Can I request ECS after ivf??

[itcomesoutofwhere]

Hi all, I'm 27wks following 2nd ivf. Been thru years of TTC, suffered miscarriage at 8 wks following 1st ivf round, and been thoroughly wound up by spotting earlier in this pregnancy. Glibness aside, I sort of feel like I've done my fair share of stress and just want an ECS to get baby out as safely as possible. (Also live in rural Wales so either midwife only birthing centre - or 90 min drive to hospital.) Is this unreasonable? Am I being a bit precious? Will they even let me have a say??? Nov 2011 NICE guidelines make it sound like you can request a choice. They have me down as a 'high risk pregnancy' - ? as first baby at 36 or because of ivf?? Having baby at same hosp had ivf so hoping they'll be more sympathetic to how precious this baby is and my inability to not worry about it all going wrong.

Any thoughts? Thanks ladies xx

Depends very much on how sympathetic your consultant is. Try speaking to your hospital midwife beforehand, and she may know which consultants are very against elcs for maternal requests, and which will ok it. Nice guidelines do say that the request should be considered and in actual fact, most consultants would either ok it (after organising for you to have counselling to discuss fears etc) or suggest you transfer care to a more sympathetic colleague.

OP I am 38 weeks with a wriggly ivf miracle and I totally understand the feeling of having had stress thank you very much! I agree with knockedup , the guidelines say if you request a CS, you will prob be referred for counselling and then, if you still want one, the consultant should refer you to a colleague if he / she is unhappy.

It's definitely worth asking if you feel that would help you be more relaxed.

Good luck and congrats on your LO,

Thank you. I will have a think and see what they say when I go.

xx

I did. I blubber to my consultant and she said she understood totally, ran through the risks - that the burden of risk is on the mother not the baby- and said policy was that I needed to speak to the Consultant mw for policy purposes, and that was it. Done.

Thanks for your post - I work in the nhs myself and it has always struck me a good few doctors can't cope with a crying patient! To be honest when I try and explain it all I'll prob end up blubbing for sure. Don't really care about the risks to me just want to get this bump to term and out safely. Thanks all for your replies. I am a Mumsnet newbie - its just fab!!

xx

I managed to get my consultant to agree to a maternal request elcs on the NHS due to a previous traumatic birth experience.

I would say that if you argue your case strongly enough from the point of view that a natural birth would affect your mental health (worrying about baby etc) and how stressed it's all making you then you might manage to get an elcs, esp with the new guidelines.

Good luck.

My thoughts are that c section doesn't eliminate all risk for mother or baby, and that if you live rurally then having a section means you can't drive for a good few weeks etc.

I am pregnant after second round of ivf, and I have recently undergone emergency surgery to remove twisted ovary while pregnant which was done through a c section type scar. so I know how worrying your situation is. I think you should def look into counselling to help you feel more relaxed about whatever type of birth you have, and make sure you are making decision for the right reasons. I am not enjoying recovery from my surgery, and found my natural birth with my son much better recovery wise.

P.s. an not trying to be preachy, just trying to offer another side to it.

I hada ELCS maternal request on the NHS with my first child (and then again with second) - no medical reason. I didn't have to have any counselling although did have to change consultants to get one to agree first time.

Ellangirl, that's an interesting point but a tad patronising (although I don't think you meant to be) to suggest that those requesting ELCS want one because they're too anxious and aren't considering the recovery. One of the reasons I chose ELCS was predictability. The thought of not knowing how a vb might go - well or badly - was more than I could cope with. I'd been through enough, there was a good chance I'd only give birth once and wasn't taking any chances. The burden of risk is very much on the mother and I could live with that.

I really didn't mean to be patronising, sorry. I'm just hating recovering from my surgery and I suppose that is colouring my view compared with recovering from a natural birth. Believe me I understand worry and ivf. All any midwife or doctor wants is the safest thing for mother and baby, so any understanding obstetrician should listen to your reasons OP and allow you to make a considered decision based on what you feel is most suitable for you.

Yes, I was reading a book before my first section, and a good reason for having a CS was called "precious baby" syndrome or something, due to IVF, because of the trauma you might have gone through to get your baby.
It depends on the hospital though, especially as budgets are tight.
There is a greater risk for you rather than the bay.

baby