Planned C Section

[MrsRonBurgundy]

Hi all
Does anybody have any experience of having a planned c section booked in but then going into labour beforehand?

I have a planned section booked for when I am 39 weeks and just wondered what would happen if anything starts before then. I do have another consultant appointment in a few weeks so I will ask then as I imagine it varies but just thought I’d get any experiences
Thanks in advance

I had a ELCS and was told that they just do your c section then instead (I was worried they’d try and talk me into a vaginal birth if I went into labour!), it’s kind of an emergency but not as dramatic as your standard EMCS as you’ll probably still be in early labour. When I had my section a few months ago I was the only elective one out of 4 originally booked in that day, as they’d all had their babies a few days earlier!

Thanks so much Roland, that’s good to hear! Mine is an elective too and was starting to get a bit anxious that I could end up having to give birth.
Hopefully my hospital trust does the same as yours did.

That should read I was anxious I’d end up having to give birth naturally btw, missed a crucial word!

This happened to me! My waters broke 2 weeks ahead of my elective date. I did as I'd been advised: phoned maternity unit straight away, told to come straight in. Initially they were going to admit me and do a section early next day (it was around midnight) but within a couple hours I was getting strong-ish contractions so they went ahead and did it at about 4am! It was a breeze - calm, straightforward, great recovery. It's technically an emergency c-section when that happens, but it didn't feel like one. I can't imagine the planned one would have been better. The attitude was very much "you were having a planned section? Okay we'll crack on with that then". Not sure how typical that is, but no one mentioned attempting a natural delivery.

I was booked in for an elective C section as my DD was breach. I went to hospital on the agreed day. My waters broke naturally and I went into labour whilst waiting for the procedure. Was all quite a shock as first DC.
I went down to theatre as planned. Is actually quite nice knowing that DD was coming into the world on that day c section or not!

I was booked in for an elective C section as my daughter was breech. Waters went a week early so went straight to hospital they brought my section forward to 6am the next day as consultant told me I would labour slowly as it was my first baby, contractions then became more frequent and they brought it forward to 11pm that night but I still laboured too quickly and would have been too dangerous to pull her out of the birth canal. I ended up giving birth naturally with no pain relief and a very nasty episiotomy. It was traumatic but I’d do it all again.

I’m having an ELCS after an EMCS last time. My consultant asked what I would like to happen if I go into labour earlier (I said still a c section) so she has put that in my notes. I’m not sure what will happen in practice but I liked that they raised it to discuss with me.

This gapped with both my DC. With DC1, my waters went at 34+4 and I was 60 miles away from home. I went to the nearest hospital and after talking to the consultant about my reasons (I have bowel issues, it he was breech so that helped my cause) they did me a section next morning. They wanted to put me in an ambulance to my home hospital but my contractions started over night.

With DC2, I was gowned up and waiting to be called into surgery when my waters went. Luckily I didn't have to rush in early for that one.