Baby's gut flora - CS vs vaginal birth

[Dildals]

I have the option of an ELCS but I am still thinking about whether I should go the vaginal route.

The ELCS is not because of medical reasons but because of a very bad traumatic birth last time.

I think I have a good overview of the pros and cons of both options but the one that I still find hard to get a good view on is the effect the mode of delivery has on baby's gut flora and whether perhaps I am worrying about nothing.

If the baby makes its way through the birth canal it will be picking all sorts of bacteria from me, whereas if he's born by CS he will pick up bacteria mainly from the hospital. There is some evidence, or so I understand, that a rise in certain diseases, such as allergies, asthma and autism, are potentially linked to being born by CS.

Am I depriving my child by the best start in life by choosing a CS, or am I making the safer choice, in the sense that there is less chance of him passing away in labour.

(I gave birth vaginally last time and let's just say that that didn't work out too well for the baby)

I know my judgement is skewed because of past experience, but it's hard to un-skew that IYKWIM.

Thoughts? Does anyone know what the (scientific) deal is with this gut flora thing?

Do you feel better Dildals?

Has it help you make a decision one way or another?

Yes I think so. Ultimately the most important thing is that this baby arrives alive and the best chance of that happening is CS. The 'problem' (it's not a problem, it's just the way it is, but I can't think of a better word!) with vaginal birth is that it would be great that if someone can give you a guarantee that it will all go swimmingly. The very nature of it is though that that is not possible and that it is very easy to end up at the end of a cascade of decisions that result in a birth that is a stressful, potentially traumatic, event. To take away all those variables and do a clean, nice, planned, daytime ELCS, in my case, is preferable. (I add 'in my case' on purpose because I realise that this is not the case for everyone.). If I go for a VB and something goes wrong I would never forgive myself.

I have been pondering as to why I feel 'guilty' about going for a CS and I can't quite put my finger on it, why would that be better or more of an achievement? God knows I have earned (more than!) my stripes already with the first delivery!

Just remember that the ONLY person you have to justify it to is yourself.

Not me. Not anyone else on this thread. Not anyone else you know. And not even to your baby really. Doing what's best for you, ultimately has benefits for them which can't be separated as you are a unit.

Therefore if you think its the best option, you shouldn't feel guilty with yourself.

I do think feelings of guilt are purely based on what we expect others will think or because we grown up with cultural values and beliefs that we can't simply shake off. I do think its changing slowly, and it is being recognised that the body and mind are as important as each other.

"I do think feelings of guilt are purely based on what we expect others will think or because we grown up with cultural values and beliefs that we can't simply shake off."

Guilt is hard-wired into parents - it's an evolutionary tool designed to assist us in optimising our children's life chances. We feel guilty when we suspect that our behaviour might disadvantage our children in some way. That feeling encourages us not to make decisions which affect our children without thinking them through and rationalising them. In other words, it's usually a good thing - it's a tool for optimal parenting.

In some ways it's like the adrenalin response (fight or flight). Usually important and useful - it sharpens our senses and keeps us safe and performing efficiently. However when we're suffering from anxiety or depression it can become a problem - we experience adrenalin surges triggered by anxiety, and this can become a vicious cycle. Same with guilt - if we're not emotionally well (anxious and/or depressed) and have disordered thinking the guilt reflex can be really problematic.