Why is everyone so anti elective c-section?

[Gangle]

I'm only 7 weeks pregnant but am sure I want an elective c-section. I've read extensively around the subject and think I'm well informed on the pros and cons of elective c-section v VBAC but it seems there is so much stigma attached to elective c-sections and that people will do/say anything to attempt to dissuade you from having one. Just wondering why there isn't more respect for your wishes about how you want to give birth.

I think I felt less dignified being shaved, having a catheter inserted & crying (for crying read bawling) as I was put to sleep to have dd via C-section!

I had PE so she was a crash delievery.

No one has mentioned the numbness...which I still find very odd & still have 4 years on! Does that mean it does go away...eventually?

I cannot see how anyone would elect to have a c-section. I could barely get upstairs to use the toilet, underwear was uncomfortable, couldn't go shopping on my own, couldn't sleep on my front front ages, hurt to laugh, cough, hurt to lift dd, hurt to sit from lying down, each morniing I would need help getting up. And mine was (I am told) straight forward!

had three sections and recovered very well and very quickly post section. I have not been in labour at all and so think that may have been the difference.

NO 1 was an emergency and no 2 and 3 were electives - in that the decision was made prior to the day for the section. I had very few painkillers post section. Once they took out the pain administered pain relief the next day I was on the equivalent of paracetemol. I was up and walking the next day for all of them. With dd2 -I came home to a 2 1/2 yo with special needs who was not walking, climbing etc who still needed care along with the newborn and NO ONE at home to help - dh could not get time off - he helped where and when he could but largely it was up to me for long periods during the day. WIth the first two I was in hospital for 5 days BUT with dd2 - cared for her the whole time. With dd3 - c-section Fri Morning - home Sunday lunchtime.

Once the babies were out - with dd2 and 3 I was able to hold them very quickly after they were born. I was able to see dd1 before she was rushed to ICU - totally unrelated to c-section - however the c-section did mean I have a dd1 with me now to speak of. I was able to hold the dds whilst I was being stitched up, dh got to cuddle them when we were being taken to recovery.

Driving within 3 weeks - no problem.

There are a lot of reasons for choosing a section and each woman and her circumstances are different. As I realise I have been fortunate with my recovery from my sections - there are others who have not been so lucky.

sandcastles - I have no numbness - is it where the scar is??

Many of the things I have read here were what I went through with a vaginal delivery! Could not sit/walk/stand without pain for the better part of a year. It's now 18 months and many things are still too painful to do, including resuming a normal relationship with DH. Had many issues bonding etc thanks to post traumatic stress.

DS may end up an only child, which I never ever wanted. The only way I will consider having another is by c-section, but as a major surgery that terrifies me too as it carries considerable risks. The risks are the main reason women are discouraged from choosing CS just as a matter of choice rather than as a necessity

I dont think anyone can tell you about how pain a C setion really is. The next day is awful, you feel like you have been beaten within an inch of your life and your head is a mess due to all the drugs
You dont get to hold your baby or feed it till you are all stitched up, and out of surgery. (can you tell i have been here before).
I had Emerency C section with DD and looks like might be headed for a planned section this time round.

I know you wanted to hear more about complications of natural delivery, but I dont know any.
Oh and trust me with a section you are not in control at all. Atleast in natural you get to walk around if you want, eat, drink, talk to partner, see and hold your baby.

Do you think your doctor would allow a section? Most wont now unless medical reasons.
HTH

lisa

Gangle,. I think some of your terminology is wrong. I have only skimmed the thread so apols if repeating anyone.

First of all, the word 'elective' when applied to c sections means 'planned'. As opposed to emergency c section. It doesn't mean 'as chosen' 'because I wanted one' or anything like that.

And as someone has already pointed out, VBAC means Vaginal Birth After C Section.

Anyway, as people have said, a section is NOT the easy option. We've debated this many times on here, will find an old thread in a minute but it is also NOT the statistically safer option. Quite the reverse, vaginal birth is safer.

