what happens if labour starts before ELCS

[PixieCake]

I'm planning an elective caesarean (private).
Anyone know what would happen if I went into labour before the date of the scheduled CS?
Would I have to give birth naturally, or would it just depend if someone else was available to the CS?
Would it ever be too late to do a CS eg if labour progressed quickly?
Thanks

I don't know what they do if you're going private, but with the NHS I think they just take you in and slot you in for your CS as soon as they can. It happened to someone I know and I they gave her an epidural and she sat reading mags while she waited for a theatre slot.

It happened to me, I just went in and they gave me an emergency CS as soon as they prepped me. Where are you going? I was at the Portland.

pixiecake, I asked my consultant the exact same question (have elcs scheduled at just over 39 weeks, NHS hospital).

Her advice was - don't worry, if you go into labour before this date, just get yourself into hospital asap, explain your situation and you will get a CS, they just slot you in as soon as they can that day.

A midwife also told me to err on the side of caution - if you have pains/strange feelings, don't wait and wonder if you are in labour. Better to turn up, be seen, then realise it was constipation! and get sent home than to wait at home for ages waiting for it to get worse, and then turn up in well established labour. She did say this was the opposite advice that women aiming for a VB get - they are encouraged to stay at home as long as possible, and get on with things there. So I was told that if I thought I was in labour and rang the hospital, and then was told to have a warm bath or something, to ignore that! And just get myself in. (the same MW, who was very funny and down to earth, said that people sometimes try and 'scare' elec CS patients by telling them they won't be able to have one as planned if they go into labour beforehand. And to ignore them. How weird is that, though?)

She also said, the only time they can't perform a CS, and have to use low forceps/ventouse instead, is when the baby's head is so well descended that they'd damage it/you trying to 'push it back up'. The chances of you getting to that stage while still being in much doubt about whether you are in labour are pretty small...

Thanks all, that's really reassuring.

Barkfox, great post as always, I'll be sure to remember that.

What about if you have paid for a private consultant to do it, and he/she is not around if you go into labour early? I suppose someone else would have to do it, but where would you stand financially (eg if you had paid for a consultant but a more junior medic had to do it)?

Pixiecake if you are private your consultant will always have a back up consultant in the unlikely event this would happen. They only take on a limited amount of clients and you would not have a junior in a private hospital. Where are you delivering and who is your consultant?

Thanks Bellasmama. I'm planning on the Coombe wing at Kingston with Mr Pooley so hope the same will apply. Will check with him when I see him.

My consultant said that if I went into labour before my ELCS date, I was to go to the hospital immediately, and they would do me as an emergency (ie unplanned) CS.