C-section or natural birth? Which to go for?

[Pinkandwhite]

If you could choose an elective c-section, would you do it and why? I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant with my first baby and I'm starting to consider my options. I am living in America at the moment and hospitals don't offer water births which is a shame. I could go to a birthing centre run by midwives and have a water birth there. In that scenario, if there were any complications, i would be rushed to hospital. Also, there are no epidural or other drug options available there should I find it really tough. At the other end pf the scale, my medical insurance will cover an elective c-section. It would be really good to hear from people who've given birth so that I can hear what you would choose given the benefit of hindsight. My instinct is to try and have as natural a birth as possible in a hospital but I want to consider everything.

I have had a water birth, an emergency c - section, and an ordinary on dry land affair. I feel quite qualified here to do a compare and contrast! For my money it would always be the vaginal jobby.

Within hours I was up and about and enjoying things, especially after the last one. I had a 10lb 11 oz baby on gas and air, no horror stories, all calm and jolly and gas and air. (love gas and air..)

The c section was managed really well and I recovered quickly but it was really unpleasant. It was uncomfortable for weeks and made looking after a baby much harder work. No fun at all.

Also if you have a section it may restrict your choice in the future, for example no birthpool or home birth.

Like everything though it is your decision, you know yourself better than anyone else.

Thanks Layter, it's really good to hear from people like yourself who have had both experiences.

Pinkandwhite, sorry you've had a difficult time, congratulations on your pregnancy!

I had an ELC because my baby was breech, and after trying every option to get the baby to turn, I was grateful to have the option of a c section to get my baby into the world safely.

I didn't find the CS nearly as traumatic as I feared, and I didn't find I had issues with bonding with DD, but the recovery was slow & hard work.

If I was doing it again I'd like the chance to try for a natural birth. I don't feel I've missed out on some huge mother-earth experience, or anything like that, but I wouldn't want to turn down the chance to give it a go.

Thanks Layter! :-)

If you think you might want a natural birth, I would try and get your hands on a copy of the US edition of Expecting Better by Emily Ostler. She outlines a lot of 'standard' US procedures like banning food and fluids (ice chips only!), automatic IV drips, etc which you want to be informed about when making your choice about place of birth. It can vary a lot by hospital too.

I know that, for me, if I was giving birth in the US a natural hospital birth would be one thing I wouldn't try because I feel that the odds are so firmly stacked against you. I'd go one way (midwife unit) or the other (ELCS). It's very personal though.

I've had a 27 hour labour vaginal birth with forceps, and an emergency c-section - and I would still choose the vaginal delivery.

Very similar here. I had a long long labour with long pushing then failed forceps and then an emergency section under general anaesthetic. Second time round I had a planned section, I call it planned rather than elective as I didn't choose it, they refused to induce and he was 16 days late so I had no choice. The second c section was with a spinal anaesthetic.

I was told I'd been, to put it bluntly, as stretched as anyone with the first so feel I can do a pretty good comparison. The pain of a vaginal is 'usually' for hours with days or a couple of weeks of soreness afterwards. A c section is a very different ball game, after the first I had a very slow recovery and was still holding my stomach when I sneezed a year later. The recovery with the second was better but still very painful and a couple of months before I felt normal.

I would not choose a c section without good medical reasons for the fact that it is major surgery. Nothing to do with the emotions around the whole issue.

Good luck with your decision making.

I have had two VBs. One 21 hours long, one 36 hours long, both induced. Episiotomy and forceps with the first. Nothing with the second including no tear and no cut - even though baby was 2lb bigger than my first. Hard work, but absolutely no horror stories. VB every day. I am opting for a VB this time too if I can (being induced again). Oh and btw I am comfortably over 35 and was when I gave birth to number 2 as well.

Thanks very much for that Penguins. I've just downloaded the book to my kindle.

I had an elective c-section - odd as it was not really elective. In fact I had been bleeding with no sign of labour starting. Investigation in theatre revealed placenta in the way of birth canal so I was informed it was too dangerous to proceed with a natural birth and they wanted baby out.

The procedure and immediate aftercare were great. After that...not so much. But I don't think that reflected the fact I had a c-section - just general standard of care in days that followed (like having to change my own wee bag 6 hours after op because staff "too busy" to help") and follow-up at home.

And penguins, just based on the fairly small number of women I know here who have had babies recently i think you're right about the odds being against a natural birth in hospital. The doctors here seem to be very pro c-sections particularly on Fridays...

Maybe I need to go and visit some birth centres.