And Tinker's right about midwives, they see normal (i.e. without complications) births, obstetricians don't see as many as often they're called in an emegency.

I urge you to research this/read more before you decide you 'want' a c section.

Btw, 2 vaginal home births here. 1st with no stitches, fine, second much tougher (bigger baby) but still ok.

here you go, Observer health editor says women ought to have sections and quite a lot of us disagreed with her

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I felt like this early on in my pregnancy but then became increasingly keen to experience labour as my due date approached. I ended up having to have a CS. I feel like my DS was born that day but I don't feel like I 'gave' birth iyswim. And I will always find that rather sad if I'm honest

From my experience - for every person who may have a negative experience to share about vag births/ c sections - there is someone else to give a positive slant on their experience. Every woman is different and there is no predicting how your body will react to natural labour/ recovery from c section.

The first question i have is - are you in the uk? and if so are you going private? No NHS consultant will agree to an elective csection unless there is a sound reason to do so. Private consultants will obv respect your wishes.

Secondly - I would defo recommend looking at hypnobirthing as a mode of mentally preparing yourself - not only for delivery but also for post delivery. I did a 2 day course and found it really informative and took any fear I may have had about natural labour away.

Ultimately - it is your choice and my advice is also be prepared to be open to delivering via whatever means is necessary. I have been convinced that I will deliver naturally - but combo of bub being breech and small (at my last checkup) means that c section may be something that I am advised to have. Having spent the last fortnight getting my head round that, I am now not sure what I would do if they said vag birth was ok - I think I would still want a csection.

As WWW said, there's 'elective' and elective. I had complete placenta praevia at one point in this pregnancy and the CS which would then have been necessary would have been classed as elective too, although the alternative would have been quite possibly bleeding to death.

CSes are (IMO) certainly not the easy option. I don't have any 'moral' views on this, but I'm really glad I had my long, tough, intervention-loaded vaginal birth (epidural, episiotomy, ventouse, big blood loss) rather than a CS (which was discussed late in the pregnancy because a number of reasons indicated the birth might indeed be tough). I appreciate I was lucky, but recovery was almost instantaneous. FWIW, despite all those interventions, I felt very, very much a part of everything - I was pushing, I gave the signal for the ventouse attempt.

2 1/2 weeks to go until next birth and I'm hoping to do it without epidural as well - but that's a different issue. (As much as the epidural was a blessed relief in the first birth, I found it very difficult that the 'working' sensation of contractions was suddenly shut off).

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Yes I know someone who got two proper elective (ie not medically recommended) CSs on the NHS because she really didn't want to go through labour.

Have you ever had major surgery, Gangle? It sucks. NO WAY I'd volunteer for it unless absolutely necessary.

FWIW, if it can be avoided, it's probably a good idea. It has a greater risk of complications.

I don't think 'I don't want to go through labour' is a good enough reason unless you have underlying mental health issues.

that must vary (like most other antenatal care) from primary care trust to primary care trust. Only one of my friends was offered an elective CS and that was after an horrendous first labour where errors had been made. Any others who wanted CS went private.

I was born via 'elective section'. My elder sister had been footling breech, and back when I was born, the csection was performed using a vertical incision, so it was 'once a csection, always a csection'.

2 things which may or may not have been mentioned yet about c-sections as i haven't read this thread...

a baby being forced through the pelvis has his chest squashed so the fluids which would have accumulated in his lungs, etc. is pushed out naturally. a c-sectioned baby has suctioning which is not usually complete so they may cough a lot in the first few days, scaring the parents. but more importantly, this suctioning can make babies initially phobic to breast feeding which can cause early bf issues. Also epidurals also make sleepy babies so they are also less likely to feed in the first hr when babies are otherwise naturally primed to bf.

another thing is that the passage through the vaginal canal is the baby's first introduction to a (healthy) gut flora. A c/s baby has an otherwise sterile one.

