CS - What are your views

[SavannahRose]

Curious...

Am 29 weeks, getting anxious about the birth. Was in labour for 4 days with 1st and considering a CS? Is it too late to ask? What is the experience like having a CS? How many weeks do they perform a CS?

Thanks

So sorry to hear so many bad experiences,

I have had 3 c-sections, one emergency followed by two electives and I found them all wonderful, up and about quickly, no post-op problems for me, not much of a scar overhang etc. The pain afterwards was nothing compared to labour.

But enough about me . . . DD (DC2) had some 'grunting' caused by being an elective section, and was in special care for a couple of days. I felt terribly guilty about that. She was absolutely fine in the long run and wasn't even given oxygen, but still . . .

I had chosen an ELCS as I believed that having had one c-section, an elective would be safer for my next baby than a VBAC, which, tellingly was still called a "trial of scar" in those days (only 9 years ago). I was terrified of the scar rupturing (it had happened to my sister's friend, whose baby died) and that fear affected my decision more than anything else anyone could say to me. Still, all's well that ends well.

so many different opinions - just goes to show that there is no absolute conculsion on this one? you might have a nightmare cs, you might have a nightmare vaginal birth.

personally, have had 2 cs, both went smoothly, was driving within 2 weeks and up and about quite happily and quickly.

if i had another, wouldn't hesitate to opt for cs again.

round here, electives are ay 39 weeks - the sooner you start discussing it with your midwife/consultant, the better.

I hated my sections, crap experiences.

I had emcs at 40+2. Went smoothly, felt nothing and was back on ward within hour. Baby healthy and happy. Next day was agonising once had to stand up, and I lost a lot of blood when I was upright! But was only in pain for couple of days, felt great after a week, healed well and driving etc after 4 weeks. Bled lightly for 3 weeks but am a bleeder!

I have 4 boys, all born large. 1st was vaginal delivery at 40+15 was induced which took all night, had epidural which was a godsend. Eventually had ventouse then forceps then spinal block and giant forceps and 2 doctors after they'd called in the swat team. Not straightforward and woke to find 2 horrified midwives discussing my episiotomy - the biggest they'd ever seen. Nice. It took hours to sew me up and I had to sit on a rubber ring for a few weeks!

DS2 was the only time I went into labour - on his due date bless him, had VERY long labour and another epidural but pushed him out fine in the end. Had nerve damage after tho and couldn't walk without a stick for 2 months. DS3 was induced again as he was a HUGE ten pounder. Birth involved the swat team again and a marvellous consultant who was just so calm and sorted him out - his shoulder was wedged in apparently. Recovery was much better.

Accidental DS4 was ELCS, offered due to my history esp DS3. CS was very calm and it was great to know when he was coming. I had a lovely anaesthetist who talked me through the whole thing which was wonderful. Afterwards I found it hard not being able to pick up my baby on very busy ward - moved to room after 1st night and was much better. Even after my bad vaginal delivery experiences I don't think I would choose another CS (def not having any more BTW!) as I didn't like the loss of control afterwards and not being able to walk/lift etc. It is a major op and recovery was definitely longer and more painful, but then I was 10 years older which makes a big difference. (Great tip about the horizontal sanitary pad!)

I guess what I am saying is everyone will have a different experience and all you can do is lots of research and ask lots of questions... in the end I decided on a CS after a very nice consultant said in my case it was a bit more risky for me but much better for the baby. No brainer. Good luck!

3 elective sections here, all very straight forward. Up and about very quickly after all of them, in shower without problems on my own the next day, driving again after 14, 12 and 10 days. No infections, breast fed without problems. No experience of vaginal birth so can't compare it. Best of luck with your decision

Another negative CS here I'm afraid although it was mainly because of one cock up after another by the hospital which led me to have an EMCS and then a horrific infection after.

Personally, I recommend you plan a VB, it will be quicker with your second and you will feel more in control.

I'm still suffering from my CS and the state it has left me in 18 months later.

I had a 19 hour labour w DS, didn't need gas and air til 7cm, then used up 6 bottles because no one realised he was wedged sideways bouncing up and down on my pelvis for a pointless two hour pushing stage. The midwife finally believed me when I said he was stuck and he came out through the emergency exit. And I woke up 12 hours later in a high dependency unit surrounded by life support equipment after a massive bleed. I don't remember holding him for the first time, didn't know if I'd fed him, no one dressed him and it took me weeks before I stopped feeling weak, dizzy and shivery. At the moment I'm pregnant with my second but I'm having lots of bleeding I'm only 6ish weeks but have been having some light blood loss for the past ten days and now face an early scan to see what's happening. I can feel where the bleeding is, its from my c section scar - so even now me and my new DC are having to deal with the implications of this procedure. I am grateful for the op for saving my son's life, but I wouldn't wish a section on my worst enemy.

