C-section for non-medical reasons but for vaginismus

[K2012]

Hi ladies

Need some advice as I’m shit it now 😬
Having an elective c-section in 3 days.

It’s my first pregnancy and I suffer with severe vaginismus. From the beginning I always hoped I would be able to have an elective c-section as I was dreading giving birth vaginally as just the thought of it caused me too much stress and anxiety.
Met with a male consultant (not the consultant I normally see) at week 32 as I had a scan done and he said he thinks I should go for vaginal birth as there’s no medical indication for a c-section (baby isn’t breech, big, I don’t have diabetes or any other health issues etc.) and said I can have epidural when I’m 3cm open and won’t feel anything down there after the epidural and I can refuse internal exams by the midwifes. I said I do believe that midwifes need to do their job and check how much you have dilated etc. and it’s causing me stress to even think about vaginal birth so he said go home and think about it and we’ll meet again at week 36.
At week 36 I met with a female registrar/consultant who had no issues with referring me for a c-section and just went through the operation, risks etc.

Now it’s getting closer and closer and I’m basically shit it and afraid something’s bad is gonna happen during the operation or after as there’s not really a medical reason for my c-section. I’ve been reading about your uterus can rupture, infection in the wound, you can have your uterus removed after , your intestines and bladder can stop working, you can have a hemorrhage etc. I know chances are so small but can’t stop thinking about it so just wanted to ask for some advice for those who’ve had c-sections due to non-medical reasons and how it all went?

Thank you for reading 🙌🏻

Thank you so much ☺️
tNearly two weeks on but still recovering. Got stitches and now uti😅

it’s a baby girl
☺️

@Kardelen Oh no!! 😱 Hope you recover soon.

Congratulations on your girl 🌸

Thank you so much 😊

Hey, I also have severe vaginismus and am currently 34+5 weeks.. I have an elective c section booked for 39 weeks. I was wondering what would happen if I was to go in labour early? Would I need to go through the excruciating pain of a vaginal exam to check if my waters have broke/ how dilated I am? If so, can I refuse these? Is there any other way a midwife can check if I am in labour? X

@Malika111s I can't give you any advice re vaginismus/C section (no experience with the latter and only mild experience with the former) but I can tell you that you can definitely refuse vaginal examinations during labour/labour suspected labour (or at any other time). You are in charge of what happens to your body and who examines it, nobody can force you to do anything, labour doesn't change the basic rules of consent.

I'll also share that when I gave birth to my second child, I wasn't even offered an examination, the midwives just let me get on with it and knew that I was close to giving birth from observing other signs.

An experienced midwife will be able to care for you without performing examinations. If that's the sole reason for considering a C-Section, perhaps it would be worth a discussion with your midwives and then stating your wishes very clearly in your birth plan "I do not consent to internal examination".

Regarding your other questions, the only thing a midwife can't do without examining you is tell how dilated you are. They can test any fluid leakage to see whether it's amniotic fluid and they can use the ctg monitor to see whether your uterus is contracting.

Thank you x

@Malika111s Hi I was told by my midwife that if I went into labour before the planned c-section I’d have to call the ward and they’d do an emergency c-section.