Also, as the baby is squeezed through the birth canal, his brain sends signals out to release some cortico steroids to help him cope with the stress and apparently this also helps him breath once he gets out.

i havent had a section so cant tell you about them (my sister lisad123 has told you about her experience)

i have had 3 VB's. first i was induced and i really hated it as was wired up to monitors, drips, and things just did go well, i tore badly and needed stitches. dd1 was 6lb 15oz.

dd2 was a fast natural labour. i was in control, and i gave birth to a 9lb baby within a couple of hours of waking up in labour with no stitches. i breastfed within moments of giving birth, the midwives didnt weigh her untill she hyad finished. it was a lovely birth, and i went home 4hours later.

dd3 was ARM birth. I went to be induced as i had devoloped gestional diabetes. but was already dilated so they just ruptured the membranes to speed things up. labour pains started within a couple of hours, i breathed through them, i wasnt constantly monitored, and was up and walking. I was laughing and joking with dh and the midwives, and only used gas and air for the last stage. dd3 was born 4hours after ARM, and breastfed straight away. no stitches, i was up within minutes and had a shower. dd3 had to stay in hospital for 4days due to low blood sugars caused by my diabetes, but we again would've gone home the following morning if she had been ok.

apaprt from dd1, all of my VB's have been very positive.

I would also suggest you have a look at some of Michel Odent's work. His view is that elective c-section is very safe, but that there may be long term consequences for mother and baby by not giving birth vaginally - not just physically but to do with emotional and mental development.

I have had both vaginal births and elective cesareans - the elective cesareans were fine, but I can't say more than that really, it was nice to meet my baby but it all felt rather cold and clinical. My last baby was born at home after I started reading about birth and how it can be a positive thing and it was just an amazing experience mentally, physically and emotionally. I certainly didn't feel that I'd lost any dignity. I can totally understand how you would have such a negative view of childbirth because this is the image portrayed overwhelmingly in the media and birth is often so medicalised that it as far away from 'natural' as you can get. If you want a balanced view then try reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth or the birth stories on the homebirth website

elective sections on non medical grounds are crap and it should be against the law for them to happen.
Don't get preg if you can't deal with birth.
It's a cop out and makes me very , wasting nhs money when it is at such a premium.

I gave birth totally naturally (in hospital) with lots of good counsel from midwives on how to have an active birth and minimise the duration of labour and I am so glad and happy I did. Why do you want a c-section? It's a big, invasive operation that is hard to recover from.

I respect everyone's right to choose but one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned (might have done but haven't read all the posts) is that there is now a lot of evidence for babies being born by CS being much more susceptible to illness, particularly chest infections during their first couple of years becasue their immune systems aren't primed properly by passing through the vaginal canal where they pick up the Mothers natural, protective bacterial colonisations - as they were designed to do by 1000's oy years of evolution. Also, as mentioned, they are much more susceptible to respiratory problems (one of the biggest dangers to newborns, esp premature ones) becasue their lungs aren't squeezed and the mucous removed as the natural birth process is intended to do. Personally, I can't understand how anyone that wants the best possible start for their baby would choose to have a C section. But I think it is good they are there as a medical intervention for emergency situations. One thing that woule really worry me is problems withthe scars - I know many people that have had problems with their scars not healing properly, including one woman that lost her next baby when the scar burst. Fair enough if you are going to have your C section at the Portland maybe but would you trust a busy, overworked, junior surgeon in an NHS hospital in the middle of the night to necessarily give you the perfect incision and closure? Not sure I would.

I've only had one natural birth btw but have not had any incontinence problems - so far! Don't think it always follows. I also enjoyed taking my newborn out for walks and fresh air rather that being stuck in the house for weeks going crazy like some of my friemds that ended up with C sections. I do know one girl from my NCT class that insisted on elective Ceserian for her first and second babies so I thinnk it is possible if you are convinced. I think you have to have at least a nominal reason for it though.