Natural birth or C section ?

[Justme24]

Hi all,

As some of you may know from my other posts I am a disabled mum to be due may. As I am a wheelchair user I have been advise to have a c section based on the fact that my back and hips a could be tight however I have been told the choice is mine.

I know there are pros and cons to both and if I opt for a c section I am worried re bleeding out as I had surgery to from my hips to my feet to reset them and I need 3 transfuseions. Also the recovey time as when I am not in my my chair as degrading as it is for a 25 year old I crawl to get arround and figure I will not be able to get myself into bed or the bathroom (sorry if thats to much info) I am forever hounding my ot and am hopeing they can put things in place to help me.

With regards to a normal birth my concerns are that the baby will get stuck as I am tiny and that I wouldn't be able to cope with the pain. I have had epidurals before however am I right in thinking they will not give me one untill I am 5 cms dilated.

Anyone who is will to share that experiences of either or both I would greatly appreciate

I also have SPD

Hi there - I hope you get some good replies from people who might have more relevant experience. I don't know if this helps but I had a VB last year (at the end of a difficult induction) and was astounded at how quickly I recovered physically. I would have no hesitation in saying I could have comfortably crawled around which I don't think would be possible with a CS (from friends' experiences). I don't think one can beat the recovery from a straightforward VB but whether one gets a straightforward VB seems to be luck as much as anything else...

I am due again this week and am still undecided whether to go to CS or induction if I don't go into labour naturally before Friday (not a good idea for me to go over).

If I go into labour naturally this week and struggle (I have some health issues) then I have a commitment from my consultant that I can make an early exit to CS or have an early epidural depending on how well the baby is positioned etc. (you can actually have an earlier epidural than 5cm but would probably have to discuss this in advance).

It has been hard work, working out what the best plan for me should be, but I think it will have been worth it.

I think you might want to research as much as possible and give yourself as many options as possible (would it be possible to find a Doula/midwife with specific experience of your disability who might be able to work with you over time on labour positions etc. if you want to try a VB?) and make the decision much nearer the time (if you can find a consultant to support that).

The CS recovery is tough and is helped hugely by walking upright to stop the muscles bunching around the wound - after my CS a MW taught me to breathe in and stand upright to move and that helped enormously, so possibly recovery could be worse when disabled.

The op also left me with SI pain, probably from lying prone for so long.

Thanks for your responces.

@ lucy101 good luck with your labour and I did waonder about the epidural.

japhrimel sorry to ask this but what is SI pain ?

don't envy your decision. i gave birth vaginally 20 weeks ago. everything was considered normal beforehand, i was fit and healthy, average size baby and pelvis was not flagged as too narrow. didn't have a great birth - tearing and complications with healing. but what might be more relevant for your situation is that my pubic bone and coccyx were shoved out of alignment. hurt like hell at the time and i've been in a lot of pain. and it has impacted on what i've been able to do. saw consultant surgeon today and there's a chance i may have fractured my coccyx. will know more after scans. the physion i saw said that women are particularly vulnerable to coccyx complications if they give birth reclining. if your positions will be limited during childbirth and you have a small pelvis, you might be at greater risk. dunno. good luck. x