Hello everyone.
This has probably been covered before and I apologise for any repetition, but I can't find a thread from before. I have just commented on another thread briefly mentioning this but as I want to ask advice and questions about this I felt a new thread was best.
A little background about me. I am 33 years old, married and am 32+3 weeks pregnant with our first baby. We are having a baby girl. I am not on maternity leave yet, due to finish work on 13th December (baby is due 2nd January). I work full time as an ICT tutor so my job allows me to sit and stand to my heart's content, so no manual handling or heavy lifting, so I am happy to work as long as possible before our baby girl is born to allow me to spend more time with her when she is born.
I have Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) that I am undergoing CBT for, and have been since I was about 5 weeks pregnant. This is due to finish in about 4 weeks time. I suffered with anxiety as soon as I found out I was pregnant (it was a planned pregnancy and I knew it wouldn't be easy for me with the Emetophobia). I was having some kind of anxiety attack at least daily. I felt sick but feel this was more due to the anxiety. I didn't want to go out, go to work, go in a mini break we had planned, couldn't plan things in advance or bring myself to feel excited in those early days even though I was as I felt I was asking for morning sickness (silly I know). I still did everything as normal though and this eased closer to the second trimester.
In the back of my mind I have had worries and concerns about labour, which I know is common and normal. Now that I am due in just under 8 weeks time it is getting to me even more. For months I have talked about the idea of opting for an elective c section as the anxiety and fear of nausea and vomiting in labour are so high. I know you can't guarantee anything but this option along with a load of anti-emetics feels like the best option for me and the one that would seriously reduce the anxiety and fear for me. I have been trying to think of things to help me with a natural birth but I hear too much about people getting nausea and vomiting during labour and when using certain methods of pain relief, and it just gets me more worried and the anxiety will start soon.
I am considered low risk. Our baby girl is healthy, all tests including the glucose tolerance test have come back clear, baby is growing well (I am on the smaller end but not under the lower centile line, and last time I was under the average centile line so there are no worries or concerns). The only things I have had as a sort of worry are a bit of slight discharge when I was about 6 weeks pregnant, but so slight it would have been easy to miss (I paid for an early reassurance scan and all was fine), one visit due to reduced movements (but she became more active on the journey to hospital and all was fine) and they took me for one additional scan as I have a small fibroid that was spotted on my 20 week anatomy scan (at 29 weeks they said there was no change and they weren't concerned so they are not doing anything about it). This is all good news and I know people would give anything for this and the chance to have a natural birth, so in that sense I feel bad for asking about elective c sections.
I asked my midwife at around 14 weeks when I would need to discuss birth options and she she about 34-36 weeks. It is on my notes that I am Emetophobic and have anxiety with it, but I feel that they wont consider this and just persuade me to have a natural birth. So far my notes for child birth just say give me anti-emetics due to the Emetophobia because I am scared to write anything and they say no.
I know we can choose an elective c section but i know they will discourage it unless medically necessary. I understand why, and I understand it is not an easy decision to make, but I feel it will help me with the anxiety.
Has anyone here gone for an elective c section for similar reasons? I don't mean because medically it is advised but for personal choice, and if so how did you go about getting doctors/midwives to agree with it? I suggested it to my midwife and she pulled a face!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am going for an ante natal class on Thursday so I hope they can advise me but I feel lost, scared, worried about not getting listened to or what I want, and time is getting closer and closer!
Thank you in advance.