They are also very, very keen on use of Pitocin (what we would call syntocinon), which is something else to be aware of.

Wow Georgina1975, that sounds bad, I'm really sorry to hear that the staff were too busy for you.

I've never even heard of pitocin, thanks for telling me that penguin, I'll do some research now.

A hospital birth in the US is very different to the UK, so worth researching.

It wasn't ideal but I must emphasise the c-section itself was great, as was my experience in recovery. I had no issues doing stuff such as breast feeding.

It was rather comic at times in theatre. I was a bit "happy" (the drugs) and kicked my shoe off which hit the consultant on the head - he took it very well. DP came into theatre with the covers meant for his feet on his head. I can also remember singing along to Roy Orbison which consultant was playing as he worked...apparently I occasionally wailed that my DC could not enter the world to that music!

Layter

You cannot really compare emergency section and ELC.

indith

However I would never suggest a section just because you think you might fancy it.

Does any woman have one because of this ^. Really insulting in so many ways.

I had my 3rd csection 2 weeks ago. My 1st one was an emergency one because of pre-eclampsia, 2nd and 3rd elective, but this time I actually went into labour so ended up with an emergency one again.

The difference between an emergency and a scheduled csection is vast in my experience. My recovery after the 1st was so so painful, the 2nd and 3rd incredibly easy. I was discharged in 48 hrs and didn't need any help in looking after the baby. I have not really had any pain either, just some discomfort.

I actually asked a midwife at the preop appointment what the difference was and she said that electives are always performed by better teams, those who end up having a csection in the middle of the night might end up with a very inexperienced anaesthetist/surgeon performing it.

Having experienced contractions this time I would go for a csection without any doubts or regrets. It was the most awful pain I ever experienced. The baby also had cord around her neck so I question how safe vaginal delivery would have been for her.

Ive done both

bad VB then 2 ELCS

think I would do the same though, try the VB first, you can always have future sections if necessary medically

if you start with a CS you are limiting options for future births - it's possible to have a VBAC but some hospitals can't offer them due to higher risks
there are more risks with the old scar/ uterine tears, for example

I asked for an ELCS and was refused but ended up with an EMCS - I was delighted . Minimum pain, no discomfort afterwards, no scar , no problem recovering (and I was an overweight, unhealthy 40+ year old ). It is an urban myth that you can't drive for 6 weeks (but check with your own insurer).

I have heard too many horror stories about virginal births.

I had two vaginal births my late 30s. Both were very easy, no intervention. After the birth of my second I was home within 2 hours, and next day was doing the weekly shop alone in a supermarket, pushing a trolley with my toddler and baby in a sling, loading the bags into the car and driving home to make lunch.

I don't think I couldld have done that 20 hours after giving birth by c section.

I have had an emergency section and 2VBACS and without a doubt I would never ever choose a section without medical need. Without having the emergency section there is a high chance I wouldn't have DS1 but having to have a section is also part of the reason I haven't been able to have any more children.

It is a major operation and while you will always get people who say they were out of bed minutes after the birth and back at work days later it is still a major operation and something which necessitates rest and care for quite a while afterwards.

I've had an emergency C-section, an elective C-section and then a forceps assisted vaginal birth and in terms of recovery, the forceps assisted VB as by far and away the easiest, in spite of hideaous piles and nasty episiotomy scar.

In contrast, the elective CS was hardest to recover from as I ended up with a nasty infection and wasn't very mobile afterwards which slowed my recovery.

I also feel that after two CSections, even though the second section was entirely my decision and best for me at the time, having had a baby the way nautre intended, albeit with a little bit of help, was far more empowering than either of the sections.

If it's a choice between natural, straightforward delivery and C-section, C-section is definitely the worst option BUT more typically the choice is between a natural delivery with instrumental intervention or tearing or baby in distress or some other problem versus C-section and that's a whole other kettle of fish.

I'm facing the same choice, also in the US, but it's my second child. First time around I had a forceps delivery with episiotomy and it was a painful recovery. The scar took quite a while to heal and I still get some pain around it. So my thoughts are if I'm going to have a painful scar that needs to heal and itches, I might as well save myself the labor and stress and pain and just have an ELCS. At least I can scratch a burning C-section scar in public, unlike my epi scar !

But I'm not sure either - labor was awful, 36 hours for me, but you are on a high afterwards because you and your baby made it. It's a very emotional experience. ELCS on the other hand seems a bit clinical to me. I'll watch this thread with interest as I still can't decide...