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Childbirth

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

ELCS v induction

6 replies

OompaLumpa · 25/04/2011 02:18

I am now 31 + 2 with DC1 and so far have had 3 admissions to hospital with 3 chest infections and asthma problems. I am also v anaemic and despite taking iron tablets and folic acid my consultant is saying i will need an iron infusion next week if things have not improved. I am having real trouble sleeping, am quite swollen (in places i hadnt considered!) and generally everything is a mammoth effort.

My midwife was intimating that i would be best off having a c section, and not going to full term. I have been told the anesthetist would prefer this too but have yet to see him or her. Consultant however agrees that i will not make full term but is suggesting an induction would be better.
Concerns to suggest c section are just that i am physically not strong enough to push the baby out and my oxygen levels and would prefer calm and planned section rather than risk emergency which may require a general anesthetic.
I have to fess that i dont know what option i prefer and i am really confused.. To complicate matters a bit i was seriously sexually assaulted some years ago and i am petrified that being our of control and just the general indignity of birth may trigger flashbacks which i am usually able to supress.
I dont know what to do or what option to push for. Am worried induction may lead to forceps or the like and that freaks me out. C section i am worried about so may people around me when i am vulnerable and obviously surgery risks and recovery.

It hasnt been an easy pregnancy so far, with added stresses of work issues and DH current.y undergoing a course of radiotherapy and the emotional effects are now starting to kick in and i feel, well, crap. Like im not coping now so how on earth will i cope with labour and then actually being a mom?
Sorry foe the long mail, i am hoping someone might help me with the elcs v induction thing and any other words of wisdom before my brain explodes with thinking about it all!
Well done if you fead this far Smile

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Ozziegirly · 25/04/2011 04:37

Oh dear, you have been through the ringer haven't you?

I can't advise you on the emotional impact, but I was induced, and then ended up with a c-section anyway due to failure to progress (I was 1cm dilated after 5 hours of labour on syno drip) and foetal distress.

My experience was that the induction when my DS clearly wasn't ready (I was induced at term due to gestational diabetes) was never going to work for him. He wasn't engaged, and when the syno drip was turned up his heartrate fell, and when it was turned down the contractions just stopped.

It was rather painful (until I had an epidural).

My c-section was very calm, DS wasn't in any danger (although might have been if we had continued with labour) and was really fine. It felt odd but not painful, just bizarre. I had an excellent recovery - was on my feet the next day, driving within a week etc. I took it fairly easy - will you have someone to help you around the house etc? DH did anything "physical" for the first few days.

If I have another baby I would request an ELCS without a second thought. Hopefully because of my c-section I would never be induced anyway. But the induction labour was nothing like I had hoped. I couldn't move as when I did DS's heart rate dropped, I couldn't go in the bath as I was wired up to the machine, I had one contraction immediately following another (hence the epidural) - it certainly wasn't in any way a "natural" process, which, for me, is the whole point of giving birth vaginally.

Everyone's different though. I think I was probably lucky with my recovery, but other mums I have chatted with have had varying recoveries with both natural and c-section births.

Good luck - and remember, once you hold your baby in your arms no one will give a tiny rat's ass how he/she was expelled from your body.

OompaLumpa · 25/04/2011 09:40

Dear ozzie thanks for the reply. I have a friend who is a midwife ( she is not acting as mine tho) and she suggested that this was her concern, esp if they induce me early, that baby just might not be ready to come out and i could be in the induction stage for 2 days and will just get more tired during that time.
It is good to hear you have had a positive cs, experience too.
Thanks again.

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buttonmoon78 · 25/04/2011 12:25

Hi Oompa - you sound like you have a lot on your plate.

I was induced early but it was my 3rd so that might explain why it worked so well.

If I was you I'd be asking for medical opinions and go from them. Is there any chance your MW friend could come to an appt with you? She might well think of things to ask which you won't.

I would agree with ozziegirly though - once your baby's out it won't matter a carrot how it got out. Make the decision based on medical advice rather than how you think it will be perceived. TBH, even though my 3 labours have been fine, the level of control I have had has been minimal (I'm not exactly coherent in labour!) and I relied v heavily on DH to be strong and assertive for me. Is your DH currently able to do that, given his own medical issues?

I hope you feel that whatever decision you make, it's the right one for you. Once you have decided, embrace it and go with the flow!

Good luck with whichever way you decide and I hope that it signals a new beginning - with a bit less trouble and drama for you all!

sunndydays · 25/04/2011 16:58

I was induced with DC1 at 36 weeks. It ended in forceps after they only allowed me to push for an hour, due to my blood pressure being so high. I was 1cm dilated before I was induced so I assume my body was getting ready?

I didn't like the whole process and the synto drip made me feel completely out of control, I was refused an epidural but feel that had I had one it would have been less scary.

Ultimately it is your decision but I think with induction it can be a bit like ......WHAM!! There isn't always a gentle build up like with natural labour so that is why it can be scary? I am rabbiting a bit now.....I hope you can come up with something that you feel happy with. Just make sure you get as much information before hand (my induction was emergency) Good luck!

buttonmoon78 · 25/04/2011 17:04

You know, if you do end up being induced, there's no reason at all why you have to feel like you've been hit by a truck.

You can ask them to turn the drip down and let things happen slower. I didn't have to as at my hospital the policy is to aim for 1cm an hr ie 12 hrs to full dilation which is quite average anyway. Perhaps it's worth asking this question. After all, if the hospital's policy is to have you done and dusted by the next shift change then it's no wonder some people feel pressured to go as fast as they can!

I guess knowing what their policy is may well be another piece of info in your jigsaw...

OompaLumpa · 25/04/2011 21:04

Hi ladies some good points here and i am making a list of questions to ask so will add these in, thank you!

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