Delaying ELCS

[LeOrange]

Evening all. Am musing on the above and just wondered if anyone had experience/further thoughts to add to mine. Would really appreciate it!

I am due DC3 on the 26th August. DS (no 1) was an EMCS after prolonged labour (back-to-back and forehead presenting) at 42 weeks, born 7lb5oz and DD (no 2) was an ELCS at 39 weeks, born 6lb2oz.

DD was incredibly slow to feed for the first 3 weeks and lost a significant amount of weight - cue horribly blistered nipples/pumping through the night/multiple MW visits to check weight and so on - a really stressful time, all in all. I feel like she just 'woke up' 3 weeks on and everything righted itself. I can't help but feel that she just wasn't ready to be born.

I have an appointment with my consultant next Tuesday to book the date for my C-section and would like to have it at 41 weeks, rather than the recommended 39. How do you think I should broach this and would you do the same, in the circumstances?

I think you could negotiate with the consultant. They might not want to go as far as 41 but they might compromise a bit. As I understand it, the reason they don't like to do it late on is in case you go into labour, then it would technically be an emcs and more difficult for the hospital.
I realise this is rare but if you have a fast labour you might end up with an unexpected VBAC - happened to my friend as her DS was too far along to do the section. So that's one thing to consider depending on the reasons for the c section.

I'm not sure I entirely understand the reasoning here. It is because you think the feeding problems were connected to birth at 39 weeks? This is very unlikely to have been the case as both 39 and 41 weeks are full term. It sounds like your DD would likely have had feeding problems even if she had been born at 42 weeks.

Yes - I don't think she was 'ready ' to be born - she was really sleepy (I know newborns are, but my son was much more alert and ready for the world IMO). I didn't feel in any way ready to give birth either. I went into labour naturally with my son and knew in the preceding days that things are imminent.

Where possible it is always better to have a labour before a section but there are obvious barriers for this and you would have to prepare yourself that you might have an unplanned VBAC. It is a sensible request for your baby and one I know that people do make; however it can prove difficult for the hospital to accommodate as pp states, you would be seen as an emergency. All you can do is ask. For all intents and purposes you may go into labour anyway before 39 weeks so it is a scenario that they must be prepared for x

Also, have you not considered a VBAC?