Bladder Issues - ELCS or natural birth?

[Jessesgirl13]

Not sure if anyone will be able to give me any advice on this but thought id reach out anyway!

Since before being pregnant i have suffered with chronic cystitis. My bladder can be extremely painful and weak and as expected this has got worse during pregnancy.

I have consultant led care for a few reasons and have been told that I do have options when it comes to the birth and can opt for an elcs.

I want to go with whichever causes the least trauma to my bladder. Im worried that the straining of labour will affect it badly, but I’m also concerned about catheters and potential man handling during a cs!

I intend to discuss it with my doctor but wanted to know some real experiences as Im a first time mum.

x

All I can tell you is my experience.

I was catherterised during my labour - once as they thought a full bladder was preventing baby coming out and then as I had a spinal block for removal of my placenta. I'm prone to UTIs but didn't get one (to my knowledge anyway, I was numb for weeks so could have!).

I did however get permanent incontinence and severely weakened pelvic floor.

I will be having a c section this time.

There is more risk of damage to the bladder itself from a C section than from a vaginal birth but the risk is still low. With a C section the bladder is directly in front of the uterus so has to be carefully moved out of the way. There is a very small risk of a cut or injury to the bladder during surgery. There is also a risk of adhesions (scar tissue) forming after surgery that can affect bladder function but again this is low and tends to be associated more with repeated C sections.

With vaginal birth the risk is mainly damage to the pelvic floor floor rather than the bladder directly which can cause problems with continence.

I would definitely suggest you discuss this with your consultant who knows your case and can give you accurate advice on what mode of delivery would be best.