Elective C section booked but...

[wajiha25]

This is my second pregnancy, in my first one i was induced at 37.5 weeks because of OC/ICP (bile acid) and laboured for 3 days but couldn't get past 6cm. Ended up with fever/sepsis and had an emergency c section at mid night. Had no support after the birth etc which led to post natal depression as I did not connect with my child.

So this time I have not had any bile issues but because of covid I wanted to be in and out of the hospital so I chose to have an elective c section thinking I might have the bile issue near end. Which I don't. So now i m in two minds whether I should have a c section or attempt v bac something i wanted to do if I didnt have bile issues this time. My c section js booked for when I m 39.4 weeks.

Any advice what I should to? Stick to the date of elective or attempt a v bac?

I think you have more chance of being in and out of the hospital with a vaginal birth. I've had two sections and was there a few days each time.

DC1 was a failed induction and EMCS - I was in 8 days.

DC2 was an ELCS - I was in 24 hours.

I'd go elective.

I should be clear, it was the failed induction that took all the time with DC1 (6 days), not the EMCS

I’m in a similar situation (emergency c section last time). I’m asking for a c-section again because a)there is a large study done in 2019 that shows that after one c section the outcomes are slightly better for mother and baby if you have a planned c section rather than a VBAC b) if you add on top of that the 20-40% chance that after one c section you will end up needing an emergency c section the next time, I think the safest thing is to have the planned c section.

Of course the negatives are the recovery period and possible complications with future pregnancies but I don’t want more children after this one and have arranged for someone to be with me at all times for 4 weeks after the birth so I’m happy with my decision.

How many weeks are you now?

What plans have you put in place to receive support after the birth to help with PND this time?

I would say have the elective. But make sure you have proper support in place to help you.

I too had an EMCS with my first baby after a failed induction and had PND and anxiety as a result. The elective was a much calmer and more positive experience than the emergency. I was afraid of going through the whole experience of labour and needing another EMCS anyway. Having an elective gave me some control over the situation. I made sure I plenty of support for afterwards as well which made a huge difference too. I ended up with complications that meant I had to have another c section anyway because I had to have him early and I wasn't allowed another induction.

Thank you for your replies. I m 38 weeks today. With my first child I never experienced false contractions and I always had a high bump, whereas with this one I feel my bump has dropped and have been getting lots of Braxton Hicks as well, something I never experienced in my first pregnancy.
I have made sure this time that I have lots of support in place incase I suffer from PND, I m seeking therapy early on because I m still suffering from PTSD. I have written a birthplan about the support I would need straight after baby is born i.e. skin to skin, help with breastfeeding.

As above posters I have read about the statistics as well and elective c section seems very appealing for that reason. But I suppose I m in two minds about what if my labour starts own its own what should I do then?
On my recent midwife appointment I discussed this, and was advised not to cancel my elective date but on pre-op appointment discuss my options again.

Hiya wajiha. I was in a similar situation as you and had the same anxiety.

I had OC with my first child, gestational diabetes and failed induction and then Emergency Csection. I had a bad experience in hospital with little to no support from the nurses on duty especially the first night on the ward and even kn recovery my husband did everything no help from them.
With my second child i had the same problems gestational diabetes and then the dreaded OC again and was advised to have a csection, but i wanted to try for a VBAC as i felt i would regret not giving it a go but thats just a personal thing. The reason i wanted a VBAC was the bad experience of having the csecion and aftercare in hosp then the recovery.
I was scared as i was told of the risks but the doctors said it was ok to give induction a go as i was being monitored.
It was a failed induction as the labour wouldnt progress and i had a csection but i do not regret trying as i would have always thought what if i could have had a vbac.
You have to weigh up the benefits and risks yourself and then decide what is best for you.
My second csection recovery wasnt as bad as i was mentally prepared and kind of knew what to expect. I was also more confident in making sure i asked for help and explained when i was in pain and needed the help.
Excuse the time of posting cant sleep lol

Leaving the issue of labour starting beforehand very briefly to one side, if your main goal is to avoid a frenzied and miserable emergency c section on the vein of last time's, statistically and practically the better choice is an elective. They are a really different kettle of fish from emergency and crash sections, often they're incredibly calm and in general easier to recover from afterwards.

If you go into labour before an elective is scheduled then generally you have the choice at the time as to whether or not to let the labour proceed or to have a section. One thing to bear in mind though is that unless your labour comes on fast and furious, it would really be an emergency c section in name only - having a section in short order because labour has started is generally going to be much more like an actual elective than an emergency one where you've been in labour for hours and things have already started to go wrong.