I had an emergency caesarian the first time around, will i be offered one if i have a second baby?

[Xandersmummy]

Im considering having a second baby, my son is now just over a year old and im hoping to conceive after christmas. I had an emergency caesarian with my LO and things went wrong very quickly, within 15 mins of my waters being broken i was in theater. What i want to know, is will they offer me another c-section for my second baby? im petrified of the same thing happening again and would rather rest assured that my new baby will arrive safely :)

They should give you the choice of a planned cs or a VBAC.

FWIW I did the same, EMCS then a planned cs. Although by that point I knew I would restrict my family to 2 dc's as I didn't want to risk anymore cs's (just something to consider for the long term).

You won't be offered one. You will have to request it.

are they likely to let me have one if i request it? or will i just be told im wasting NHS money?! lol

First of all, your first baby did arrive safely, just maybe not as you expected.

I didn't go into labour with my first baby and a problem was picked up in a scan so I had an emergency section. With our second baby I was offered an elective section but really didn't want one, even though the stats with regard to scar rupture scared me a bit. My consultant just said not to have a section if I didn't want too. My baby was a VBAC delivery 28 months after my section and I had another VBAC 22 months after that where my scar nearly did rupture and my baby and I nearly lost our lives. It could have been too soon after baby 2 or it could have been the fact that I put more weight on with baby 3 than the others, who knows.

I was very lucky in that I am a very effective pusher so baby was out quickly so I didn't have to go to theatre for an emergency section under GA.

I had an emergency c-s with my first child. When I saw the obs when pg with my second, she asked me what my plans were for giving birth. I wanted to try for a VBAC. When I said this, she agreed with me that was the best option for my circumstances but did also say that if I changed my mind, a planned c-s would still be a option they would consider favourably, IYSWIM.

Do you know why you needed a c-s for your son? With me, DD1 was brow prensetation and got stuck, so we knew there was a very good chance that a vaginal birth with the next baby wouldn't be a problem.

i would honestly rather not risk the danger to another baby, they are unsure what caused the trauma in my first labour, but i only contracted a few times before they considered it unsafe to continue. The whole process caused mysel, my partner and my family enormous worry as they were worried for both mine, and my LO's safety. Im not sure how many people could honestly say they would want to risk that happening all over again?

I am currently 30 weeks with number 3 after my 2nd being born via EMCS. I was given the choice of a VBAC or ELCS and am hoping for a VBAC.

I was given the choice, but they are very pro VBAC here so whilst they didn't pressure me in my choice it was obvious which option they preferred.

Also the reason for my EMCS is not likely to occur again. I t wasn't an easy choice for me due the the fact that there will be a gap of less than 12 months between my VBAC and EMCS.

My advice is read all the leaflets they give you and go into all your appointments aware of the risks of ELCS and VBAC, that way they know you are making an informed decision.

I requested elcs (had crash section with first baby) when pg with my second dc and got it. This was at King's, London. Am not sure how it would go in another hospital. My point is that they would not automatically offer one to you because there is such a drive to get c/s rates down.

Yes, the catastrophic nature of my first baby's birth was unexplained so I was able to argue that a sincere case of extreme anxiety and fear of the same happening again was grounds for my elcs. Luckily the consultant agreed, and I was booked in for 39+5 when I was about 30 weeks pg. The birth was fantastic (compared to the first anyway!) and ds was born at 8lb 15oz with no complications and none for me afterwards. Am so happy to have experienced a "good" birth.

thanks for that :) it souns very similar to my own experience. I think ill see if i can have a chat with my midwife from my first pregnancy and get some advice from her too before i try to conceive again

Hi. My situation was similar to yours. DD (27 months) went into distress before labour and this was only picked up because I happened to be at a routine appointment at the time. I went into hospital and they did an emergency section a couple of hours later.

I'm now 35 weeks and have an elective c/s booked for 8th August. I talked my worried through with my GP and a consultant midwife at the VBAC clinic. Both were really supportive. All braced for a fight to get a second section, she agreed that VBAC was not worth the anxiety for me, even if we know there are unlikely to be the same problems again (have had 8 growth scans, this baby is a normal size, whereas DD was growth restricted and I probably had placental problems.). I agree that it is a good idea to 'arm' yourself with any necessary information, but I have found my hospital nothing but kind, understanding and supportive and have not been put under any pressure about my choice.

I'm really looking forward to the birth now and am glad that I got it sorted out early on. Best of luck :)

OP, according to the NICE guidelines, as someone who has already had one you have every right to ask for another CS. As nunnie suggested, read through all the literature they give you or find some of your own on the internet and make a choice. There is always a risk associated with VBAC but then a CS is not without risks either. You have to see what you are more comfortable with. They can refuse to give you one or try to pressurise you into having a VBAC because of the drive to reduce CS rates, but don't let that deter you from your decision. If I were you I wouldn't request. I'd make a decision and go in saying "After much deliberation I have decided that I am more comfortable with the idea of a CS this time round." Stay firm and they have to agree. Otherwise use the trick that my friend , who is a consultant's wife has told me about. Simply say you would like it in writing that they will take full responsibility for anything that goes wrong during a VBAC because you are too concerned about the repercussions of having one and will need that reassurance.

Have you requested the opportunity to review your birth notes?

Although my first labour was fine, the pregnancy itself was traumatic. When DP and I were deciding whether to try for a second baby, my GP arranged for a review of the notes from my previous pregnancy and labour.

The review was done with me by my hospital's senior consultant and the head of midwifery. I was amazed at the time and patience they showed to me, especially when I had made it explicitly clear that I had no beef whatsoever with any of the care I received and that I merely wanted to have a better understanding of what went wrong.

The consultant in particular was great. He explained several developments that had been made that would have changed the treatment I received, even in the 18 months since DS1 had been born. He outlined alternative options, and allowed me to ask all the questions that I hadn't thought of at the time.

By the end, I was sufficiently confident to try for another baby, and we conceived DS2 the next month!

Although I understand that you've already decided to try for a second, it may be really valuable for you to review your own notes to give you a sense of what actually happened at a very difficult time (your partner may also benefit).

i wasnt aware you were allowed to review your notes? that could be interesting for me. I had no real explanation whatsoever as after the labour was over and baby was worn, there were further complications and he ended up in neonatal for a further week, so i think the emhasis was very much on his illness rather than the traumatic birth. I would very much like to read the notes though!
i think i will go in with a decision already made in my mind to tell the truth. Im very sure i want a CS this time too, frankly the thought of going through what i went through the first time brings on butterflies and panic!

Oh yes, absolutely. Quite aside from how you deliver your next DC, it's a really therapeutic thing to do - talk to your GP.