C Section or natural birth with weak bowel pelvic floor

[SnKcampbell]

Hi I'm writing this post to see if others have been in a similar situation to myself, I suffer from weak bowel pelvic floor muscles and sometimes have incontinence and lose bowels and can be on the toilet for like 20 times a day, Been like this for a good few years now and been seeing hospital specialty teams.
My pelvic floor surgeon doctor is recommending I have a c section Birth to prevent maybe making my bowel issues worse or risk tearing as I could be having a tall/ big baby. My husband is a bit concerned about me having a c section though and says what if the c section makes my bowels worse?
so I'm trying to see if any ladys have a condition like mine and have had a natural birth or a c section birth?

I have a uterine prolapse, because of a difficult first birth, so had a c-section with no.2. My prolapse was the same after pregnancy as before, so absolutely the right choice. I didn’t want it to get any worse.

My advice will echo PPs. Listen to the specialist doctor, rather than your DH, whom I assume has no expertise in this area (correct me if I am wrong) Hearing other women's experiences is not the same as solid scientific evidence.

Yes. My first birth ended in a third degree tear and I’ve had lifelong bowel issues. Bowel control worsened after the birth injury. But even a textbook vaginal delivery can put a tremendous strain on the pelvic floor muscles.

I had a c section for the second baby and the recovery was a walk in the park compared with recovering from the tear/perineal surgery.

I am puzzled why your husband is suspicious of the doctor’s orders tbh. Why does he think a vaginal birth is better for you or the baby?

I think its because the doctor said it was my decision/ option it was just something he recommended and had only heard from this one doc about c section and then the risks/ complications with c section surgery, my husband don't really like any surgery at the best of time bless him, but he did say it will be my decision and we can speak to more docs and see what they say.

this is what the pelvic floor doc said to me Friday that my incontinence/ weak bowel could get worse if I had a tear during vagina birth so that is a bit scary as I wouldn't want to be worse then I am now, its already embarrassing at 33 having accidents.

Thanks, we only spoken to the pelvic floor doctor at the moment, and no he don't he just not a fan of surgery and big worrier on the risks etc

oh no so sorry to hear that, hope your getting some help now to cope?

In your case a c section would be the least risky option.

I say that as someone who is disappointed to have had 2 c sections despite wanting vaginal births. No previous or since bowel problems, and both recoveries fine.

Stool softeners after c section were a must for me. Both times first bowel movement took a week and was agony. But all good after that.

Best of luck.

I use a pessary and for now that allows me to be completely normal. I had some incontinence etc but manage ok now - just urgency issues but nothing that interferes too much with my day to day living. I ran 15 miles this week and cried because I never thought I’d be able to do that again. I have felt some twinges afterwards so probably pushed too much but the run itself was comfortable.

Hi, yes I did have the pelvic floor issues before my pregnancy. They started late twenties. Sounds like they weren’t quite as severe as yours, but they were bad enough that I was often extremely stressed when out as if I needed to defecate I had a very limited amount of time to get to the toilet- not helped by the fact that I also have IBS. There were a couple of incidents where I was caught short (e.g. on a long walk in the woods) and it was mortifying. I had some pelvic floor physical therapy which helped. I think when I started she said I had something like 10% normal pelvic function (tampons used to just fall out of me)… and when I finished I got to 50% function or so, with a noticeable improvement.
I was constipated immediately after the section which was unpleasant but didn’t cause any ill effects. I will be honest that I did have one incident after the birth (maybe 6-8 weeks) where I soiled myself when out walking the baby 😞 which was very distressing. However that was the only time, and I don’t feel my urgency issues have become worse since I recovered, and think my pelvic floor is still better than before I had the pelvic floor PT. I’m pregnant again and will do another section for sure.

I would also say that though a section is painful afterwards, so is natural birth, and trying for a natural delivery doesn’t mean it would be successful- you could still end up with a section. The section was painful in the days after and I did have to take it easy, but it certainly wasn’t unbearable and the actual procedure was great.

