is recovery after 2nd c-sect easier?

[driedapricots]

hi,

i am in the middle of deliberations between having an ECS or a VBAC with child #2... i thought i wanted an ECS but am now worrying about the recovery as my DD1 is so clingy she's gonna need lots of cuddles and reassurance when #2 arrives..not easy after CS. I am petrified of the actual birth not the labour (had 22 hours of that first time round) but am thinking i should stop being a wuss and just go for the short term pain option v the long term recovery. I wondered if anyone has any experience I can draw on..i think i'd only need to hear that 2nd time recovery from CS is a doddle to swing it, even though it is major surgery etc. OR that the delivery bit is not as bad as I am imagining. I know every birth is different and that there is no 'easy' way but any insights would help! thanks ;-)

As you say, everyone's different, but I found 2nd recovery harder than the first, I'm afraid. I only had 14 months between mine, which didn't help, as ds1 was still very little when ds2 arrived.

FWIW, though, I went for a VBAC, laboured until I was fully dilated and ended up with an em CS, so you never know what will happen with a VBAC. The hospital were not very pro-active in helping me with the VBAC, actually - the consultant was very encouraging beforehand but then I got a ropy registrar and midwife, who really just wanted to get me into theatre, I suspect, so it probably depends to some degree on how confident you feel about the support you'll get on the day for a VBAC.

HTH

Sorry, all of which to say, I'd still go for a VBAC, myself.

2nd C section much easier to recover from for me - but first was an Emergency Section and second an elective. Second was a lovely positive experience and don't regret it at all, and out of hospital after 3 days instead of 10 for first one. HTH.

thanks guys
midnight - how long did you labour for with vbac? they say they wont leave me for as long this time...

Like Pofaced - I had a 20 hour labour eding in an emcs first time and an elective second time..
I found the second a lot easier and I was out of bed before the nurses even got to me - within an hour of delivery ..

I think the trauma of an emcs contributes a lot to the recovery time - your body goes into shock and you just don't feel as confident to get up and move around as you do after an elective.
I was also exhausted going through labour and an emcs - at least with an elective you are relatively "fresh" to start a recovery from surgery.

I am currently pg and its looking like a CS is on the cards again .. hope my third is as positive as the second
and hope your delivery goes well for you - whatever you decide..

mm..think i'm swaying back in favour of the ECS..

Friend of mine was going to go for a VBAC but when she went 14 days overdue it had to be an ECS. Now she's having a 3rd DC and is definitely having a ECS. She says that she'll have it at 39 weeks and save herself the last three weeks of pregnancy when she can't bend over/pick up children anyway. Just a thought.

OP, I can't remember exactly - I went into hospital at about 9pm iirc (was about 3 cms at that stage) and ds2 was delivered at about 5.30 am, soabout 8-9 hours, I think.

As Duritz says, I think an ELCS is probably a much more positive experience for most people - certainly anecdotally, I'd say that's true, and it is often mentioned on here. Plus you're not exhausted by the labour itself of course, which can't help with recovery, I'm sure.

I would make your decision on the likelihood of your ending up with a CS anyway .. If you have a history of big babies, high bp or anything that will make a cs necessary if things don't go to plan ..

Has it been long since your last CS ?
Whats the likelihood of scar tissue problems with a vbac ?
If you have no real reason to suspect that you could end up with a CS anyway, I'd be very tempted to try for a vbac rather than take a larger than average risk of an EMCS again ..

But I've had two cs's too and the second was a whole different ballgame being planned rather than emergency ..

driedapricots I had two normal deliveries followed by an EMCS
I would rather have 100 babies vaginally than one by c-section.
Recovery was so much quicker!

oh and yeah even though its painful I was gutted to have a CS because I love the pushing part, I loved giving birth vaginally it was so much more magical for me, although I appreciate its not like that for all

I had 2 c sections - the seconds 20 months after 1st.

I could not believe how much easier my recovery for the second one was. Maybe I was very lucky.

I recovered much more quickly from my second section, but that was definitely because I rested for a lot longer. I didn't try and be super-woman, marching down the baby clinic in full make-up a week post-birth . A month post second birth I was still in PJs at home being waited on by DH and my mum. Made an enormous difference.