I had an ELCS for my one and only baby. It was an amazing experience, in fact a walk in the park compared to a crown I recently had fitted!

The atmosphere in the operating theatre was very relaxed. Lots of banter amongst the medics and us (we knew some of the people quite well by this stage), music playing in the background. The very able consultant anaesthetist had no problems with the epidural. She left the line in, so that pain relief would be by epidural top-ups and this was fantastic. My consultant obstetrician (who had looked after me throughout my pregnancy) was great and did a very neat job on the sewing front.

The baby was absolutely fine (9 on the Apgar scale). He was a little cold, so spent some time under the heaters (husband was with the baby at this point, as I was in recovery). We had had fetal wellbeing scans, so had a sound idea of how the baby was developing and expected to be at birth (38 weeks).

After an hour in recovery, we went back to our room (my husband slept on the folding bed). Nurse/midwife popped in every few minutes for the first night to check on me. I spent 5 nights in hospital and it was wonderfully restful (the food was also excellent). My obs visited everyday to check how baby and I were.

The epidural top-up meant there was no post-operative discomfort. I was up and about the next morning. I think I was driving again in about 3 weeks. I had some numbness around the scar area for quite a few months (nerves growing back). Would I do it again if I had another pregnancy - most definitely.

I've had 2 elective CS. I actually forgot that I'd had previous surgery which might affect a birth and brought it up at 30 weeks with the midwife.
She said that I should discuss it at my next hosp appt with the medic, who was very non-comittal and not trying to influence or make a decision for me either way ( I actually needed some help in that area!).

Anyway, both CS were fine - enjoyable, in fact. Breath-taking - quite literally when someone plunges in!
Recovery was a different matter though.
BF problems with one, not with the other, infection with one and not with the other.

I had a cs after an induction (I was very late) and it was clear that ds wasn't going to be a 'natural birth'. What was 'natural' for me that was they were going to save my baby's life and they did. I'd had an epidural about 9 hours after the oxytocin (and I wanted the epidural as it was pretty clear that ds still didn't want to come out) - then there was an emergency - I was rushed into surgery - they pumped in more for the epidural. It was fine. I was more scared for my ds. It is major surgery indeed. Getting him out was the consultant's stress - and it was all fine although very hurried and I have a lopsided scar, but the pain stress was mine once it was all over.

I didn't do that well with it but it could be to do with age. No infections but I felt pain for a long while after which affected walking, picking ds up etc etc so my first month with ds was pretty much based at home (that along with the 6 weeks of non driving which was appropriate for me). My scar didn't heal that well but that's because I have skin ishoos.

However, my milk didn't come in for ages and that with the pain meant I found it a challenge to establish bf.

I'm very happy with the section because without it ds wouldn't be here.

I had an emergency c-section the first time round - capping off a long, hard labour with a doula in tow. Had thought a c-section would be awful but it was fine, lovely actually. 20 minutes and baby was here safe and sound. I was living outside the UK at the time so old fashioned rules and got to kiss the baby before being whisked away for 2 hours of recovery. DS is gorgeous and I bfed and the lot. Up and about in 2 days and was fine.

Got back to UK and the hospital wanted me to have a VBAC. Which I had, again with doula etc. Lots of complications but they got DD out. I found it a much harder birth to recover from - lots of stitches etc. It took a good 10 days to recover from the jarring pain. A few months to recover from the forceps etc, was incontinent for a long time. Felt quite shocked by it all. gorgeous DD though! I do believe that getting your baby out safely is all that matters - both methods have their benefits and drawbacks. If I have another would attempt a vaginal birth again, but wouldn't be sad if it was another c-section.

Good luck and I hope you get to choose what you feel is best for you. xxx

I loved my C Section and would absolutely opt to have another one.

My friend was in labour for days, agony, lots of complications, while I was at home getting a foot rub from DH... And I was up and getting a Starbucks with my DD 2 days later whereas she was horrifically torn, infected and literally couldn't sit down properly for a month.

I know not all labours are like hers, and not all c sections are like mine, but I really think there's not even a choice between the two. It's so much more calm and controlled, I think it takes a lot of stress out of the whole thing, its planned so you can make sure you have everything you need and get to the hospital in a more relaxed state.

Equally - they seem to really try to 'clean you out' (I couldn't find another way to say it!) so afterwards I had hardly any bleeding... Friends have told me that they bled heavily for weeks and it really got them down.

I remember laying there quite happy, with music playing, DH by my side, and 5 minutes later I had a baby and it felt wonderful.... Go for it!

op, fwiw it seems that overall, those with negative cs experiences are when they were emergencies.

those that are pre-planned seem, on the whole, positive.

my experience: dd1, nearly 9lb, 58 hrs labour, I'm fine but she's permanently damaged from cerebral palsy - the cord snapped at birth as it turned out to be only a few inches long, which explains why she didn't engage and it all took so long.