Absolutely have the section. I was in a similar position to you, bowel issues and multiple surgeries starting at 17 due to Crohn's Disease. I have a small fistula and have previously had occasional incontinence. I dread to think where I'd be if I'd had a natural birth, but I had a section and things are pretty much as they were before my pregnancy, no worsening.

Thanks for responding, did you get given anything to stop you going constipated after c section? as right now my stool is to loose so pelvic doc said he wouldn't recommend I take a laxative after, did you have any pain with c section and the bowel after?

omg reading this makes us sound very similar my gastro says I also have ibs. i had an accident the other day in the park had to find a bush but then got caught out walking home to was so embarrassed thankfully not far from home but I was crying, I noticed I messed up my incontinence is in my bowel not my vagina, but the lack of muscles means poo can just slide out of me lol.

i currently have some constipation days then some very loose days where I could be stuck on toilet nearly all day

Thanks for responding though and its nice to hear of other people in similar situations like me as its not often people are

No, I didn't need anything to be a laxative. I think it's normal not to pass a stool for a day or two after a section because of all the drugs one is given during the op and after as pain relief. I wasn't in pain from my bowel when the time came and I needed to go.

As if your DH knows better than the obstetrician. I know who I'd be trusting.

Your husband's views on surgery don't have any place here. It's your body and your pelvic floor and you have to do what's best for that - ie, what the specialists say. Not your husband because he's weird about surgery.

i never did say he knew better, he just not a fan of surgery and worry about the risks, he said he wanted to speak to more docs about it as so far we have only seen the pelvic floor surgeon, and they just advised at the end of the day he said it was my decision and so did my husband but he would prefer a natural birth if it is possible, i will also do what is right for my body at the end of the day to.

oh yes i know that, we need to speak to more docs as only seen one at the moment, he also knows its my decision, but I'm also scared of s actions to and the risks with the surgery but I know there is risks in any births unfortunately

MN does love to dump on husbands. It doesn't sound like you DH is trying to 'ban' you from having a C Section. I think he's just saying what others have said, get all the relevant information and go from there.

C sections are less risk to baby and in your circumstances sounds less risky for you too, can't imagine why you'd want to risk further damage. You have to live with consequences not DH.

If you’re worried about pain- I’ve had 2 c sections and can honestly say that at no point did I ever feel any pain. Obviously you’ll completely numb for the surgery and then afterwards they give you the good drugs to take on a schedule, and sure it’s uncomfortable at times like when you first get up and walk, and you have to take it easy for a few weeks afterwards, but it never actually felt properly painful. C sections are also the safest type of delivery for a full term baby, and there’s less risk to your pelvic floor. Speak to your consultant OB and make sure that you make an informed decision but if it were me, there’s no way I’d consider a vaginal delivery.

Yeah he was like why you posting about me I cant defend myself lol, but yes he just gets scared about stuff and needs to speak to a few more docs really, even when I had nose surgery last October poor guy was worried as I was in there for 4 hours instead of the 1 hour they said I would be, (noncosmetic procedure)

Thank you and yes my pain threshold for things isn't to good, and yes need to speak to more of the doctors about the c section and get there views and opinions on what they think, I was told my gastro doc and pelvic floor doctor would all be involved under my case aswell.

Yes would be up to me in the end I think its just the risk you hear about with a c section that scares my dh just like any surgery. but thank you for responding, I'm going to make sure I speak to all docs in my care and see what they say.

I agree re pain - tbh my elective section was a breeze both at the time and in terms of recovery.

One thing I learned is that everyone talks about the risks of c section, but no one talks about the risks of vaginal birth, because it’s the biological norm. It’s almost like poor outcomes after vaginal birth are seen as collateral damage, just one of those things, whereas poor outcomes after c section are seen as avoidable… if only you’d had a natural birth!

For me, I was quite clear that I was happy to take on the known risks of a c section, compared with the many unknowns of another vaginal birth. Arguably the same applies to you - you need to protect your pelvic floor at all costs, in which case it’s better not to give birth vaginally because there are too many risks attached to it.