C sections, just wondering

[overprepper]

We will be trying to conceive soon and I am attempting to research all aspects of pregnancy, birth & beyond so that I and we are fully prepared and embark on the journey as informed and clued up as possible. I’m reading books, but thought it would be good to gain some opinions too from here

I understand there are lots of variables in pregnancy & to expect the unexpected.
I am wondering if a caesarean section is a preferable choice over natural delivery, given how unpredictable the latter can be. I know a straightforward natural birth is best but you can’t be sure you will have one: two close relatives had horrific first births and for their second both opted for an elective section. Among friends I don’t know many people that actually had a straightforward first birth. This might be anecdotal though.

I am petite and little over 5ft, whereas DH is 6ft 3 and he himself was a very big baby and always on higher percentiles. Of course this is an unknown before pregnancy but I would imagine there’s a fair chance any future babies will be big like he!

The stats for both our nearest trusts maternity departments aren’t the best, lots of assisted deliveries & most the inductions lead to emergency sections. Again one relative (maternal side) birth needed instruments and baby was left with damage from forceps. I don’t like the idea of going through labour and being exhausted then having unexpected/rushed major surgery, when if that’s a likelihood anyway it might be better to just plan for the section and go in well rested.

I understand recovery from major surgery is a lot for anyone to handle. That said we do have a lot of support and I am maybe naively thinking that dosed up on painkillers it might not actually be that awful.

I know you can’t plan before you’re in the situation, but knowledge is power so I’d be grateful for anyone weighing in with their own thoughts and experiences.

I had an emergency c-section and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I had a terrible reaction to all the drugs and missed the first hours of DDs life being sewn up while I vomited and shook with cold/shock. Recovery took 5 months as I got an infection in my wound. It was horrific. I'm sad that I had such a dreadful start to being a mother and missed out on the skin-to-skin, holding baby for the first time precious moments. She was fully dressed and being passed around by the time I met her 😢

I planned for a completely natural birth for my first but ended in an emergency c-section. I really didn't want one in theory but by the time they suggested it I was so relieved as I was already exhausted and wasn't even close to the pushing stage. Since having DD1 I heard so many horror stories of natural births, horrific tearing, incontinence, etc that I had an elective c-section for my second too. Both were fine in terms of recovery and I could still move about, hold baby easily etc.

I also have friends and family who had very straight-forward natural births and no issues.
Had one friend who had complications from the epidural and had to stay in hospital for a while after.

No decision is the easiest option.

Apparently a large percentage of OB/GYNS choose to have elective c-sections! That says it all to me!!

Unexpectedlysinglemum no, I wasn't given a reason. My hospital notes didn't shed any light on it either (not that I could decipher much)

Yep that's what I found out before my two.. ob gyns or ob gyns wives go for sections

I always wanted natural birth but they had to bring the baby out in few days time and induction failed so I ended up in ecs. It's good to plan and explore options but keep in mind things might change last minute and you don't have a choice.

Apparently a large percentage of OB/GYNS choose to have elective c-sections! That says it all to me!

They see the bad bits so it makes sense some would chose a CS but the majority still don't chose a CS. Midwives see a lot of the good bits so really favour VBs. My relative is a heart surgeon & is fastidious about diet & exercise because of his experience. Either way you have to chose what's best for you.

I’ve had an EMCS with first baby, a vbac with second (with complications for me) and pregnant with third, hoping for another VBAC. An elective CS is end game for me, I don’t want to choose major abdominal surgery. I see a lot of those babies born by elective cs struggle with breathing, as that is the significant risk to them. I’m a midwife, and majority of my colleagues have the same opinion. And majority of obstetric and anaesthetic doctors I work with all had vaginal births and many of them.

This is interesting as I had an EMCS with my first baby as I had to be induced at nearly 42 weeks and only got to 3cm after 2 days. So this time i’ve chosen an ELCS partly as all the calculators are saying i’d only have a 50-60% chance of having a successful vbac. Plus the care was so terrible, I don’t trust the midwives to care for me during a vbac if things were to go wrong. So I suppose it depends on reasoning and risks?

I’ve also been told that the breathing issues are a lower risk if the section is done after 39 weeks?

@MariaVT65 I’m sorry to hear you had a poor experience with care. It’s totally individual, I had an EMCS at 9cm, baby was very poorly with E. coli meningitis when he was born, I was poorly also and had a wound infection.he was also a massive 4.7kg 🥴 I was just desperate to heal from the trauma of all that and for me that was having a vaginal birth. Second time I was induced again due to some complications and had a normal birth but lost over 2L and had a 3rd degree tear, he was 4.5kg 😬 but my recovery was night and day to my previous birth. This time hoping for another VBAC, will be induced again a little earlier so hopefully not quite as big!! For lots of women my experiences would be a direct route to elective cs but for me and what I see going for another VBAC is the safest and best option. It’s totally personal and no one should be trying to persuade anyone otherwise.

yes you are also correct after 39wks is safest for baby re respiratory distress but still a risk and quite common still

I was very keen to discuss an elective CS with my consultant throughout pregnancy as I had similar concerns to you.

I was classed as high risk but I think I must have been at the lower end of this category as I never actually met the consultant and the doctors working under him were all very evasive about me exploring this option.

I should have been more assertive but I felt like I was being difficult and inconveniencing them as they were clearly very busy.

In the end, I needed a c-section as my baby was transverse. It was a huge relief. For me personally, I struggled with the unknowns and the lack of control that would come with a natural delivery.

I felt very safe being surrounded by so many doctors and professionals during the surgery and it went really well.

Recovery was fine. It was a bit painful and I had to take it easy but I was expecting much worse. I was fortunate as I had a lot of support from my DH and Mum.

