C Section or natural birth?

[DinosaursWouldEatYou]

I had DD1 via C Section due to her being breech- nothing dramatic, found out about 5 weeks before due date and after 2 attempts at moving her the hospital arranged a C Section.

Now I'm pregnant with DD2 due middle of August and have been given the option of either.

At my 2nd scan they found I had a low placenta and if it hasn't moved by 34 weeks I'll have a C Section again- but it's like 1/100 pregnancies where the placenta hasn't moved in time so I'm confident it'll be gone. On the same day as 3rd scan I have an appointment with the consultant to put pen to paper as to whether I'm having natural or section.

I want a section for so many reasons but I'm getting pressured by so many people that I should have natural and now feeling really conflicted. During my 1st pregnancy I wasn't fussed, I was kinda in the mind set of labours gonna happen when it happens and there's no point terrifying myself with the thought of pain and such. Then when they said about booking a C Section, again I wasn't fussed cause it wasn't like my baby was in immediate danger and such.

But this time around I'm scared of the pain, I'm scared of how long it can take to give birth, just all of it. But I feel like I'm gonna let so many people down and people are making me sound selfish for wanting a 2nd Section.

If I gave birth naturally the first time I wouldn't care this time around but being giving the option of either, I'm working myself up and just want advice and previous experiences from fellow moms...

Very similar circumstances to you. First baby breech and knew from about 5 weeks before. Failed ECV then ended up in hospital after for post delivery pre eclampsia.
Second one was swinging between ELC and VBac. Like you had feelings of guilt about never having a vaginal birth even though my gut was telling me c section.

I had a lovely talk with a very down to earth consultant who said he knew some of his colleagues had an obsession with making women "push babies out of their vaginas" and it was my choice. He pointed out that 50% of V Bacs end in c sections etc.

As it was I developed bad pre eclampsia a month and a half before and also gestational diabetes so I had no choice.

It was a very calm experience. Sounds like you have already decided but go with your gut. Xxxxx

I had a natural birth with my first and found it so traumatising that I had a Elcs for my second 9 years later. I am now pregnant again (ds2 is 14 months now) and I am 100% having another section, I wouldn’t even consider another vaginal birth.

Very similar to the previous poster. I have a VB with my son and found it dreadful so had a section in Jan with my daughter. I had loads of people telling me I was 'too posh to push' and that maybe I should just 'give it a go, might be different this time'. It was the best decision ever, seriously.

Do what it is right for you and your baby! Don't let anybody pressure you into something you don't want.

All the best x

@DinosaursWouldEatYou unfortunately there is a lot of misconceptions around- they are probably thinking of a nice easy straightforward vaginal birth vs risky dangerous major surgery. Obviously that isn’t the case at all.

Where's the 50% of vbacs end in sections stat come from? My consultant said 75% are successful.
OP don't feel pressured, your body and your decision.

Also don’t even feel you have to discuss these things with other people or be totally open/honest. If you choose ELCS you could say the consultant felt it was the safest option or whatever really. I considered choosing ELCS for maternal choice after a previous horrible VB.. I absolutely wouldn’t have told people that was the reason if I’d gone for it. People aren’t entitled to know anything.

Different situation as it's #1 for me but I've always been clear that I want an ELCS. The only person who I think will object is my mother but whatever, I often think that issues around consent and women's autonomy to make decisions for themselves are lost when it comes to pregnancy/birth and that really annoys me.

I had a very long labour ending in a c section and it was the long labour that took a lot of recovering from rather than the c section.
So when I have another it will be a section at least I know what to expect. If you want a c section have one and ignore everyone else. People who have had straight forward quick births with minimal recovery time think from their perspective a section is a major operation and it is. But for those of us who don’t have straight forward births I think the c section is the better option.

My first got stuck at full dilation (huge head/sub optimal pelvis) and was born by emcs after failed forceps. With my 2nd, I felt there was a quite a bit of pressure to consider a vbac given that I had dilated the first time but there were so many variables I couldn't control with that and the statistics for tearing over 40 were decidedly off putting. A few people jumped on the fact that I didn't consider myself to have given birth to dc1 as a reason to pursue a vaginal birth totally ignoring that it wasn't so much the section but the state the hospital let me get in first...even if they had got him out with the forceps I wouldn't have considered myself to given birth because I wasn't exactly present mentally.

I think previous recovery is also a factor. Both of mine (both emergencies in the end because dc2 decided they were coming early) were extremely easy and whilst it might be major surgery it wasn't a major recovery. I was out and about around pain killer free within days. We do all heal differently and certainly I found the bruising from the forceps (just bruising, no cuts or tears) considerably worse than the wound.

Essentially most people have biases one way or the other when it comes to birth. Do what's best for you and your family.

Ultimately it’s up to you as the others have said!
I am the complete opposite and this pregnancy has been tough, seems like every complication under the sun and I’ve been waiting to find out if I could go ahead with nvd! I desperately didn’t want a elcs! I have 3 school age kids already though, and like you I’m due mid August so felt if I had a section I’d be letting them down by being off my feet during summer holidays! (Also I’ve had 3 Vaginal deliveries so the thought of a section terrifies me - probably much like you may feel about svd!)
I also had low placenta and am having 4 weekly growth scans - it’s been low at every single scan and was looking unlikely to move at the last one - but 34 weeks yesterday and I can inform you it has moved out the way and is now high posterior! Good news for me (and baby is no longer breech either, phew) I was almost beginning to wonder whether it would be easier to book for an elcs though because the anxiety of not knowing etc has been getting the better of me!
Only you can make the best decision for yourself, your baby, your family etc. Don’t be pressured into svd if you don’t want it (especially if you’ve been given the option) you’ll end up having anxieties like me, and tbh I’m not sure what’s worse!
I desperately wanted a home birth this time but they have put their foot down and said absolutely not, they also won’t allow me to go to the birthing suite, has to be delivery suite which I am dead against! HOWEVER, the MW is now open to me having a home birth kit at home as a ‘plan b’ because I have quick deliveries and live a long way from the hospital! So unless I’m psychic that I will go into labour then it’s probably safer for me to have the baby at home than deliver in the car on the way lol!
Definitely talk all your options through with your consultant though, then you can make the best informed decision. And good luck x

My understanding of the statistics is that while there's a debate over whether the outcomes are better for mothers from vaginal or caesarean births (and there's probably some fudging of the risks of the former), it is known that the worst outcomes, on average, are women who have birth. I think it normally makes sense to stick to what you've done before in most scenarios.

Argh, that made no sense. I meant 'the worst outcomes are, on average, women who have both kinds of birth'

Your body, your choice.

I had two vaginal births and one EMCS. I'll be honest and say that the c-section was by far the best of them and I recovered far more easily from that than from my vaginal deliveries.

Nobody else is entitled to an opinion on how you choose to give birth. If some busybody tries to pressure you then tell them to bugger off.

If you want a CS then have one.

Sadly you have to get used to thoughtless and judgemental comments when you have a baby, birth is just the beginning. I even had comments from my own mum about how I was feeding my son too often, he was taking too long to feed, why didn’t we put him in his own room, I was picking him up too quickly when he cried at night etc.

Think of this as good practice in smiling politely and then ignoring the unsolicited advice and comments!