asking for an elective c-section

[LucyJones]

I asked this on another thread but didn't get much response!! I thought that the NHS didn't give elective c-sections if there wasn't a medical reason. However on another thread there is debate about whether to have a c-section due to being scared about birth. I don't have a problem with this I just thought that it wasn't likely that a midwife or consultant would agree to this. Am i completely wrong?!!

Well, I had an emergency cs after 50 hours of labour and it was fine. The theatre staff were very calm and reassuring.

I think we're in danger of confusing emergency (i.e. during labour) with crash caesareans (like Blueshoes').

A crash cs for foetal distress is surely a risk in any labour.

Personally, I'd be very happy to try for a vbac next time. I wouldn't consent to be induced or have an epidural because induction increases the risk of uterine rupture and epidurals potentially mask some of the warning signs of rupture. I also wouldn't go to a hospital that didn't have a dedicated anaesthetist for the labour ward 24/7.

I'm happy to take the rest of the risk, but I fully accept others may not be.

I thought any c-sections performed while the mother is already having contractions is more risky than an elective when the mum is not contracting?

But isn't it thought to be better for the baby as they are hormonally primed for being born and therefore breathe more easily, take to bfing better etc?

I thought it was a myth that caesarean babies have difficulty taking to breast feeding?

Thanks, Uwila. I do have your suggestions to change consultants/hospitals as backup.

My dd (who was born by crash cs) did not have any difficulty taking to bf-ing, once her jaundice lifted and the hospital stopped tube-feeding her for health issues unrelated to the birth. She continued to do so exclusively for 17 months. She breathed fine from the start. But I accept that it is just my personal experience and purely anecdotal.

I guess it is just a weighing of risks. An elective prior to labour won't generally happen before 37 weeks, more likely 39 weeks. Baby is for most intents and purposes cooked by then. You won't get breathing difficulties of the sort that I saw in the premature babies in NICU/SCBU where I spent the first 2 weeks of dd's life. And difficulties bf-ing can happen irrespective of a cs birth. It depends on mother and baby - can generally be overcome with support and perseverence.

Perhaps I would be happier to do VBAC if I felt the health professionals were being honest with me about risk and working to minimise it. I certainly won't even dream of attempting it if I feel (as I do now) that they are trying to pull the wool over my eyes. As it is, I will attend the VBAC clinic hosted by midwives and see what they say. And arrange for another meeting with the consultant.

All I remember is that after dd was born under circumstances in which I had no control, I was left to pick up the pieces on my own with no support from the hospital or midwives. Never again.

Blueshoes, I was thinking of the differences between babies born by elective cs and babies born after labour has started.

e.g. the NICE guideline says: "Babies born by elective CS at term (37?42 weeks of gestation) are at risk of respiratory distress syndrome and this decreases with increasing gestational age." So from that POV the cs should be scheduled as late as possible, but of course that carries an increasing risk that labour will start before the date of the op.

The rate of incidence of breathing problems is very small, but so is the rate of uterine rupture and other serious problems.

I haven't been able to find any researched conclusions about bfing after an elective - maybe it is just a myth .

It is bizarre that a lot of MNers who want a vbac are dissuaded by doctors and have to fight tooth and nail for it while others, like you, have to fight for an elective.

I think the fact that they've got a whole clinic about vbacing emphasises which camp your hospital's in. Maybe you would feel happier somewhere else.

*uterine rupture and other probs if you go for a vbac, I mean

i have had two sections (one emergency, one crash) and breastfed my dd's for two and three years respectively

I bf for 24 months after my elective, but yes I have heard it can take longer to start bf. Again it's all about pros and cons and weighing them up.