Elective caesarean or VBAC after emergency caesarean?

[doingitalllagain]

I had an EMCS with my son 3 years ago due to breech presentation, I went into labour at 37 weeks hence it being an emergency as my ELCS was scheduled for 39 weeks

I had a loss at 18 weeks earlier in the year in which I had medical management and laboured for 6 hours

I'm now 21 weeks and starting to think about options for this baby. If I was picking between a straight forward birth and an ELCS I would pick birth, but I know so many people who have had traumatic births and the gynae issues that can occur, I'm terrified of the tearing, I'm scared of going through labour again. At the same time I feel like I shouldn't just elect for major surgery that isn't medically needed.

I would maybe like a third, but that would be it, so I don't know if that's a factor. Experiences? How did you decide? Are you happy with your choice or did you regret it?

I went for elcs after emcs and was really happy with my choice. I felt more in control as I knew what to expect after the first cs. I felt it was safer for me and baby too. Choose what feels best for you

Thanks! It does feel like the more in control option doesn't it. I just can't decide!

Also the recovery was so much quicker as I hadn’t been labouring with the elcs

Elective - definitely the right choice for me although I did leave it right up till due date to decide. Had a slightly older first child so less concerns about having to pick toddler up during recovery but I was up and about after a few days in the end - was such a different experience than the EMCS

I'm about 9 weeks with my second and will 100% be having an ELCS - my birth with my son was awful (actually the EMCS was the only bit which wasn't, as it was finally over!) and I felt it really impacted how I bonded with him initially, so although a smooth vaginal birth would be good, I'm not willing to take the risk of it going wrong again, knowing how it affected me before.

So sorry for your loss, that’s awful.

ELCS! Sooo happy with my choice, it wasn’t ‘medically necessary’ but I was just the worlds most anxious pregnant person and I don’t know how anyone can go through a vaginal birth, hats off to you all. Great experience, virtually painless, only bit that hurt was the cannula! Recovery was fine, just allocate 5/7 days to be properly pathetic then you can do most things that involve moving about (just no lifting) for a few weeks after. The only bad bit for me was getting out of bed when you have to sit up and use your abs, hated that feeling but I’d 100% do it again!

Elective, all the way

Elective.

Calm, predictable, beautiful.

I've just posted on another thread that it was very healing after a traumatic first EMCS.

The good news is that whatever you choose is probably fine :)

I went for vbac, found it cathartic and healing. First birth was long labour ending in emcs for let of progress, we were both exhausted/drugged up, had a long hospital stay and feeding problems. Logically I knew the CS wasn't my fault but I think emotionally I felt traumatised and like I'd failed.

Second time round I wanted to avoid being in hospital for long and avoid the dehumanising machines and tubes. It was fast and furious, the actual birth bit was hard but I loved being able to get up straight away, not being confined to a bed.

I guess the birth could have had complications that left me in bed longer. It was luck! I was also fortunate to live in a city with multiple hospitals so I could choose not to go to the one where I had my first birth, which makes me shudder.

I'm also a geek about the microbiome (look it up if you don't know about it) which gave me a preference for vaginal birth. It benefits the baby's immune system.

Good luck and congratulations!

I am currently 22 weeks with my second. Had an emergency c-section 2.5 years ago with my first.
Absolutely set on having an elective c-section with the second and have been since day one!

I like the idea of knowing what to expect and being in control, and also having experience of the recovery - although I do know it can vary.

Congratulations and all the best 🥰

I guess a CS is predictable in the sense that you're free from vaginal tears, you can still have risks like complications from anaesthetic, infection of wound, haemorrhage etc. And I think there's slightly higher risk of breathing problems as vaginal birth squeezes the gunk out of the baby's tubes on the way out. Also breastfeeding can be a bit harder as milk takes longer to come in - vaginal birth sets off a hormonal response that triggers milk, it's slower to start with cs.

Really I think c section is preferable to a difficult labour, but straightforward labour is preferable to c section. The bastard is that you don't know what kind of labour you'll have so it's a bit of a gamble.

I’ve had an EMCS, a vbac and and ELCS. Pregnant with my 4th and it’s an easy choice for me to have an elective. The healing was by far the easiest and the whole birth experience was wonderful.

Sorry for your loss.

I went with an elective. Absolutely no regrets.

My advice would be to discuss it with a medical professional. You should be offered a Vbac appointment with a midwife or consultant. I wanted to understand fully why I ended up with an emergency section and the risk of needing another emergency section. I was told that I would not be able to be induced again like I was with my first child and if I did not go into labour naturally, I would probably need another section. I had pre eclampsia in both pregnancies so was at risk of needing to have my second child early. On that advice I chose the elective section.

It was the right decision because I had pre eclampsia and by 37 weeks I had to go into hospital my BP was so high. I had my second child at 38 weeks.

Had a VBAC as I’m not good with surgery and had a toddler to take care of at the same time. It just depends on your needs