So, second time around, I requested a cs for my sanity baby's safety - I was thinking of the circumstances being more controlled. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience as far as I'm concerned and baby too. Obviously, beforehand I was crapping myself but there was no need - If it's control you are looking for, cs is as much control as you can get during the unpredictable childbirth business.

I was turned down at first, but chose to see this as a filter system - i.e. if I wasn't that desperate to have a cs, I would stop asking...so I used broken record technique and eventually got a sympathetic and practical consultant who just signed the forms agreeing to it.

Go for what you feel is right, and good luck op.

I loved my ELCS!! it was a lovely experience. So calm and relaxed and healed pretty quickly, although there is still over hang and it will be there for some time I think. I actually enjoyed my stay in hospital as the care was great and I had no complications.

My first was an emergency c-section after 27hrs of labour and that wasn't a good exprience. I'm very glad I opted for an elective second time around.

And sorry! Didn't mean to imply that anyone felt differently about getting the baby out safe and sound!

Oh why isn't there a zip

xxx

I had an EMCS and don't regret it. I have no experience of a vaginal birth so can't compare but DS was huge so can't help feeling that wasn't such a bad thing in the end
I know some women have bad experiences with c-sections but mine was fine. I was sore and uncomfortable for a few weeks afterwards, and had to be careful when getting up but otherwise was recovered quite quickly.

The only thing that surprised me was how much I could feel.. It didn't hurt at all but I could definitely feel every thing. The doctor kind of pummelled and squeezed him out like the last bit of cream in a sachet. Very, very odd sensation.

Like choceyes, I had my dd by emergency C-section after a long labour - the worst of both worlds! If I were to have another child I would definately ask for an elective.

OP - No two birth experiences, whether VB or CS, are the same. It does seem that anecdotally ELCS tend to be better experiences than EMCS but this isn't always the case, as some stories on MN will show. It is major surgery.

I had an EMCS - it was fairly calm, I didn't feel a thing, there were no post op complications, I was out in 4 days, felt fine after 2 weeks. People kept commenting that I was doing amazing considering.

BUT I remember thinking that I didn't wish a CS on anyone. A newborn baby is the last thing you need after a CS - you are paralysed for some time, you are in a lot of pain, you need to recover from a major op while at the same time getting no sleep whatsoever. We had a nightmare BFing - not all down to the CS, but DD being very mucusy on the first night did not help at all (quite common in CS babies apparently).

Physically, I recovered well. Mentally, not so much, and it played a part in me getting pnd.

Everyone is different. You don't say what problems you had with your first labour but they may not occur with your second. It would be worth discussing this with your midwife.

Have had four Cs. Recommend them, but think you are still too early to decide.

I've had both an emergency cs and an elective one. Both fine. Out of bed after 24 hours and in both cases back to full fitness within about a month.

Good luck.

After a pretty dreadful labour and ventouse delivery with DD1 I was offered an ELCS with DD2 eleven months later but declined as two different sized babies wouldn't be fun after that!

Almost two years later I ended up with an EMCS at 28 weeks, which quite frankly was horrendous - but for obvious reasons.

12 years later I opted for ELCS and it couldn't have been more wonderful. Picked the date (at 38 weeks), out in 2½ days, sore - I cannot lie - but recovered pretty quickly.

In the extremely unlikely event that I have any more children I would not hesitate to have another.

I've also had 2 - an emcs first time around, DD wouldnt have made it if I hadnt had the CS. Was quite hard, haivng been through most of a long labour anyway but I recovered well and no real problems, although adhesions to my bladder were foun d later. DD2 was an ELCS, at 38.5 wks - I had requested one due to previous birth trauma, but got it in the end due to polyhydramnios and diabetes and associated problems. ELCS was fantastic, baby was fine, out after 3 days, driving after 2 weeks, overhang on scar and lots of numbness but a fantastic experience for me. it also helped 'put to bed' my previous experience. Great to go out on a high note!

Good luck with your choice; research carefully and ask plenty of question s, and ultimately, make the decision that is right for you and your family.

Had three spontaneous labour vaginal births and an elcs for fourth baby who was overdue. Had private care abroad so elcs was an option for me and I preferred over induction. I prefer a vaginal birth over a cs and would say have a cs only if it's necessary for the baby. I had a sixth sense that a cs was needed for my dd, and I was right as there was a lot of fresh meconium and my placenta had started to deteriorate. But I also understand there are issues with fear in a mum who has had a negative prior experience of vaginal birth. As for the cs itself, the birth was lovely if a bit weird - like having a rummage in your handbag. The recovery was not great compared with the first three - I was 7 weeks before driving again and couldn't walk upright for a week afterwards. I did have sterilisation at the same time though which may have made it a more invasive and longer op. The pain was manageable without painkillers after two weeks. But I am older too (42 next week) and had spd. Bottom line on my cs was I did it for dd, and was glad I did.