advice on childbirth after 3rd degree tear and shoulder dystocia

[mumandlovingit]

hi, any advice would be appreciated.my first childs birth resulted in a distressed baby 23 1/2 hour labour,stirrups and episiotomy x 2.not great.2nd birth was quicker, 3rd degree tear, shoulder dystocia and midwife having to frantically revive baby on my chest.anyone else had these kinds of births and gone on to have a normal, stress free birth after?
im wanting to try for another baby at some point and am considering trying to opt for an elective caesarean but im worried about after and lifting the baby etc and still being able to get my other children to school etc and getting myself out and about whilst partner is at work.dont know too much about caesareans or the likelyhood of having another baby with shoulder dystocia.1st baby weighed 6lb 12 1/2 oz.2nd weighed 8lb 3oz.i dont think that my cervix will take alot anymore, i was told at the time that my cervix is now weak and might not hold another baby full term.couldnt bare getting all the way through and losing the baby through distress, getting stuck by shoulder dystocia.we are so lucky to have the ones that we've got with all the complications there were.any advice/suggestions would be appreciated.

Yes, I had a first birth quite similar to that. It takes a while to get over it, give yourself time

I had my second child 23 months later and did have shoulder dystocia, second degree tears and pph requiring blood transfusion, but it was nothing like as bad as the first delivery and I recovered much more quickly. If I have a third child (big if!) I will probably ask for an elective section. I couldn't go through it all again.

I hope you get plenty of advice and make the right decision for you. xx

thanks for your reply.i do wonder if some of the problem was the fact that my children were born 13 months apart.i wonder if that couldve contributed to it all.my youngest is now nearly 4 so im hoping things have settled abit.i think the midwives will have a hard job getting me to deliver naturally though even though id love to.i think id be too scared.

I think I have read (possibly on here but maybe in medical lit) that if you have a 3rd degree tear you will be offered a c section automatically . I had an em c/s with DD and it was fine. If I can get pg again I will probably have another CS as I grow them big and I am small! Shoulder dystocia is horrible and frightening. You must have been terrified after sucha horrendous time.

Have you thought about talking to a consultant MW about what happened and why? If you were to work through your notes and get some answers this might reassure you about the next birth, or point you in the direction of a better alternative for you.

I am sorry you have had such a tough time but hope you find the answers to help you overcome your fears and go on to have another DB.

DollyP
Thankyou for your response.i think i might have a word with the midwife when im pregnant again and get her to look at my notes and see if there's anything in them.i was in slow labour from 27 weeks with alot of pelvic pain so im wondering if he was stuck abit then.the 3rd degree tear was only because i tore with his head but it was an unplanned home delivery and he was in distress and the midwife had to manually turn his shoulder and fre eit inside me, thats what made the tear.it was very frightening and we still get very upset now about it.i think we'll have to speak to someone before trying for another child.we've already researched the colic, constipation and projectile vomiting both our children sffered with! seems like if we'd used dr browns bottles and changed to a low lactose milk like omneo comfort it would've helped but its always after that you find out isnt it.at the time the midwives didnt really help except say that they'd grow out of it! next time i want to be more prepared! thanks again

Hi.

I had ventouse, episiotomy and sholder dystocia with ds1 after 2 1/2 hours of pushing. With ds2 I was v anxious but really did not want a c section. The midwives seemed happy for me to have a natural birth but consultant recommended a c section. He said 1/10 chance rpt shoulder dystocia and 1/100 chance of a dead baby with it. Those stats really stick in my mind. Anyway I took his advise. The thing is I really preferred birth number 1 though and have kept thinking 'what if' ever since. If I have another I may still try for a vbac but would want to look into the risks more obviously. Why did the midwives and doctors have such conflicting views?

Good luck with whatever you decide.

thanks for your reply.how did you find the c section? whats it like afterwards in regards to mobility etc.im worried i wont beable to even lift my crying baby from the crib on my own.is that what happens? will have to see what the midwives etc think when i have my next.with stats that bad i think i'll opt for c section.i couldnt cope with a stillbirth after the last birth.

mumandlovingit - I was given a 6 month check up with consultant after my 3rd degree tear and given that I still had small problem with (sorry, tmi) faecal incontinence, consultant said no more natural births for me. If there had not been any ongoing continence problem, I think he would have let me try for a natural birth this time around. Having said that, if you want a cs next time around, I think it's unlikely that you could be refused given the potential risk for your tear tissue tearing again (actual risk is very much unknown but if you are cautious or simply don't want to take the risk...)

Wonder if you could ask your gp for a referral to consultant now so you can get advice before you plan another pg. Can't help thinking there must be some tests that could be done to find out the err capacity of your cervix to hold another baby to term (you don't want to know the tests I had to establish the strength of my bottom muscles!)

I had a third degree tear with ds. When I had dd I was advised to have a csection and did so (the risk of double incontinence did not appeal!

Csection was great. Yes it is difficult for the first couple of days but after that you should be able to do evrything for the newborn.

I made arrangemnets to have some help for the first four weeks-largely to care for ds who was three and heavy!!!Not driving was a bit of a pain but it does encourage you to do not very much!!!

I would have no hesitation in reccommending a section.

HTH

Well for me I did struggle after my c section. That was the advantage about my first birth. It was traumatic but I was ok afterwords. With the c section I was in a lot of pain. BUT I think its didn't help that I only had 2 hours notice so was completely unprepared phsyically and mentally. Up until that point of seeing the consultant the midwives kept saying I should have an easy labour. As a consequence I had no help arranged at home. At least if you booked in advance you could get all that sorted. My DH dropped me off at the hospital had to work on the day of my op and then had no time off afterwards.

thankyou for your replies.i think it will visit gp when we decide that we are going to start trying and ask about any relevant tests etc to make sure things are ok.i was cut with my first child twice and then the tear with my second.god knows what it'll be like down tere if it happens again.i will see what they say, hopefully after 4 years of o pregancys things will have healed abit! i think a csection might be the best option for me if we're prepared in advance etc for it.i kept going into labour but without dilation from 27 weeks onwards though so i dont know how we'd get on if i went into labour early, if they'd do a csection or make me do it naturally.1st child was 6 days early and second was 8 days early.dont know how far you are when they do a csection.are there any more likely to be difficulties because the baby isnt ready to come out then?

mumandlovingit

sorry to hear about your experiences. I think it would be best to talk to your GP/Ob for more info on c-sections. I know that here in australia they usually take the woman in at 38 weeks so there is hopefully no chance of her going into labour. Hope this info helps.