, then if she does turn it will be a nice 'surprise' IYSWIM. I am a bit of a pessimist and things don't tend to go right or be straight forward for me, they never have been (not trying to get sympathy or anything but I do have to struggle for every bloody thing and have got used to the fact that things rarely just go right).

Please tell me some positive stories about how ELCS are not such a bad thing as the more I think about it, the more I don't want it but after having a bad tear last time I will not even contemplate a vaginal birth with a breech baby so that option is a total no go.

I had an ELCS with DC1 as she was breech.

It was relaxed & definitely a positive experience...the worst bit was waiting to be taken up to theatre - I didn't get up there 'til 3:30pm but had to wait on the ward - just in case.

Recovery was OK - I had her at 4pm & was up & about by 6am the next day.

I'd like another one with this pg but my consultant has pressured me into VBAC (a whole other thread!)

Good luck, let me know if you have an specific questions & I'll do my best to answer

You have time to prepare both mentally and practically so try to go with that for now.

You don't have to go through the whole labour first, and get a chance to plan ahead.

I had 6 minutes to come to terms with the fact that my ds would be arriving by cs- a bit of a headf* to be frank.

In the scheme of things, a safe arrival for you both matters more than which exit they come out of

Realist is what we you are, plus the p word is so much harder to spell

After my NCT classes, I thought a CS would be awful. But DS1 had his head in the wrong position and I ended up having an emergency CS at 11pm at night - and I have to say it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I was quite a CS convert for a while afterwards. I got breakfast in bed the first morning and a good excuse not to have to move for several hours.

After that I made a fast recovery - and was carrying the baby around in a sling quite soon afterwards. Had it been an ELCS I wouldn't have been as tired as I was after two days (and nights) of contractions that never really got anywhere but stopped me sleeping - and that would have been even better.

I'm 36 +5 now with DC2 and aiming for a VBAC - mainly because of the recovery time - but if I go over or if there are any complications at all then I'll be quite happy having a ELCS again.

DD was an elective section birth. DH had enough time to prepare the school for the fact he wouldn't be at work that day. We knew when she would be born so were able to make arrangements for my sister and mum to fly out.
DD's head was perfect too. I was up and about the next morning dragging my catheter out to the front of the hospital for a fag!
It was much easier than I had anticipated and if it will ensure the health of your baby I don't think there is any negatives.

I had a 3rd degree tear with DD1 and went for a natural birth with DD2.

DD2 was breech until 38 weeks and turned by herself whilst we were at the hospital waiting for the ECV. Unfortunately I had another 3rd degree tear along the same scar tissue with DD2 even though I was told by a consultant whilst pregnant that this would be highly unlikely to happen.

I am now pregnant with DD3 and am going for an ELCS. As other posters have said, I just want the safest way of delivery for both DD and myself and it also means I can plan ahead for childcare and DH's paternity.

With DC1 I had EMCS.
With DC2 I had a VBAC.
With DC3 I had an ELCS.

I don't regret any of my experiences, but the ELCS was by far the best birth I had. So relaxed, calm and absolutely perfect. I stayed in for one night and didn't even need all the painkillers once I got home (and my pain threshold is v. low - which is why I didn't fancy a natural because it bloody well hurts and I had stitches without anaesthetic and epidurals don't work on me...but that's a whole other story !).

My DH was at home for 2 weeks and that was a great help, but I felt fine after a week. I told my DH as long as he has no expectations of dinner/clean house/clean clothes etc etc,then we'll be fine. I just went along at a pace comfortable for me and it was great.

So HAPPY to feel OK down there !

Good luck. I hope you get the birth you want.

Baby didn't turn so I am having an ELCS. Glad to hear the positive stories as I am really disappointed tbh.

Keep them coming please!

DS1 was breech but we only discovered this at 41wks! Planned an ELCS but it turned into an EMCS when I went into labour by myself.

Despite it all happening as a surprise and at the last minute, it went well. I recovered really well, healed nicely and had no problems. I did have horrors BF and ended up FF but I feel that was more due to lack of support and lack of knowledge on my part.

Went on to have a VBAC and BF 7wks ago! Good luck!

I had an ELCS too for a breech baby. I found out he was possibly breech on the Wednesday, was in the hosp for an US on the Thursday. Breech confirmed, chat with Obstetrics and signed in for pre-op checks Friday. Admitted Monday, was holding my beautiful DS a few hours later.

I still think I got off easy. No pain during the first day. No labour. Bit of pain in the night which was like horrendous AF pain and I think more the result of the syn. drip and not the CS at all.

