CS for DC2?

[TiredEuansMum]

hi,
Wondered if anyone could share experiences/advice on this. I'm 19 weeks pregnant with DC2, DS is 15 months. I had a really hard birth with him, waters broke was then induced, laboured for ages including pushing for a couple of hours before they realised he was back to back, then had episiotomy and forceps birth. The main problem was that I then got a huge haemotoma behind the episiotomy stitches which then broke. I couldn't walk for 2 weeks or sit down/drive for 8 weeks. I've now got a huge area of scar tissue which still hurts on and off.

My midwife is really keen on me having a vaginal birth but I'm worried about having lasting damage to that area, eg prolapse, incontinence. When I saw the consultant 8 weeks after the birth he recommended a vaginal birth next time but also said I was much more likely to tear. DH is keen on me having a CS as he doesn't want to go through the whole thing again! I'd be really grateful to hear other people's experiences

I would go c section. At the end if the day hcps nearly always recommend vaginal birth but don't have to live with the long term problems.
I've had both.. And c section was easier to heal than episiotimy.

I'd go c sec. Just make sure you have plenty of support in place to help with dc1. You'll be able to care for baby but will struggle with the toddler for 2-3 weeks at least.

I'm booked for a CS next week for DC2. I had a straightforward vaginal birth with DC1 but tore badly and like you couldn't sit or walk without pain for weeks, and have a lot of scar tissue downstairs.

Every health professional I've seen this time has recommended another VB, but I wasn't prepared to take the risk of tearing again and potentially suffering long term effects this time round. Thankfully the consultant I saw agreed to support my decision, and I didn't have to fight too hard to get the section once I'd convinced her I'd done my homework and was aware of the risks.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Also with c sections they avoid cutting the abdominal muscles. They part them to the side but with the epi they deliberately cut into the perinial muscles with a big pair of scissors as far as they feel like.