Caesareans - Interesting Perspective...

[eidsvold]

saw this today in paper over here in Aus...

( also posted in the news...)

here

IS maternal age a factor in increased CSs?

Yes it is Blu - maternal age and maternal and paternal occupations both contribute.

Always said so, but like you I personally wonder. You read all this stuff about how our aged bodies can't cope with the stress of labour and pregnancy, etc etc. Yeah, right.

JIL, occupations??? How?????

Medically qualified (ie: Obstetrician or gynaecologist).

Hey Eidsvold, how are things in sunny Qld??

Ah, I see. Yes. What I read from time to time implies more that it's our shagged-out bodies that require a Caesarian, not informed choice.

Not that I'm touchy or anything

Have FINALLY managed to convince DP's mother that she needn't go on and on about my geriatric courage in defying all obstetric odds

I think that's a silly article - it doesn't really touch on the real need for CS and suggests the reasons for elective CS are superficial. And written by the vice-president of the National Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists too.

CS's take generally longer to recover from than vaginal deliveries. It's a major surgery. People have CS's for more valid reasons than talking to their friends and mothers. pah.

I've been lucky to have had two "normal" deliveries - I am glad to know though that if it was necessary I could have a CS, but to say that women get them becauce they can is just nonsense. "Modern, emancipated women are increasingly exercising their right to choose by deciding that a planned caesarean section is their preferred mode of delivery"
pah

I cant read it because I cant open links! But just to pick up on the age issue...what???? I was 22 when I had my first section and I know loads of women yound and old who have had them, I think thats rubbish

oh I "pah"'ed twice there, not really that emotional about it, just think the article validates the saying "too posh to push".

I don't know anyone that chose to have a section, I know I didn't. But if I am honest, part of me wants to be told I have to have one for my next due in August, am bit scared of giving birth

reproductive emancipation..
now that's a phrase and a half...
PMSL
surely you have a CS cos you need to or you want to, you can dissect the reasons all you want, but for women who believe in C sections, theere is no talking them out of it, and vice versa with normal deliveries, the more press negates c sections, the more guilt mothers will face...
Simple, mothering is about dealing with guilt, the birth is only the first in a line of millions of things we persecute ourselves for!

No eefs! totally agree. I had an emergency section with my dd. It was a REAL: emergency. I still got told by people I had an easy time and I think that is down to the media making out sections are easier. Forget the fact I had the birth from hell, my daughter got stuck in the birth canal and I needed a em-section else she would have died. To posh to push. Pah!

And I dont feel guilty about choosing a second section because they couldnt guarentee a baby would 'fit' through my pelvis

oliveoil, for 2nd birth I was PETRIFIED that I might have to go through vaginal birth,and it didn't hit me until the day I was due for an induction, so ikwym!

OMG Bundle I have forgotten to send you those Scholl sandals , I will sort them out. Blame pregnancy brain.

OMG Bundle I have forgotten to send you those Scholl sandals , I will sort them out. Blame pregnancy brain.

oo, I'm the same... had CS with DS and am due in October... really want to give VB a go, but am pretty terrified!

Bundle, how did you get on in the end?

s'aright oliveoil! I'm wearing my white birkenstocks today...

sooz31, I had another c/s but because I hadn't had an epidural (they were just putting the canula in myhand to administer the drugs when I felt woozy, had buzzing ears - all symptoms of v low bp, something like 80/45) i had to have a general anaesthetic because they thought my scar might have ruptured. it hadn't and dd2 was fine, 8lb 9.5 oz. i was a bit sick after the anaesthetic and was quite relieved that I hadn't gone through a vaginal birth tbh. I recovered much more quickly than with 1st c/s, out in 3 days and made sure I took pain relief before i needed it iyswim.

My boss's wife had 2 elective c-sections (by choice rather than need) and was amazed to hear that I would rather have had natural deliveries than sections!!!!! like i'm mad or something....

My sister chose to have a CS for her DD after having an emergency CS with her DS.. she had a shocking time of it with DS... I'm trying to keep an open mind about it.

Bundle, good to hear you recovered from CS2 quickly, as that's my biggest fear. I want to be up and about as soon as possible to look after DS and the tiny one. Last time it took me a long time to recover which I found really frustrating/depressing.

Hadn't come across the "2nd generation c/section" problem before. Is it in fact indicating that there is a whole class of woman who wouldn't exist as they wouldnt have surivived the birth process without a c/section but now themselves are unable to give birth naturally?

I wouldn't dismiss the idea of women swapping horrific birth stories as contributing to c/s rates. I think that people do weigh up the pros and cons a lot more carefully but do want to talk to women who have c/s's. There is no guarantee of how you will recover either way, though I've found that with a c/s a lot of people are more prepared for a slow recovery and are in fact surprised with how quickly they sometimes do recover and therefore speak very positively about the experience. On the other hand women expect a faster recovery from a natural birth and therefore are more negative when in fact they find that they do have longer term problems. There then becomes a distrust with information again as women start to feel that they are being pushed towards a natural delivery but are not being given all the information about the risks that that also holds.

sooz, just make sure you have a plan a,b, c etc for every eventuality. dh was away when dd2 was 10 days old & I had my mil, then my parents over to help. things like stacking the dishwasher were nigh on impossible for a while and even 2nd time around bfeeding took a bit of time to get going.

Also curious that midwife experience isn't listed as an issue - I wonder if this is just a UK thing.

My friend gave birth to twins on Monday. She was attended by 3 midwives, none of whom had seen a natural twin delivery. Her main midwife had had 2 c/s's herself. At each midwife appt my friend was warned that she should expect a c/s. Even after the forst twin was born the midwifes wanted to intervene (drips etc), but the registrar made them hold back (to my friend's relief). The second twin followed 10 minutes later, and whole labour and birth was just under 5 hours, using gas and air. It was my friend's 3rd birth, and she felt fairly confident in her body. Had it been her first I wonder what the outcome would have been.

I think that's spot on about recovery time, LM. After my first, pretty tough, vaginal birth (nearly a C-section) I felt utterly outraged that I wasn't up and about just like Sheila Kitzinger had said I would be. I hadn't believed ANY of the stuff about birth not hurting - I'd opted for a mobile epidural all the way along - but recovery time had never occured to me.