How to get an elective c-section?

[islabonita]

Hello there Ladies.
Is it really possible to get an elective c-section without any "medical reasons" such as placenta previa etc. Is total panic towards childbirth good enough reason to get one?
Is there anyone who got a c-section just because they felt like it was right option for them?
How did you get it and how difficult it was to persuade the consultants?
thanks

And I am saying who are you to say it's unnecessary?

{thuds head against wall}
Off to bed

Yes, lulu, and sometimes threads head off in a directions that is not only not helpful, but harmful to the OP (who I might point out has not been back).

if i have said anything harmful, please do point it out and i will either apologise / clarify or withdraw as necessary.

i think you would know me well enough, (as well as you can know anyone here! ) to know that i would never , ever intend to harm or hurt or upset anyone deliberately.

so if i have done so, i would like to know for future reference

Not you, lulu! I though we were discussing Kitty's posts, not yours.

okey doke

sorry

am clearly on an ego trip, brought on my over tiredness, and too much red wine !

'tis okay.

Can I have a sip?

Starlight, I'm sorry that your experience was so poor, I'm wondering now: did you feel supported by these two mw? did they acknowledge your pain and tell you how well you were doing? or rather did you still feel alone and struggling... or some other option...

I don't mean to drag this out for you... but I'm genuinely interested as I tend to soak up other peoples experiences in order that I can best support the women who ask for my support. Also, in my own personal birth experience, one of the biggest problems I have had was the feeling alone and unsupported. People may have been in the room but I didn't feel warmth and love, iyswim?

you better had eleusis, i clearly need to stop !!

I'm off to bed. Night night. Drink some water, lulu so you don't have a headache in the morning.

will do x

(((((((((((Starlight))))))))))))))

Sorry, I'm no expert at this kind of stuff, Lulu is better at the trauma counselling. Too late tonight to make any more sense so will say goodnight now rather than risk putting foot in it.

Would be happy to talk to you further if you wish at another time.

starlight, were you denied pain relief? Or did you soldier on thinking you could (or should) cope and failed to ask when asking was what you should have done in hindsight?

I was so stubborn during my induction I insisted on holding off on pain relief until the last minute. It HURT like being kicked by a horse in the guts every 2 minutes - and I only got to 5 cm after hours. By the time I was ready to ask for G&A, I was grateful for the blessed relief of a crash section (baby distressed, as she would). I could not believe pain like that - induction/synto, mind you.

starlight, erm, GA works!

I can totally believe unrelieved pain per se can cause panic, deep trauma and post-traumatic stress. It is also likely to be worsened by a deep sense of lack of control.

Every woman's perception and threshold of pain is different, as is their ability to cope and response to pain relief. You might have had a "great" vb (in terms of lack of tearing and stitches etc) but you made a good point about how experiencing that level of pain in itself can be traumatic and unforgettable.

starlight... oh lovely, you still sound so angr and upset. i totally agree with blueshoes about the pain.

nothing except a GA will totally stop you feeling the pain.

ok.. pethidine does not stop / remove the pain, per se, it acts as a muscle relaxant and helps you 'switch off' and rest between contractions, same with diamorphine & meptid. Also opiates can make you vomit, which is not helpful !

gas and air - is again, not a way to stop / remove the pain, but focuses your breathing, and takes the edge off as your contraction peaks.

epidural - does stop and remove the pain, but can make delivery more difficult as relaxes the pelvic floor which can mean baby's head does not rotate correctly for birth, hence increased need for ventouse or forceps. Also, if it is allowed to wear off for the 2nd stage the pain can be difficult to cope with. A good epi will allow you to feel pressure to allow you to work with your body to push the baby out. But you will most likely be immobile, and on a drip, so you will be on a bed for your labour, which can slow things, as not all hospitals offer mobile epi.

water - again, does not stop or remove pain totally, but water is an excellent pain relief, allows you to remain mobile and feel supported, and able to work with your body. It supports the perineum, so can reduce risk of tearing. Many women find water to be a blissful way to get pain relief. Gentle way for baby to arrive in the world.

GA - not ideal, as crosses placenta, so only used for crash section, obviously means no pain, but you are not concious for birth of the baby and can leave you drowsy for a while afterwards

Being afraid, unprepared and frightened can make your body release hormones that make you panic and want to run away, rather than accepting what is happening to you. And that can make labour longer, more intense , more painful and harder to cope with.

eleusis I have to come out in kittywits defence here. The OP chose to post so she should expect varying reactions. As a former NHS worker I have the unblinkered view about wider implications and funding. What would happen if every woman decided she didn't want a vaginal delivery and would prefer a C section? Do you have any inclination how much it would cost in man hours, drugs, resources, equipment. I don't think you do. There are other far more pressing emergencies. For example she has her elective section along with several others on the day x 365 days per year. The cost of that could fund several special care baby incubators and nuses. Would you like your baby who needs special care to be denied an incubator because someone selfishly thought it was their right to have a C section for no medical or founded psychological reason? Rant over.....

Well, at least there's one NHS worker who who admits it: the resistance to sections is about money, not health.

As a bloody hard working tax payer I think people should stop expecting free health care for all kinds of things... let us not begin with maternity services.

I think people who smoke should not be eligible for cancer treatment. I think people who eat junk food should not be treated for anything related to obesity (diabetes, heart attacks, depression, the whole lot). I think people who chose to go on holiday and come back with malaria should not get to see their GP for free, after all it was not necessary to go on holiday in Africa.

For fuck sake, if you want to cut costs in the NHS I can support that, but not if you are going to target maternity servies.

Not properly funding maternity services so that it is not uncommon for women frequently to labour alone or in a room with 4 other mothers (yes, in my hospital), so that labour stalls, and then have the baby ripped from her vagina with instruments and then leaving her with the consequences, is definitely cheaper than cs.

Health care should be for people who are unwell for whatever the reason. Wanting a section just because you do is not a good enough reason. The money is not there.