so just seen mw,worried they will say no to elcs

[sophieandbelly]

right iam feeling quite stressed and upset after leaving midwife!

with dd i my waters broke she didnt arrive for 38 hrs!! after 24 she had turned and contractions were not breaking, only to find out i was only 1 cm!!

had a drip etc to speed up and epidural (ah bliss) anyway i ended up with being rushed to theatre for emcs but she was to low, and in alot of distress (cord round neck 3 times) i ended up having a 3rd degree epsiotomy and keillands forcepes (rotational totally bruital)
after the recovery was hell i would sit on the loo screaming in pain as stitches would bleed wen i tried to go, sex was nigh on impossible for a long time 7-8 months, i re-tore aswell, basically what was ment to b best time of my life with new bubba etc (which obviously in a way was ) overshadowed by this hell. have to add she was a tiny 6.5lb!

i was told at time that nxt time should have c-sect, my midwife thinks this is a good idea as i have been dreaming about it etc. but thinks i will have a 'fight on my hands' i dont see y i would have a fight? unless very unhelpful consultant do u??
i am so scared i will end up with going thro labour and either 1)having assisted delivery same as b4 +more damage and hell or 2) have to have an emergancy c-sec anyway which surely is more stressful?

any advice? just feel like crying (hormones!!)

You poor thing. What an awful, awful experience.

I cannot imagine, after such a nightmare birth, that a consultant would deny you an elcs. You could also probably do with some trauma counselling.

Good luck.

I also meant to say, if you do get an unhelpful consultant, don't accept his/her word for it. Ask for another consultant.

From the bits I know from friends in RL and what I have read on MN I expect you will be able to get a planned cs.

I suspect if a midwife thought a cs was a sensible idea then a consultant would also be likely to want to do a planned cs.

Hope it goes well.

I'd have thought you could get an ELCS after such a traumatic birth. My friend did. I really feel for you and hope they will give you an ELCS without a fight.

Oh poor you Sophie.

BUT, it sounds like your m/w supports your choice.

Personally, I think you will get a c-section, even if you do have to fight (or negotiate) for it.

Does your m/w know any of the consultants at the hospital particularly well? You could ask her which of the consultants is most likely to be sympathetic.

Failing that, if the m/w doesn't know, you could start a thread on here asking if anyone knows about consultants at your particular hospital (I did this and got some great advice).

You should also bear in mind that you don't have to go to your nearest hospital - you can choose another local hospital which has a high ELCS rate, as that indicates that their clinical practice is generally more supportive of ELCS. The NHS choices website should give you this information - I chose a hospital with a 12% ELCS rate as opposed to the other two local hospitals where the rate is only 10%

The bottom line is, that you have extremely good grounds for an ELCS. If it is what you want, and you have to fight for it then don't back down. Mumsnet is a hugely useful resource for this, as is the Birth Trauma Association.

I am going through this at the moment and have an appt tomorrow to request an ELCS with my consultant.

I will hold your hand every step of the way if you want to do it too!

Given your long recovery after rotational forceps and your traumatic birth you are a good candidate for an elcs. Read up on the risks of elcs and show them you have thought it through. I have found written notes invaluable.

I am having one for similar reasons in June; emergency rotational forceps with DD in serious distress as she was stuck in an unbirthable position that the midwife had missed. Lots of traumatic injury especially to my bladder and no sex possible with significant vaginal pain for good 6-7 months.

Being psychologically unable to face the unknowns of another vb is a good reason to get this cleared up asap so you aren't stressed or worried throughout the pregnancy.

How far on are you? I had agreement from my consultant after DD's birth for an elcs for future births if I wished. Got it in writing before pregnancy #2. At my booking in appt I saw him briefly and reiterated I wanted an elcs. Was allocated a new consultant at about 16 weeks due to hospital relocation and saw her to repeat my plan for elcs.

They were all fine with it. In fact the new cons referred me to maternity psychology to have support as I am still reliving the last birth a lot.

If you haven't seen it check out the Birth Trauma Association website. Post traumatic stress is not uncommon when you have been through such an extreme experience - doing it all again with another pregnancy is bound to bring it all up again and again so great to have someone to help you manage it positively.

Write down what you feel - especially if you are having flashbacks, nightmares, etc. These are relevant medical facts for the whole picture.

I was told there is no reason why DD went OT and another vb should be fine - BUT reading up I am scared of tearing badly/forceps again and do not wish to risk bowel incontinence when already managing a dodgy bladder. It's a balance of risks as I know an elcs has its risks too.

Hijack - hello lovethesea, I have seen you on sooooo many threads lately as I am stalking all of the ELCS after forceps threads!

I was wondering sophie and lovethesea, if I started a support for ELCS after instrumental/traumatic birth thread if you would like to join?

It's just that there seems to be a few of us on here at the moment at various stages of the process in getting an ELCS I thought it might be useful if we had our own thread to share our experiences?

Anyway, I'll start one and people can join if they wish!

thats bad Sophie, shit!!!

Dont take the word of one midwife, push for it

sounds like a shocker tho

than u ladies for all ur support, much appreciated,feel better just knowing that people know what iam on about,my partner is good but men will never get it!
he says o just wait and c doesnt uinderstand the anxious bit!

withorwithoutyou ur thread very sweet,i am 17 weeks seeing consultatnt just b4 21 wks.

i have done nothing but read about c-sec v vb after kellainds forcepes, and feel this is right. excuse the spelling, typing one handed!!!

Glad you are feeling a little better. Men don't have the same experience unless they have had major surgery, so it is hard for them to empathise. I mean, they don't even have periods!

It's great you have read up well. Keillands are not used in some hospitals because of the risks to maternal health - but it sounds like they did suit getting your baby out as safely as possible (as with my DD - stuck past the spines so not good for a emcs) although the damage and longterm implications are very hard.

Do push to see maternity psychology or a supervisor of midwives to go through your last birth if you find it is still affecting you. I am currently seeing someone for that and it is helpful to know I can say anything to her and offload some of the longheld memories and angers.

i think that may b a good idea thought i was over it! until i fell preg again and the fear is all flooding back!
apparently its very rare to use the keillands but was life of death type thing i now understand of course they dont tell u this at the time or even after, just so lucky it hasnt effected my dd, there is a risk with keillands of brain damage etc, and lucky we seem to have a wee brainbox on our hands!!

wen is ur elcs booked in 4??