Mortality rate of a c section

[anonny55]

C section - 1 in 4200
Vaginal birth - 1 in 25000

Mums who had an elective c section, did this not freak you right out? It's the only thing putting me off. It seems high!

Also, did your baby need time in the nicu as there's also higher rate of babys needing neonatal care from c section births.

I'm sorry it went like that for you, sounds awfully traumatic😣

@Craftymam it's all a little daunting as a first timer trying to find your way through this!
Did you have vaginal births or cs if you don't mind me asking?

Just go for an elective section by the sound of it. Emergency ones are far more risky for you and baby generally. They're also harder to recover from and you're more likely to be left with some birth trauma.

People say sections are hard. But honestly mine was a breeze after. I was out walking around the village happily 4 days later. I mean not at speed and only about half a mile but was quite comfortable. Just had paracetamol and ibobufin regularly. Never needed anything more.

same data presented slightly differently by NICE - makes it sound rather less scary!

🤔failure of a screengrab... will try again in a bit.

Too stupid to post a screenshot! Their (NICE's) explanation does highlight the difference between relative and absolute risk which is important.

In relation to maternal mortality (only posting this point as it's the one OP's particularly picked up on. The easily googleable doc goes through the whole lot in a similar way):

Risk with Vaginal birth
~4 women per 100,000 (1:25,000) would be expected to die (so 99,996 would not)
Risk with C-section
~ 25 women per 100,000 (1:4000) would be expected to die (so 99,975 would not)
Risk Difference:
About 20 more women per 100,000 who had a caesarean birth would be expected to die; so for about 99,980 women per 100,000 the outcome was the same irrespective of the method of birth.

Didn't freak me out. I almost died giving birth vaginally last time after a haemorrhage after retained products so I wanted to be thorough this time.

No NICU. Born at 37 weeks (spontaneously so ended up an emergency section rather than planned at 39 weeks) and fully healthy.

Wanted a midwife birthing centre water birth and all that jazz.

Then babe decided he was going to have an unstable lie (between diagonal and transverse)!

Ended up consultant led as risk of cord prolapse if my waters broke and they wanted to do a C.

Was terrified. Spent a month panicking and really delving into the stats. Consultants saying it's fine. One of the most common surgeries. We do them everyday.

Realised through research for elective it's actually better guaranteed outcome! Ie. A perfect natural birth is better but you can't guarantee that and for first time births it's usually not perfect (higher likelihood of tears and injuries). An elective C is better than a bad natural birth or an emergency C.

Then babe decided to flip round and engage the week before.

Everyone cancelled my C. Had to go mad at everyone to say no I want it now! They then get all the stats out and tell me I'm going to die etc.

I said that's fine. Last week you told me it was fine. They were like fair enough. Got the C booked. All went well.

And now on babe 2 and the consultant couldn't care less what I do 🤣

Could you photograph this again in better light please?
I can't read it, and I'd like to

The theatre team said to me when I went in the morning of mine, petrified. 'This is scary to you, but to us it's an everyday, several times a day occurrence. You're in the safest hands' and it all went without a blip.
And baby spent no time in Nicu. Straight on me for skin to skin, taken into recovery with me and stayed with me ever since.

Also just to add, first time mum and advised to have a csection. Happy to answer any questions if you'd like, I know how daunting the unknowns can be. Xxx

It's true! @It's why I never once worried about needing an induction. While I wasn't particularly keen on seeing my colleagues, I knew that the vast, vast, vast majority of mothers and babies leave our theatre together and happy with no complications. And if there were complications I knew was in the absolute best hands. In regards to maternal deaths during/after C-section, the only ones I know of were where they had severe comorbidities prior to the C-section (i.e. terminal cancer, heart failure).

In the end I needed a C-section with my second after failure to progress in labour and the beginnings of fetal distress. After his antenatal antics (breech for a while) it did feel inevitable. I was so well looked after, and never felt worried about myself for even a moment. For me it was my first major operation. For my colleagues it was a Saturday night.

@Dyra Thankyou for that..it's a reassuring way to look at it☺️

May I ask why you had 4 c sections please? This is what am really scared of

My first section was after a failed induction which was needed because my baby was small and not growing sufficiently.
Second was because I was overdue with a larger baby and they wouldn’t induce.
Third I went into labour and was told I could try for a natural delivery but then a different consultant came on shift and put the fear of God in me so I had my third.
4th there was no discussion. Risk of rupture was too great for a natural delivery. I had my 4th section at just short of 38 weeks.

4 sections in 6 years! I put my body through it!

@Scutterbug did you find a major difference with the procedure and recovery with emergency vs planned?

No, I found them all very similar. I had two under GA though because I hated the spinal block. I suffer anxiety and it made me feel really out of control.

Woah, in 6 years! Blimey

I have 6 kids, first 5 long winded slow labour's but fast natural deliveries.
Last one born 2023, was emergency csection as he was getting stressed out and heartbeat was high and I was stuck at 4cm for hours and hours. After 27hours of labour they took me to emergency theatre and that was so much more difficult. I'd love another and final but I'm petrified again of c section. Would love to have a vbac even if it meant 2 days in labour. You are incredible doing it so many times. But I feel like it's a domino effect, one you have a section it's unlikely you will ever have a vaginal birth again. And I'm worried of that. I struggled bad with getting the spinal block and epidural in that I was trembling and then got a shooting pain down my legs and I thought you was going to be paralysed and for the whole procedure I was shaking non stop with a dry mouth. Then the baby was born not breathing so I had no clue what was going on
It was so stressful. And we were both sick for a week after and then dealing with the recovery was hard too.
But tell me, does it get easier the more yiu have had, i.e you know what to expect and planned is more easier.
Please kindly let me know when you can. Lots of love

Yes it got easier and by number 4 I was determined the experience would be on my terms. Hence the GA. Being awake just didn’t make me feel comfortable.

I booked a side room on the ward, you could pay and go that at my hospital so I knew the other kids could come and not disturb others. I was only in one night though!

With no 4 I was driving after two weeks. I found that being in control of the birth meant an easier recovery for me.

Any other questions, please ask x

I didn't see this statistic, no

I had two cesearans

I had the exact same statistics given to me this week after having a meeting with my consultant also, I’m holding my guns and going for c section - I researched local hospital success rate and it made me feel more at ease

Nope, because I would take death any day over episiotomies, vaginal tearing and double incontinence for life. I was TERRIFIED of vagina birth.

How many weeks are you? I'm 33+1 but have my consultant meeting when I'm 35+2 to book the section and go through risks etc😅

@allfurcoatnoknickers how did you find recovery?

Super easy. I was up and about doing the weekly shop within a week both times. I was achey and uncomfortable at times, but never in any actual pain.

I found recovering from having my wisdom teeth out much, much harder.