C-section ! Is it true, once you have one, you're likely to have again!

[PopsicleHustler]

And VBAC are actually very rare?

I had an emergency csection almost 4 months ago.
I was in labour for 27 hours and my little boy was getting stressed out and his heartbeat was so high. I had lost most of my waters the day before and suggested putting me on the dreadful drip to get the ball rolling as I was not progressing past 3/4cm for literally hours and hours. By the time it came to put me on the hormone drip, they said, no and that baby heartbeat is too high. You're going to have to have an emergency csection.

It was a horrendous surgery, I couldn't sit still, I had brilliant caring nurses and lovely doctors but I was trying to breathe through contractions whilst they were giving me a spinal block and something else. And I kept moving and having strange sharp shooting pains up my back and down my legs.
My legs felt awful and I was scared I would be paralysed. I was trembling and shaking through out. My mouth and lips were as dry as anything. Baby was born and wasn't breathing and had to be attended to by doctors.

We were both ill for a week and wired up to drips and had constant blood tests and checks for meningitis. I could barely move and was really struggling but the midwives and care assistants kept making me stand up intruder to help me and I get that but I was in such pain I could barely turn to lift the baby and getting out of the bed was horrendous pain, I really struggled.

I have had 6 children altogether and 5 have been born naturally with no complications and last baby born in January by emergency c section.

Still til now, I am still sore in some places, lower belly the numbness is still slightly there, bleeding has been on off for the best part of 4 months. Top of my bum / lower back was numb for almost 4 months also. I had issues with my scar as well, loose stitching came out and I had 3 infections.

All in all I can say I hope to never have csection again, it was awful but now I have heard that after you have a c section, it's like a domino effect and that you're likely to have it again and VBAC is very, very rare.

I would love to go and have number 7 in a couple years, (please dont post with comments such as 6 is enough or i dont care about the environment. My husband and I both work hard, the children are all happy and well looked after and get equal time and love)

But I am scared of csection again and in comparison vaginal birth is an absolute breeze. I had a water birth with number 3 and laboured in the water with number 4 but does anyone have any experience of this, ie all your children were csection and you just could NOT have a vaginal birth?

Thank you so much

I think the length between births is a factor too from what I read when I was considering options. If you have a short gal there's likely to be weakness in scar area and more likely to rupture. Leave it a while longer and Vbac more likely to be successful?

As you've had quite severe-sounding complications and a difficult recovery, I would speak to your consultant about a potential VBAC next time. After six children your uterus will be stretched and thinner than someone attempting a VBAC with a second baby, and the complications to your scar site might cause problems.

An elective section is very different to an emergency, everything is calm and the room is quiet with people just getting on with a job they do every day. You wouldn't be having contractions and you'd have time for all the pre-op prep and drugs which keep you and baby healthy.

@febbabies2023 you have done very well and wow I didn't know of the 0.5% increased to 0.8%

I was told its not risky in labour for uterine rupture. Only risky if getting pregnant so quickly after having a csection!

Congratulations on your new baby! How are you feeling and how is your epiostomy recovery?

Such good points @Mutabiliss you're spot on @onthefence23 yes, very true. I would be leaving it a couple years, to keep the body healing longer and to prevent any rupturing.

@elevenplusdilemma you put it very well. Thats what I am scared if. I am given the gi ahead to have a vbac and then it doesnt progress well, or an emergency occurs and I have to go through another emergency c section !!! :(

Hi op, I'm sorry that sounds like a terrifying and really stressful experience and not what you'd want that way your little one enters the world to be like.

I personally had a planned section because I was a high risk pregnancy and I was really scared of going into natural labour and then needing an emergency section. Everything I read when trying to make my decision on what to do was suggesting that emergency sections when you're already in active labour are much harder on your body and baby and recovery is much harder than with a planned section where you've no contractions and surgeons can take their time. My section was absolutely the right decision for me and was a really positive experience and I really believe its because it was planned and I felt very prepared for it. I've healed well and there's no reason why I couldn't have a vaginal delivery next time provided there has been enough time for my wound to heal strongly between pregnancies.

I would imagine that many women who end up with an emergency section tend to choose a planned one next time to take away some of the fear and uncertainty they might have after a vaginal birth that didn't go to plan so that might be reflected in what you're hearing.

Who told you there’s no risk of UR during labour? That’s very, very wrong.

OP, congratulations on your baby!

It sounds as if you went into Labour this time because baby was badly positioned and/or because you had an infection, so baby was stressed out in there and vaginal birth was unlikely. What a blessing that the c section was able to ensure you are both safe and well, even if you are a bit battered. I promise it will get better for you.

I think that the odds are very good for you, because you have had successful births previously. I have had an EMCS - first baby 9lb 7 back to back and induction "failed" at 2 weeks overdue but really I think she was wedged in so much that birth just couldn't really start naturally and wouldn't have been successful, as I do have quite a small pelvis. I had a ELCS next because I knew my next baby would be big and so I thought there wasn't a great chance of me being in that 50-60% who are subsequently successful wit VBaC, plus I had baby during covid, so quite stressful about who could stay with me if I was days in hospital etc.

Vaginal birth is about baby size, pelvis structure and positioning. You've obviously had good experiences in the past on the first two, so you have a great chance of being in the 50-60%, it's just the positioning bit that is pure chance - breach, cord around the neck etc is just one of those things. Good luck!

There's a really useful FB group for all things VBAC - VBAC Support Group UK. Lots of real-life experiences and support for whatever you choose next time.

I've had 2 c-sections. One emergency (although I wasn't in labour) and one planned. The planned one was so much easier to recover from, it was a completely different experience.

