Starting IVF after a C Section birth

[raphbec]

I am pregnant with my first baby and because of complications i have been advised that an Elective CS may be a possibilty. We would like to try for more children and one of my main concerns is can having a c section effect the success of IVF should we try for a 2nd/3rd baby? Can the scar on the uterus prevent an embryo from attaching, and are you more likely to suffer a miscarriage if you have had a C section? If i was lucky enough to be pregnant with twins the 2nd time around would my uterus be too delicate to support 2 babies after the surgey? And does anyone know how long you need to wait after a C Section before trying again for a baby? (I am not getting any younger and we would love 2 or 3 children)

If anyone has been in this situation or knows anything on this subject i would love to hear from you. Really do not want to make it harder than it already is to get pregnant with IVF on our 2nd go, but also want to deliver our baby in the safest way possible and if we need to have a CS then ultimately we will do whatever is in the best interest for our baby.

Any advice would be very helpful

wow thank you ladies, you have given me alot to think about out. As it is at the moment then baby is transverse (i am 32 weeks ) and he has been transverse at every appt so far...but have been told he still has time to turn.
I have just downloaded the East book on my kindle so will start reading that today, hopefully that will help me come to a decision.

I have been given the option to have an elec CS as i have been so upset and anxious over a natural birth going wrong. We had been trying for so so long for a baby, lots of failed cycles and miscarrying one of the twins (im pregnant now with the surviving twin). Also my mum almost lost me in childbirth as they hadnt picked up i was breach until she was trying to push me out - it ended in an emergency c section as my heart rate was dropping and so for her cs are also full with horror!! I think the fear of birth is deep rooted into me from a young age. More recently my sister had a very traumatic birth, being denied epidural when she was screaming out for one (apparently because in her birth plan she stated she wanted to avoid one - but it was her first baby so how would she know what the pain would be like?) she then had an episiotomy, forceps and ventouse - luckily baby was absolutely fine, and now she says she cant remember how horrific it was but i was there and it was like something from a horror film.

So after talking / crying through all my concerns and worries the consultant actually said if she were me she would have a CS - i couldnt believe how supportive she was - i really wasnt expecting it at all.

I guess it comes down to opting for a ELCS or a VB with an epidural - but from what i've read - having an epidural often results in the need of ventouse / episiotomy / forceps and even EMCS...so am i better off just going for an ELCS from the start ??

Does anyone know if the mucous of the lungs of the baby a long term effect on his health or will he be cleared of it in hospital?

Re: 'wet lung' - Sometimes the baby needs help to breathe due to wet lung and might need to be admitted to SCBU if there is excess mucous. I stress might. It depends on when baby is delivered. The rates of wet lung drop significantly after 38 weeks, which is why most electives are performed at week 39. The lungs are fully mature by then and there is a low risk fe SCBU admission.

Fwiw, my darling DD2 was officially delivered at 39+3. However, by my dates, it was 38+3 as I knew precisely when in my cycle we conceived her as as we were using Clomid. Anyway, she was 'mucousy' at birth (sounded snuffly and had a minor cough) but was not admitted to SCBU. Her lungs cleared by themselves after 24 hours. It was not a problem.

If you need the element of control for your own peace of mind and preservation of your mental health, then an ELCS would offer this degree of control. That your consultant is offering such support demonstrates that s/he recognises this as a factor (and rightly so).

Read and re-read the information in East's book is great, and this link to the NICE guidelines about CS vs VB is very useful too:

publications.nice.org.uk/cesarean-section-cg132/appendix-c-planned-cs-compared-with-planned-vaginal-birth

I don't think there are any long term problems associated with wet lung. There probably isnt because if there was, I wouldn't have had a CS. I couldn't say a definite 'no' as I can't think of any evidence to back me up. You do hear all sorts of nonsense about how CS affects children in the long term, such as how they are more prone to asthma. What we are failed to be given the details of, however, are the myriad variants within control groups I.e. How many babies are born to families where asthma is hereditary; how Manu babies are born to smokers, etc.

Try to go with your gut instinct. You'll drive yourself nuts keep analysing and thinking. But ultimately you need to listen to your instincts.

DS was very mucousey as a baby, v sniffly, not major but we did need cot-blocks and were told it was normal for CS babies to sound like wart-hogs in their sleep

he didn't need SCBU

CS babies often DON'T CRY as soon as they are born - do not be alarmed, it's quite routine they just take em and suction them and 30 seconds later they're crying and being put in your arms

thank you so much Molatov, i really appreciate all your advise. Thanks for the link too...will look at that now! Have a meeting with the support midwife who apparently will give me all the pros and cons of both next week, so will see what she has to say.. although im guessing her job is to try to encourage me to go down the natural route.. but we'll see. So far the midwifes and consultant have been very understanding.

DS had wet lung (oh, is that what it's called!) and was in SCBU for 8-9 hours following suctioning and oxygen but was back with me the next day, feeding like a starved dog and demonstrating at frequent intervals how fine his lungs were! No problems at all since and he's an absolute whopper hitting all of his developmental milestones. Really sorry to hear about all your troubles. Hope I haven't added to your worries! x

Thanks Mandinga79 - and not at all! x