Why are so many women anti c-section?

[jivegirl]

Despite planning a peaceful waterbirth at home, I ended up having a very scary OP/ventouse delivery with my daugher nearly 2 years ago (delayed second stage, retained placenta, 3rd degree tear, plus internal tearing which had not healed after 6 months and required cauterising)

I have been offered a C-section and will see the consultant again to make my decision in just over a week. At present (35wks) bump is transverse, so the decision to have a section may yet be taken out of my hands. However part of me is secretly hoping the baby stays transverse so I don't have to justify having a section.

I can't understand why so many women seem to be anti-sections. It seems admitting a preference for a section is almost taboo.
I still get horrific flashbacks to delivering my daughter and can't think of anything worse than going through that again (my DP rates it as the most traumatic day of his life!! ) The thought of a calm, planned c-section sounds like bliss. Am I being naive?

I should also say that I will have excellent support from friends and family to help me cope with caring for an active toddler and a newborn in the weeks that follow - so I am sure I am luckier than many..

Would love to hear some opinions on this ladies!

caesareans are fine, just different, no pain at the time, unlike vaginal delivery, but pain and limitation afterwards.

I had an emergency CS with DS1 - so not what I'd planned but he was distressed and they had to get him out quick for his safety.
With DS2, I had a very long and painful labour, followed by a ventouse delivery, with episiotomy and stitches.
Tbh I found it harder to recover from the stitches from the episiotomy than the CS scar.
If I had the choice to go through a birth like DS2's again or have an elective CS, I'd choose the CS. If you're fairly sure you're going to have a difficult birth ( and I know my body doesn't do birth too well, having attempted it twice) then there's no shame in opting for a CS.

Interesting..

I had a home birth (water) planed and ended up having a horrific emergency cesarean - 4 years on I'm still not myself. The hospital were inept and I had a cack-handed surgeon give me a huge (12 inch) and severe incision through all the muscles, nerves and blood vessels - I lost a lot of blood as well (ending up anaemic for months), as she didn't have time to use a cauterizing blade.

However if I ever had to give birth again I would have an 'active' cesarean - an elective with all the 'homebirth' touches I wanted, where everything was done slowly and carefully. And that's advice that is given by Janet Balaskas for those recovering from the trauma of an emergency vaginal and emergency / crash cesarean birth.

There can be wonderful cesarean births, as well as vaginal ones.

It's all about how much control you feel you have over the process, and how respected you feel in your decisions.

Recovery can be difficult for all kinds of birth, and sometimes a change from how you had a previous birth can lay to rest all the ghosts of the previous birth.

Good luck whichever way your next birth occurs - I'm glad you are open minded and have support - it's invaluable whichever way your baby's birth turns out.

With a difficult vaginal delivery you get pain and limitation afterwards too...

zazen. You are so right.

I personally only think that people are a bit about c-sections when the mum is a healthy with no history and ops for an elective c-section because she thinks it's an easier, preferable option so books herself into the Portland (or equivalent). Yeah, hands up, I find it hard to get my head round the too posh to push crew. I am NOT anti c-sections though.

it was the note being able to drive for 6 weeks after caesarean section that scuppered me, for dd2,

I'm not sure I'd describe myself as 'anti c section' as such as obv they are sometimes life saving medical procedures. I would like to see hospitals working hard to reduce their em c section rates in particular, some hospitals do debriefs after every em c section for example. I'd like to see women's choices being informed choices, with all major pros and cons presented, including the knock on effects a c section can have on future fertility/pregnancy.
my first baby was born by em c section and it was hideous, but having seen friends bouncing around days after their planned c sections I wonder if planned c sections in particular are easier to recover from or if I am just a bit of an operation wuss. ds1 also had breathing issues after birth which I found out much much later are linked to birth by c section in particular. don't know if that is mentioned for example as one of the risks?

Imo, an elective section has got to be far less risky than Jivegirl's horrific first birth.

isn't it true that private hospitals don't cover for vaginal deliveries, thereby making mums prefer a caesarean?

Not to posh to push but too smart to stretch

When I opted for a c-section my consultant told me recovery after vaginal birth can sometimes be just as long as after a c-section. Especially mentally. And I think she is right. You always talk about long recoveries after c-sections, but at least personally I know of more people who struggle with both physically and mentally recoveries after a viganal birth. I also know several babies born disabled after vaginal birth and none at all born disabled after an elective c-section, but I don't have the stats.

bringmesunshine, so you're smarter than those of us who've had a vaginal birth?

all hospitals NHS or not have liability insurance for births - corporate insurance

because I'm a wimp and very squeamish and the idea of surgery TERRIFIES me!

I've done it both ways and the recovery from my emergency c-section was a damned sight easier than from my VBAC, second degree tear, haemorrhage, etc etc. In the unlikely event of me needing to choose it'll be an elective c for sure.

My sister had one birth with an epidural - long road to recovery. One without - with nothing! - painful BUT she was up and in the shower minutes after, enjoying her new baby... . An ideal birth - but sadly that is the exception to the rule. Any medicalisation seems to make it more difficult in the long run. But look at us. The majority of us and our babies survive these days. That can't be bad.

I remember going on the hospital tour before the birth of DS1 and giving the operating room where they do the c-sections a cursory glance and thinking "well, I won't be needing that". Little did I know...

'Any medicalisation seems to make it more difficult in the long run. '

Not necessarily.

Psychologically it took me far, far longer to recover from the trauma of the pain I felt with a drug free delivery than from my epidural/forceps delivery.

Like I said before, Childbirth is a messy old business any way you look at it.

reviewing all these posts it seems there is no one way we can swap anecdotal stories til cows come home but do what is right for you is that not what empowering women and birth choice is about?

I have had 4 CS's and no vaginal births. My first and third were horrific experiences, my 2nd and 4th quite good.
But in all 4 cases the recovery was slow compared to women in the hospital who had had vaginal births. Crucially, on my return home, this time I was unable to lift my 3 year old which didn't help with the sibling rivalry issue!

Lyra - poss slightly off topic but IME we were actively discouraged from even thinking about cs - even emergency cs - being a realistic possibility, both at midwife appointments and at our hospital tour. It wasn't mentioned at all on the tour (though there was much talk of birthing pools etc).

At no point were we talked through what would happen should an emergency cs be necessary, which has surely got to make the trauma all the worse if you are in that situation. Seems very wrong.

For what it's worth (and obviously this is just anecdotal) I discussed elective cs with my midwife - well I say discussed, she immediately dismissed it as "it's not the 'easy option' you know". In retrospect a cs would probably have been safer for my DD, who became distressed during labour due to the cord being wrapped around her neck several times, and had a difficult (and panicky) episiotomy and ventouse birth.

I had an ecs with dd, she was born at 16.16hrs and I was up out of bed at 6.am next day to go to special care to feed her (got told of by midwifes to get back in bed) but had no real problems only had pain when people made me laugh

As has been said before... It's your body, your baby, do what you feel is right for you.

I certainly would consider ec if I had more dc.