Has anyone had to fight for an elective c section at Watford general?

[Emi1979]

Hi all

I had an emergency c section in 2011, I was in labour for them to tell me that they had undiagnosed my daught breech, she had meconium in her water so we got her out quick.

I'm now pregnant again and asked for a c section at my 8 week appointment. They told me that itis not my decision but the decision of the consultants and I would be pushed for a vbac. I have to meet with a consultant at 16 weeks, attend a vbac course and meet a midwife.. So it seems the pressure will be on!

So I've come through my second ivf, I've lost faith in the system (leaving me overdue with a breech baby) and now I've got to fight for this.

Anyone had any experience and can you offer me any tips?

Thanks so much

Hi Emi, I had an emcs and an elective cs at Watford, which was not medically necessary but my choice. You just have to be persistent they cannot really deny the elcs but will probably 'insist' that you go to a vbac consultation at the hospital (which usually several expecting parents attend, so it's a group session).

They (registrar and /or senior mw) will tell you (in a 'very serious' way) about the risks of cs vs vbac. Depending on your age, fitness levels, weight etc, however, the chance for unassisted delivery is not always that great.

I debated long and hard whether to go for vbac or elcs but the prospect of another emergency cs or ventouse delivery was too scary. I just felt I couldn't cope with another challenging delivery and it was the right choice for me, absolutely!

Saying that, you can always change your mind and go for a vbac even if you have managed to schedule a cs. If you are thinking of having another dc then perhaps trying for a vbac would be better, however. You could always plan your vbac delivery and, together with the registrar/senior mw) plan at what point to go for a cs during labour if things are not progressing well. That would be a emergency cs though as it would happen during labour.

Sorry for my rumblings, I hope some of this makes sense.

Good luck!

So, my tip would be to go into your meeting with the registrar well prepared knowing some of the statistics about cessation and vbac. They will try to convince you but you have the right to persist and get a cs if you want. Also explain that you have had assisted conception and there is just too much at stake for you and your baby so you want to birth in a controlled way.

Go to the vbac group session ( mine was awful and i left after 10 minutes) but that was ok, they can't once you t o stay. Mine was awful because they discussed statistics if what can go wrong with a c section in a very crude and exaggerated (intimidating and scaremongering) way and I just thought if I went for a vbac and ended up with an emergency scenario I would be soooooo much more scared then the first time when I had no idea what was going on. It was really rubbish )-:

If they try to convince you just say yes I understand the risks but overall the risks of something going wrong during a vbac delivery are more disconcerting / serious to you then a planned and controlled operation. The fact that you had Ivf will also help make your argument.

C-section not cessation

Hi, I recently went through this at Watford Gen. Traumatic emergency section in May 2011, and wanted a planned section second time around. I was told quite early on that that would be fine, but halfway through my pregnancy (around June/July 2013) I was told that due to a policy change at the hospital I would need to have the elective section agreed by a second consultant. The whole process was very very stressful but I did eventually get it approved. I didn't see the VBAC lady (it was all a big rush as the policy change happened relatively late in my pregnancy and she didn't have any appointments available soon enough) and instead I saw the birth counsellor there who was great and very very supportive.

I had a healthy baby boy there in Sept 2011 and the whole experience was as calm as it could be. It helped me to finally put to bed all of my stresses from the first birth. Good luck and make sure that you keep fighting if you want a csection.