Induction or elective c section?

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I am 34/40 with dc5, all my others were spontaneous vaginal deliveries with minimal complications just for info.
This baby is measuring small, 1st centile, baby is now prioritising blood flow to the brain and other areas of growth are stunted due to this. I am now having weekly scans and Dopplers due to concerns around baby and have been told I will need to deliver at 37 weeks.
The consultant has said I have a choice of induction or c section however babies that are small are less likely to “cope” with labour and there is a higher chance of needed an emergency Caesarian.
Im terrified of the recovery from a c section but obviously want baby here in the safest possible
way. I have heard that elective sections are “easier” than emergency.
I am a little lost as to what to do for the best, obviously I will discuss with the consultant when I see them again but just wondered if others had been in this position before and what you decided!?
thanks in advance!

When I read your thread title I was going to say induction. Having read your post though, I would go with an elective section. I’ve had 4 sections and they really are ok.

I would say an elective section would be better for you both, based on the information you’ve shared.

I can’t compare because I only had an elective c section, but I found the recovery surprisingly good. I never was in any significant pain and was walking around the house and attending to baby by day 3. After 1 week, I went for walks outside.

I'd definitely choose an elective over an induction in this situation. Threshold for intervention will be very low with a diddy baby so there'd be a strong possibility you may end up with an emergency section anyway. Good luck!

A lot of inductions end up as c sections anyway.

I would go elective section. I had a 1st centile baby through emergency section after fetal distress (we were never told they are less likely to cope at the time), it was a very stressful situation

Forgot to say I have had 3 sections recovery was fine.

I had an elective section with my second and honestly it was amazing!
Recovery was so much better and quicker than my vaginal birth with my first.
I was out a short walk on day four and felt fine, just a little weak.
I'd 100% go further the section in your situation ❤️

What scares you about c section recovery? Perhaps we can reassure you.

My c section was so relaxed. Joking with the Anesthetist, and was up walking only a few hours after.
I did feel a little woozy just after spinal but was soon put right.

I have had two elective sections - the first I chose over an induction. I felt that the chance of some kind of unpleasant intervention was high in my particular circumstance for induction, and I felt much more in more control with an elective section.

For me, c section recovery was absolutely fine. I never had any severe pain, the paracetamol/ibuprofen combo worked fine. I got a slight infection once, that was because baby was not well and I was concentrating on him and not looking after myself well enough. I was up and about in about 12 hours both times, ok for short walks after a couple of days and gentle trips out after a week or two.

Given what you've said, I'd say a c section.

Although I will say that I was induced with my second at 37 weeks due to PPROM and it went very smoothly. One dose of internal gel and she was out in half the time of my first labour.
But if you're at a higher risk of an emergency c section, I'd be aiming to avoid that

Thanks all, you’ve all been really reassuring! I think my main fears are;
epidural/spinal - I’ve never had one and they scare me!
cannulas etc - I’m not great with needles/IVs (despite being a nurse but that’s a different story!)
pain afterwards- worried about recovery and managing this
also have a rambunctious 1year old who lives to climb on me and is still breastfeeding!
not being able to drive, my partner can’t drive for medical reasons and we have older children who will need ferrying around!

Im just so torn on the pros and cons of what to do for the best and desperately want baby here safely!

another concern I have is a bit TMI!
Im also worried about wound care/incision site care after a c section as I am a bit overweight (thanks back to back pregnancies! And have a bit of an overhang of my mum tum which creases at the top of my pubic line which is where I think the incision would be? I obviously know about wound care etc but would be concerned about increased risk of infection and stitches etc!

At 37 weeks with a small baby & 4 previous NVB I would go for IOL.

The reason for this is fetal lung development. Labour triggers final changes in fetal lungs and promotes production of surfactant. A small 37 week section baby is likely to be a bit ‘boggy’ with fluid and congested. By this I mean an admission to NICU/special care is more likely for some support with breathing. A vaginal birth will help with clearing fluid from your baby’s lungs.

I’d be minded to try IOL and be hand expressing too for those first few vital feeds. Why not ask for a decision 24hrs post IOL if you’re not in established labour/if they can’t break your waters.

Hi!

First of all congratulations. I would definitely go with the c section. I went for an induction in August and the whole process was horrific in my own experience. I ended up with a C-section under general. I had 7 attempts at a spinal/epidural, one successful but fell out. The process of getting it inserted is not painful, uncomfortable because of the position they make you sit in, and discomfort / weird sensation when they are inserting the tube etc but not painful. As for the cannulas, again, uncomfortable but not painful and they can be taken out painlessly pretty soon after birth. I have a high BMI and fat tummy, I was given a special dressing after my CS that came with a little battery pack thing that pulls the moisture out I believe. It healed really well, only when they took this off I got an infection however it wasn’t bad and cleared up pretty quickly with anti biotic (tablets at home). Bare in mind, this was in August, sweaty etc. Just air it out as much as possible. The pain of recovery is honestly not as bad as I imagined but I am a very anxious person so expected it to be awful.

I wish you the best of luck!!!

just Thought as I am sat tired feeding my beautiful daughter that I would update in case anyone in the future is in a similar situation!
I ended up being induced at 37 weeks exactly, I did need the oxytocin drip but it all went really well, contractions were no more painful than with my others (I only needed gas and air in the end!) and delivery was relatively straightforward (she did throw some interesting heart rate patterns on the ctg but that was due to cord being around her neck!)
she is tiny but she’s perfectly healthy and the process of getting her here wasn’t that bad after all!
thank you for sharing your stories with me!

Glad all went well op! Lovely to see the update.

What a lovely update! So happy for you OP and congratulations on your precious daughter. Hope you get some nice calm bonding time now.

Seen your update ignore me!!