Anyone had more than two sections?

[happywheezer]

Just interested really. I've had two ELCS and maybe thinking of having another baby. My son is only 12 weeks old! Not anytime soon, but I'd like to know if anyone has had anymore than two.
Was your recovery Ok? Mine was pretty poor this time and I'm wondering that if I have another, it will be more unbearable.

Yup. My best friend. She's literally Posh;) She's had four and all by choice.
She didn't have that much trouble to be honest. Some people might say she was lucky. Honestly though, when she wanted her third, she spoke to her consultant and asked her how risky it would be. The consultant said that a normal, healthy woman can have up to four sections depending on her individual medical history. If you haven't had any unexplained, severe blood loss, any staph infection or hernia etc. after your previous c sections you can easily have another one.
As for the recovery, I haven't ever had one personally but she seemed to recover from them fine. She said it was the same each time really. In fact she noted an improvement the second time onwards!! I don't think the recovery will be as bad this time for you, but even if it is not better I seriously doubt it would get worse. I'm no doctor though!

I've had three and my best friend has had four. All mine were emergency (ried for vbac twice!), hers were emergency followed by three electives. We have talked at length about them and they are just all different recovery wise. My recovery was best after my 2nd, hers after her 4th. I was advised that a decent length gap helped with recovery.

That Jasmine.
You know all the people in the right places!

Thanks even!

I'm surprised that they let you try for a third, shrinkingnora.
I thought that after two they advise you to have an ELCS.

I've had three, one EMCS and two ELCS. Recovery for third was same as the other two, although the actual section took longer as they cut through old scar tissue.

I wouldn't say that tbh. My best friend just happens to a bit like Posh Beckham as far as the 4 ELCS go.
If I knew the right people in the right places, I'd have done something about MIL first and foremost , I'd have done something about that snotty girl in DH's office who throws herself all over him, I'd be having an ELCS for free and I'd work for Vogue.

I've had 3 -first 2 were EmCS and 3rd was ElCS due to high risk and there was only 14.5 months between 2nd and 3rd. The 3rd took ages and they had to bring in a senior obstetrician (sp?) due to internal tissue scarring. Apparently they don't know what is its like in there til they open you up.

However the recovery was my quickest of the 3 but possibly because I had no choice but to get on with it. I also had a 3.5 and 14.5 month to look after. A useless arse of a h and no family nearby.

I think it really does depend on the individual and circumstances.

Are you feeling really broody OP?

Also the 3rd was my best and easiest pregnancy so that probably helped a lot with the recovery.

I've had 3. Recovery was easy. Was told on my 3rd my uterus was in such great nick I could easily have another 12 c/s, so maybe that helped

Castles you have given me uterus envy

I'm always being complimented on my scar by HCPs I hasten to add, I'm not in the habit of flashing it at folk!

I have had four and will be having a fifth in October. The recovery from the first was the worst. While the rest were not plain sailing, I was up and about much more quickly than on the first.

Chip, was the first one EL or EM?

chipmonkey is it ok to have a 5 childrem with c/section? as i just have my 2nd baby last week, my 2nd section is well, first one emargency, 2nd elc as i was overdue, and i am still recoverying but i am really worried to get pregnant in the future, as i think to have 3c/section will be hard, i am looking for 3 or 4children in my life but the c/section put me off, the doctor told me that i can have up to 4, but you will have a 5 sections, is it ok?
congratulation, and all the best for you.

Happywheezer - it depends on what the reasons are for the first two! Mine were failure to progress and then an undiagnosed footling breach (spotted by a sharp eyed midwife when I arrived at the hospital 8cm dilated....). Scar was best after the 2nd though - it's a bit lumpy now! There isn't a limit to the number you can have, it just depends on the individual circumstances. the most my friend's consultant had seen for one person was 9.

My sections were both elective. My choice which I had to fight for first and second one because I'd already had a section!
I got told that I wouldn't have had my first given my reasons but there we go.
I don't know if I am broody. Ds1 is 3 and DS2 is 12 weeks. So I've got my hands full.
I don't know if I want anymore. I'm 37 and I need to think about it.
After 1 section I had the most beautiful scar. The midwife wanted me to look at it. It was like a pencil line after 1 weeks.
Second one hurt. I had a drain fitted because I was "oozy and vascular" but apparently this means I heal better. Only this week my scar has stopped hurting.
Funny you say that hairextentions but I was much more sick this pregnancy and didn't enjoy this one so I wonder if my recovery was more difficult because of it?

I've had 3. One emergency and 2 elective, all NHS. I also had a ruptured uterus (absolutely no relation to childbirth entirely different reasons) in between DC1 and DC2 so you could say that I'm in the same position as someone who has had 4 sections. I had absolutely no difficulty or recovery problems after 3rd section. I was however in theatre for absolutely AGES as stitching me up was quite a job (luckily they had tucked DS in skin to skin under my gown so I didn't take much notice of what was going on). The wall of my uterus was so unbelievably thin that there was terrible trouble with the stitching. Clearly did a good job of it in the end though as I had no healing issues. As I had potentially been thinking I might have a fourth child, before the consultant delivered DC3 I asked her to check the state of my uterus and let me know how things were looking in respect of the possibility of another child. She came to see me the next day and said that she wouldn't recommend another child given how thin the uterine wall was and how difficult she had found the closing. She said if I did decide to have another then I should expect to be hospitalised from around 30 weeks and delivery around 35 weeks as the rupture risk would be so high. She also said that I was just unlucky and that lots of people were perfectly fine to have multiple sections. It is a very individual thing so worth asking the consultant at the time of each op how you are looking. As it happens there is no way I'm going for no.4 - because I don't want to, not based on what the consultant said so it hasn't been an issue.

firstsupermum I think a lot of people are told that they "can''t" have more than three and generally this is what young doctors at my hospital say. However my own obstretician who has carried out my last 2 sections was fine with me having a fifth but in general at my hospital, if women are having loads of sections they are referred to him!

TooImmature My first was probably more elective than emergency. Ds1 was breech and the obs I had at the time had felt I should have a trial of labour. My waters broke, I was having contractions for about 12 hours but my cervix didn't dilate. After that, they decided to do a section. So not really an emergency as such as neither he nor I was in distress. With hindsight, I really think I was very ill-informed both on breech babies and on better management of birth but I didn't have Mumsnet back then!