@PopsicleHustler thank you! Recovery was good, but to be honest so was my c section recovery luckily! Although driving and exercising much quicker this time!
I'm not sure who told you about uterine rupture but it's normally in labour where things start to go wrong with it. I'd definitely recommend doing your own research on it and for me the benefits outweighed the risk.

When I went into labour and I got the shoulder pain, it did get excruciating and there was concerns about bleeding into my stomach and diaphragm but the midwives and doctors were so good and did plenty to rule that out to give me a chance at the VBAC (first doctor wanted to take me for a section straight away but second doctor was better)

Hope you're enjoying your baby! You're very brave to do it so many times (or a little crazy hahaha) 😂

@Meandfour a doctor told me and head midwife...... I could have been mistaken but they kept drilling it into me not to get pregnant after c section as there's a chance of uterine rupture or death. And that no rupture would happen in labour, only pregnancy! I could be wrong but I am pretty certain.

Bloody hell, that’s awful!! The majority of URs occur during labour. Pretty common sense really given the uterus is contracting which will obviously have some impact on any scars present at the time.
Appalling you were told that.
I think the fact they were advising you not to get pregnant again should be taken on board, despite their shockingly dangerous incorrect info. Your uterus has been through a lot more than most and they probably advised that based on surgical notes from your c section.

Not a doctor, but it’s quite possibly the opposite. Doctors don’t really like women to have more than four pregnancies to term. Your uterus has been through a lot.

I had a VBAC, it's a hard decision to make and with so many variables every woman's situation is different. One thing I did do was look up the vbac rates in the hospitals within a reasonable distance to me and picked the one with the best vbac percentage. Also, make sure the hospital base thier advice on your notes from your previous babies. With DS2 the hospital scheduled me for a c section to be on the safe side because the hospital I had DS1 in didn't send my notes. It's only because of one very determined midwife in the day unit that my notes showed up and the consultants decided it was fine for me to wait to go into natural labour.

Whatever you decide OP, good luck!

I recently had a successful VBAC with my second baby.

I gave birth in a clinic where most women who have had a previous C-section elect to have one for future births so they don't do that many VBACs, but even so my doctor was supportive of my plan for a vaginal birth and optimistic about my chances of success.

If you've had five previous vaginal births then I'd say the C-section was an anomaly in your case and there's every chance you'll have a vaginal birth next time.

A VBAC is possible but yes it is not always achievable. What I will say though, is my first was an EMCS and my second was an ELCS and they weren’t comparable. EMCS was brutal, recovery was slow, ELCS was so much easier recovery-wise.

Sorry if I wasn't clear @Meandfour I meant they said not ot get pregnant again so soon , and if I do want more children in the future to wait 18m to a year before trying to conceive again. They never said for me not to get pregnant at all.

I am actually very surprised reading your response that its appalling they told me that
And I never knew either. I just assumed they meant that if I were to get pregnant so soon after a c section then it is dangerous with the internal scar ripping open as the baby and womb grows. Crikey, never thought it could happen in labour like that also.

Hooray @RosaBonheur well done and congratulations. I hope I will have a vbac should God plan another for us.

I would like to know what it is like in the clinic compared to a hospital? If you wouldn't mind please

VBAC depends on the reason for the section. I had an ELCS for a breech baby for #1 - never went into labour, straightforward section with easy recovery and a 3 year gap between pregnancies.

I was told while being wheeled into theater with the first that I was the ideal candidate for a VBAC if I ever wanted another baby, and then at my first appointment with #2 it was brought up again that I was the ideal VBAC candidate if I wanted one.

@PopsicleHustler I didn't give birth in the UK so I don't think my experience of giving birth in a clinic is likely to be that relevant to you!

I think the fact you have had so many pregnancies probably is going to up your risk factor in this this unfortunately. The number of babies you have had increases your risk factors

Its very different to a woman who has had one baby via CS and then has a VBAC. Even if you've had successful VBs before.

So you now have three risk factors going on - large number of pregnancies/labours, EMCS and your age (if you wait a couple of years you are going to be over 35 based on your comment that you are already 'mid 30s). This will certainly be something that will be taken into account for future pregnancies and you should really get more information about for your personal circumstances increase you have other risk factors going on. I think that you would probably be discouraged from going down the VBAC route for these reasons.

The information you've been told about Uterine Rupture is incredibly dubious too. Labour is where the problems occur.

First para in this:
https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/your-body/uterine-rupture_1152337
The vast majority of uterine ruptures occur during labor, but they can also happen in late pregnancy.

I would say that, given you are posting about this 4 months after the fact and still seem to be struggling to come to terms with the birth, is there a chance you are having a degree of birth trauma? Would it be worth exploring the possibility of a birth debrief to go through what happened? And as part of that find out what the difference between an EMCS and an ELCS are?

https://birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/

@RedToothBrush thank you for your reply and detailed answer. I don't know really if it is birth trauma. I was absolutely gutted when I was told it was going to be a csection and it was hard and afterwards was difficult too, dealing with the after pains, I was ill and baby was very ill also. I also felt very pressured to get up and move more when I really wasn't up to it. I know thy were saying fir my own sake to move more to help me but I was in agony and needed help. I struggled for ages trying to heave myself out of bed the first few days to hobble to the toilet which was so awful. I struggled with lifting the baby in and out of the cot in the hospital and I kept asking for help but they all kept saying you need to do it, you need to do it. And majority of them were all saying don't get pregnant again so soon, because your internal would could tear. That scared me a lot also and I still have pain today :(

Thank you everyone for your replies, really appreciate it

I had an emergency c section in 2011 and then 2 successful VBACs after in 2016 and 2022. I was given the option both times to have an elective c section or VBAC. Unless medically needed or you opt for a section you should be able to decide what you want to do.

Oh and a family member had a C-section first then 7 VBACs after.