How early did you have your c-section

[angelinheaven]

Anyone else who has had a c-section, how early did they book you, as been told they like to do it as close to due date, but everyone of my pregnancy I've gone into labour early which ended in emergeny section last time, and I really don't want that this time, so how early have any of you ladies push for the hospital to take you in earlier
Thanks x

I don't know about specific hospitals, but the reason they like to wait until 39 weeks is that after that gestation there is a much lower chance of baby suffering respiratory distress.

I think one article I read said there was an almost 3 times greater risk of having a newborn suffering from respiratory morbidity at 38 weeks than at 39. There's also a greater risk of NICU admission. As a result I believe there are guidelines that state elective section should be AFTER 39 weeks.

I didn't realise this myself until my 37 weeks c section with ds (fetal distress due to induction for waters breaking) and he had to be resuscitated and take a trip to NICU. I think though if you're booked in for an elcs and you go into labour before, they still honour the c section and treat you as a priority.

I'm booked in for 38+6. Had DS at 39+5.

I'm currently 26 weeks but I've known my c section date since around 18 weeks. Ask at next appointment. Your consultant will probably have a surgery day and you'll be booked in on that. I know mine's is Wednesday's, the following week would be too close. I'm dreading the last few weeks and I might ask for 37+6 if I'm feeling awful.

I had mine at 39 weeks but wasn't given the date until 38 weeks.

I was 39+3. Had to phone up the week before for the date and time (early slot or mid morning slot).

Was booked in for 39 weeks despite asking for it to be earlier due to issues with previous scar causing severe pain and big baby due to gestational diabetes (baby above 97th percentile at 32 and 36 week scans).

Understand it's for respiratory reasons as previous poster mentioned above though and obviously priority is the baby.

I went into labour on 37+4 though, waters broke and contractions started at 6pm, hospital by 9pm, ready to be taken in for emcs straight away but I had eaten at 7pm and they needed at least a 3.5 hour gap. Was about to be taken in at 10.30pm but an emergency came in and it was about midnight by the time I was called. Although it's classed as an emcs I don't think it is anywhere near as traumatic as having an unplanned emergency c section. Because it was in my notes to have a c section it was just about finding a slot after I got to the Hosp.

Good luck!

I had mine at 37+6 , but that was in the days when elective sections were routinely done at 38 weeks , there were no problems at all .

Mine will be booked for 39 weeks. I am dreading going into labour earlier but I understand why they won't do them before that.

Had my DS in 2014 at 38+4 (no respiratory problems) and also having my second son in May at 38+4. This are private elective sections tho and I sense that my bleating and whining at the consultant for as early as possible carries more weight than it would with NHS...perhaps I am wrong?

I had dd2 at 38 weeks with no probs by elcs then my son at 39+5 elcs but had gone into labour the night before, then dd3 at 39 by elcs and labour had also started, then with my dd4 was booked in for elcs at 39 weeks but two days before my waters broke labour started, and she was destressed and had a poo,bless, and got rushed in for emergency, she then was in special care for a week with lots of problems. None of them had breathing problems. At our hospital we get booked in really early, so will discuss this at my next appointments. Don't think they will take me in any earlier than 38+5. Just hope the baby is fine with no problems and I don't go into labour before that. This will be my 6th section so gonna be lots of scar tissue!!
Thank you all for replies xx

Besides the risk of respiratory distress, I wonder what people think of the idea that babies benefit neurologically from extra time in the womb? e.g. as reported in this study which people kept forwarding to me as consolation when I was overdue last time

I think for me the main risk would be worrying about going into labour naturally and not having anyone there to do the c-section. But if I was completely confident that they could do the emergency c-section whenever I pitched up in labour, I think I would delay until the due date or a couple of days past it.

I think hopsalong may have a good point. Unfortunately I am a Hyperemesis sufferer so no report is going to convince me of any benefits if I can convince a really excellent consultant to take baby out sooner

I'm happy with my baby being left in for as long as possible I just don't want to go into labour and have the scare that I did last time. If labour starts they take you straight in and last time I was in theatre within 20 mins of getting to the hospital

Ugh, LH, hyperemesis: my sympathies. I was toiling in the foothills of it up to 20 weeks, but what I had was more very bad morning sickness with a few vomits every day/ constant nausea, mostly controllable by cyclizine. Is it still going on now? I have to say that I feel much better since 30 weeks than during rest of pregnancy, almost completely "unpregnant" (other than massive bump/ vulval varicose veins), if that makes sense? The thought of vomiting now is quite intolerable, however. Even sneezing hurts. Get that baby out!

I was booked for exactly 39 weeks. However, I went into labour the day of my preop assessment at 38+5 and had a sort of EMCS at in the middle of the night. It was all ok.