I had a planned C-section due to DD being breech. What I wanted, in an ideal world, was an intervention free vaginal delivery, but of course no guarantees where that’s concerned! I was very negative about the prospect of the c-sec recovery and I was right. For me it was awful, but I was unlucky. I got sick a few days before the section and ended up dealing with bronchitis during and after the operation. I also sprained the wrist of my dominant hand severely while picking up DD, trying not to engage my core. It took six months to heal and is still dodgy six months after that! My c-sec was textbook and technically so was the recovery (no infection etc, though I do have a hypertrophic scar), but the first six weeks were very challenging. I‘m a terrible patient and I hated not being able to move.

We’ve begun trying for a second and I’m leaning toward a VBAC. C-sec recovery with a toddler looks even less fun, but honestly I think my specific experience of it has just traumatised me. If I do go for VBAC I’ll go back to the plan I had with DD, - if labour stalls, no induction, straight to c-sec. I don’t want any messing about with interventions.

There are so many variables it’s impossible to decide this early OP, but I’d say to keep an open mind. It can be really difficult if you get too fixed on a plan that then goes out the window.

"You do need physical support after c section for at least a week - it's hard to lift the baby in and out of the bassinet and scoot yourself across you own bed for the first week (you'll get some women here shouting that they were fine and I'm being pathetic and they were doing laundry and the school run the next day, literally have had this on other threads here, but that's my experience)"
@Unexpectedlysinglemum

People who have a different experience to you are not "shouting" and I hope to God, nobody called you pathetic for having a different experience to them. Shame on them if they did. I was very lucky to have no pain, be up and about within a couple of hours, home the next day and needed no help at all. I did the school run easily a couple of days later. I spent a lot of time feeling guilty about having two cs and felt I'd missed out on a rite of passage. I've realised as years have gone by that we all have our own stories and experiences and being honest about them is the key to empowering other women. I am always careful to guard against the way we write off other people's stories or question their veracity.

This thread has a wide range of experiences, honesty and empathy and hurrah for that.

There are some v judgmental people here! Basically I wanted to warn op that the recovery wasn't as easy for me as I expected it to be. She might be lucky like you but I want all women to be over prepared for potential needs post surgery just in case x

We are making exactly the same point ie that there are a range of experiences and you can't know where on that spectrum you will fall. It's really important that we share that range of experiences. It's also important that we do so without making comments about how other people experience things or make definitive statements about what other people may experience. You misunderstood me completely.

My warning was against being judgemental!

I had an emergency CS and 6 months on my scar is still painful and itchy and it's uncomfortable to lift heavy things.
I also really struggled to breastfeed and a midwife told me that having a CS can affect your milk supply.

Just to add to your tally but TLDR = C-section every time
Since doctors are risk-averse and pro control, C-sections are very well managed. My GP neighbour has had 3 easy vaginals but she had them all in fully staffed NHS hospitals, just in case. She does not advocate or support home birth.

DD1 - unexpected, straightforward C-section following several hours of good-sport labour; Went perfectly. All recovery complete in plenty of time for return to work.
DD1 was at an awkward angle. I would have probably had a (serious?) tear and she might have had neck/shoulder damage. My recovery was quick. I stayed on painkillers for an extra week but the midwife was happy to sign off - I reckon the NHS shorts the first supply to be cheap, hoping patients will stop. By the time I wanted to drive, it had been 6 weeks.

DD2 - VBAC - disaster. really wish I'd had a 2nd section; small tear at the time plus ended up with reconstructive surgery but had to wait for some healing so this was at 11mos post birth and had to take (more!) time off work! Still not really right 'down under'.
condescended to by whippersnapper consultant who hadn't read my chart for previous birth and implied that I was lazy!!
Placental adhesion, nearly bled out, vaginal trauma, catheter for 3 weeks due to urine incontinence: couldn't drive + couldn't even walk around village due to pain!!! Such a swizz!

OP, you are very lucky to have a choice!
I am so pleased that things have moved on since I had my two now grown up children. I am petite build 4ft 10ins and trained and qualified as a midwife and knew I would have trouble giving birth.
The only elective sections then were either private ones, or when there was a definite medical reason.If you asked for one your sanity was questioned.
Both my two were born by very emergency c sections and I had tubal tie done as I never ever wanted to repeat them
If I had been allowed to have elective sections I might not now be regarding them as horror stories.I will spare you the details apart from stating they were both under GA as this was normal then, so no lifting up the baby to show you and certainly no skin to skin.Also I never saw either until two days old.
The scar was the vertical one as well.It does not fade, 51 years after the last one there it still is in all its glory.
The only positive result is my five grandchildren and two great grandchildren all courtesy of DS2, if it was not for his emergency c section birth none of them would have existed.
I do wish you all the best, don't let me sway your decision but I hope you get the birth you want.Take advantage of the fact you have a choice now about how you give birth, it has not always been like this.
Let us know how you get on, I am very envious of you!

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I had a crash section. My recovery was quick compared to sil who laboured for 36 hours and ended up with a section. I was discharged on day 2. No issues at all.

I wouldn't have another kid (twins) but if I did I'd chose a section.

I think thing to acknowledge is the difference between a planned section and emergency one. With emergency, you can often be labour for several days before it gets to that point, so your stomach is already sore and you’ve had no rest, and it can often mean you are operated on in a more urgent manner so things are given a bit more of a bashing. Planned section lowers the impact of all this.

I was really happy with my planned section. It didn't hurt at all at the time and the recovery was fine. Tiny, neat scar, zero issues with weak pelvic floor.
I've got another in 2 weeks so hoping it'll go equally well!

I also asked the obstetrician at the time what percentage of first stole mums end up with a surgical delivery of some sorts and she said 45% which sealed the deal for me.

*first time