appt with consultant on Thursday

[fruitful]

Ds was born 18mo ago by emergency cs at 34wks due to placenta praevia (after about 45 minutes of labour). The surgeon said that my womb was "paper-thin". My notes say I had a scar dehiscence (dd had also been born by cs). The consultant said afterwards that she didn't think my scar would have lasted many more weeks and that if I had another baby she would recommend a cs at 34 weeks.

Well, I want another baby. I'm not pg now, just broody! I have an appointment with the same consultant on Thursday to talk about it. (I know its my choice but I want to make an informed decision and I'd rather have no baby than a dead one). I don't want a vba2c, I just want a nice planned cs at 39 weeks...

So my question is, what should I be asking? I have plenty of experience of doctors taking the worst view. How do I have a useful discussion with the consultant? I'm hoping that she will be lovely and respect my intelligence but I'm nervous.

I'd ask for a copy of your notes and take in a dictaphone so you can make sure you have her answers right

I'd also see another consultant and ask for their views (as they all have different views

As for questions I shall leave that to more experienced people

good luck though

I have a copy of my notes from both births. When I was pg the second time they'd lost my notes, so it was a good job I had a copy. They asked to keep my copy! I refused.

Do you mean a copy of the notes of this appointment?

bump

Go to this website and email Gina or Debbie, they have years of experience and will be able to give you some good advice.

By the way after my second section whilst stitching me back up the surgeon said "your uterus is as thin as a rizla paper" - not exactly professional is it??

Also just my opinion 34weeks seems very very early to have a section.

Thanks for that Toady. I've seen the website before but hadn't realised you could email them questions. So I've emailed them.

Did you have any more children after the "rizla paper" one?

34 weeks is early to have a section. That is when ds was born. We came home after 2 weeks which was good, but he never really got the hang of breastfeeding. I would so love to have a newborn that wakes for feeding - both of mine would have just slept themselves comatose.

Debbie's reply was basically that "we don't know". There is no evidence about what a scar dehiscence means for the next pregnancy. Lots of assumptions though!

She says that scar dehiscence has been found after a successful VBAC (they did an internal) so it possibly isn't as bad as the docs think.

I just read my hospital notes - it says "dehiscence with placenta bulging thru". Lovely. They did sew me up with three layers though.

How about asking for statistics and studies that have been done to back these up?
Wear make up, it always makes me feel a bit more in control when facing consultants Good luck/

Well, it turns out the consultant that my appointment was with wasn't the one that delivered my baby - similar name, just one letter different! The original consultant isn't working there any more.

Anyway, this consultant was very nice although I think she thought I was flapping about nothing. She said that they see a lot of scars with a slight separation, and a lot of paper-thin wombs, but they don't see ruptures before labour. She said they would like to do a cs at 38 weeks to be very sure that I didn't go into labour, but that they can do a scan in the third trimester to see how thick my scar is (less worried about labour if my womb is nice and thick).

She was more concerned about the placenta praevia repeating than about the scar. Which I understand, but I'm less scared about that 'cos I've been through it already!