Waddled to shower first thing Tuesday. Dressing off. Home Weds. HV came Sat, checked me over and whipped out the zipper. Never took any of the painkillers they gave me. And I'm a wuss!

Oh and I was 40 at the time. First pregnancy.

I remember asking the consultant straight out, which is the best for the baby. He said ELCS. They are prepared for it, so not rushed, you have appropriate anaesthesia, and the worst part is not being able to hold your DC immediately - my DS was cuddled by DH for half an hour while they zipped me up. I was desperate to hold him by the time I was shuffled sideways off the gurney and onto a proper wheeled bed.

Good luck!

The ELCS I had was a far more positive experience than the VBAC I had afterwards.

Peaceful, calm, positive - I was up and about that evening, home after 4 days, and used the 'no housework' rule to have lots of cuddle time with dd.

By contrast I felt pummelled and shattered for about 2 weeks after VBAC which wasn't the positive empowering experience I had hoped for, for many reasons.

IMO - ELCS is far better than an emergency one. Different ball game all round. I know everyone's experiences are different but I think there are many worse scenarios than ELCS.

For me it did take about 12 hours for the bonding hormone surge, but that was all, and possibly my milk came in a little later, but if you have support, or ask if you need it you should be fine.

Good luck!

I had a CS for placenta praevia which was a lovely calm affair, music playing, theatre staff telling jokes and all shouting out guesses of weights when DD1 arrived. With DD2 i thought about a VBAC, but tbh had had such a lovely birth experience with DD1, i went for an ELCS. Again it was all very positive and the anaesthaetist even took a pic of DD2 as she was coming out

I had my DS by ELCS last October as he was breech. I was pretty gutted to be honest and was quite teary about it at the time. I was also annoyed with friends telling me that at least the baby would be safe. He's my first baby and I really wanted to experience a natural birth.

I have nothing to compare it with but it was actually a really pleasant experience. Really calm and still feels like a special memory. I prepared a birth plan and made sure I could have skin to skin as soon as possible (they put the monitors on my back and left one arm out of my gown). I was told that DS would be dried and have the clamps removed from his cord and then placed onto me straight away. In the end he also needed a little oxygen (he was back to back as well as breech so they took a while to get him out but it was all ok). It was all over really quickly and I held him for the first time within minutes. We also brought a CD to listen to which made it feel more like our moment.

Hope it goes well for you - it was a really positive experience for me and I recovered quickly as well.

I have had 3 c-sections, I emergency, 2 elective.

I have found them all extremely positive experiences. I recovered quickly, although I didn't drive for the whole 6 weeks each time even though I could have done (as a HV said, it's not really the driving, it's the fact that you'll drive to the supermarket, lug out the babyseat, push a trolley full of stuff around, lift heavy bags etc etc).

I never had a problem breastfeeding, or lifting the baby. I took pain relief in hospital whenever it was offered, even if I didn't think I needed it at the time - sods law would be I'd need it as soon as the drugs trolley was locked up again.

I was in I think 3 days with the first two, and 2 with the third.

I remember a lady with a bad tear wincing as she sat down, and then looking guiltily at me and saying "Oh of course it can't hurt as much as yours!" My answer was - "Well I haven't got to SIT on mine, have I?" I truly believe a caesarean scar is less uncomfortable than a bad tear.

Good luck!

My ELCS was very positive, it was quite surreal how calm I was considering I'm terrified of hospitals.

I wandered down to theatre with DH & the midwife and within 30 mins my DS was here.

I had a birth plan still, things like I didn't want to be told the sex, so the surgeon held him up for me to see etc, skin to skin time for a shirt while, it was lovely.

Keep on top of the morphine and other painkillers afterwards, don't wait for the pain to start and honestly you will be just fine.

If I had another, I'd have no qualms in having another ELCS, it was that positive.

X

Hi there,
I also had an ELCS due to breech baby, and it was great! Two and a half weeks later I'm sitting with my beautiful DD! The only downside is no driving for 6 weeks.

I do second the post that said keep on top of the painkillers, esp the morphine before they get you out of bed, the others in my room didn't and really found it hard!

Good luck!

hope your baby turns = read mary cronk midwife info about breech babies by natural birth

it depends how you feel day by day week by week
I had 3 C tear with first and then natural with second which was completely different

if there were circumstances that needed a c sec then I might go for that but otherwise think carefully and be prepared for risks with any procedure
soon baby will be here!