ELCS - why wouldn’t you?

[apples83]

I’m due to give birth to my first child this summer and am feeling nervous about labour. I’m concerned about the pain, the tearing, that it’ll permanently wreck my body, that sex will never be the same again due to stretching down there.

I’m therefore wondering whether to go for an ELCS to avoid all this. Several friends have done just that and all have had very easy, positive experiences and been back in their feet in no time. An ELCS is surely safer for the baby too as they’re whipped straight out, rather than having to go through hours of labour during which time they could potentially become distressed if there’s complications.

My question is - if you can have an ELCS then why on earth wouldn’t you?

I had to have an EMCS but found the whole experience really positive. Healed quickly, was up and walking around the morning after the birth and discharged from hospital within 24 hours. Had no issues getting out and about within 2-3 days at home and was signed off by my GP to resume driving after 2 weeks. Scar healed really nicely too; you wouldn't even know it was there now unless actively looking for it.

Everyone will have a different experience, but for me personally if I had to do it again I'd opt for an ELCS every time. I was also discharged from hospital with really good pain medication for 2 weeks, which I took religiously and definitely helped in the early days!

I don't know. People I have known who had Caesarians didn't have a walk in the park. It varies from person to person of course. I wouldn't have chosen a Caesar, much preferred a vaginal delivery which wasn't too bad at all.

Maybe, op, you need to talk to women who have successfully laboured to give birth to a child naturally, there are plenty who don't find it difficult.

Your choice though.

It is such a shame that so many people are scared of giving birth and imagine the worst. Being pregnant is supposed to be a happy time (unless you have something like hg which is simply dreadful), as long as there are no complications and actually having a baby is exciting.

Congrats on your pregnancy and hope all goes well.

Also the holding him in the pool once he was out / delayed cord clamping experience that I was lucky enough to have was the number one best and most defining experience of my life with health benefits to baby. Again, I know lots of women who have vaginal births don't get to experience this for all sorts of reasons / possible complications but at least it's a possibility unlike with a c-section.

Again, I know lots of women who have vaginal births don't get to experience this for all sorts of reasons / possible complications but at least it's a possibility unlike with a c-section.

Delayed cord clamping followed by skin to skin is a thing with c-sections. I got both with my dd. I also got to watch her come out which is both amazing and surreal.

@Dinosauratemydaffodils my sincerest apologies, I didn't know that. I learn something new every day.

@PixieN thank you so much for the NICE link- so nice to read something dispassionate and just presenting the stats (of ELCS as a separate category) so you can make your own mind up. And reassuring to see how little difference there is either way.

OP I think it's good to get a range of experiences but ultimately birth is entirely unpredictable, you could have a ELCS and get an infection after which could floor you, or you could have a complicated vaginal birth yet heal well, and anything in between!

I had a very quick induced labour. Contractions started when they broke my waters and baby was out within 1.5 hours. No time for any pain relief, and ended up with a vacuum delivery, episiotomy and 3rd degree tear. However I was out the next day with excellent pain relief, was healed physically within a couple of weeks and havent really been left with any issues!

If theres a next time I will be choosing an ELCS due to risk of serious incontinence if I tore badly again. But vaginal birth was no where near as bad as I had imagined and I coped better than I thought I would! The human body is absolutely amazing at healing itself after trauma like that.

@firstimemamma No worries. I think there is a lot of misinformation about birth floating about. I've had two emergency sections, not what I would have chosen in a perfect world but it seems my pelvis and my giant headed babies (thanks dh) are not a match made in heaven.

In our local hospital assuming mum and baby are okay they do delayed cord clamping as standard and then baby is given to mum for skin to skin. She wasn't even measured until she was 2 or 3 hours, they just left me cuddling her.

enough to have was the number one best and most defining experience of my life

I do agree with that though. I had mental health issues after my first was born, I passed out on the operating table and then had post partum psychosis and it took me a while to accept him as a baby let alone my baby. With dd, she wasn't fully out of me before I felt this insane rush of love. I never wanted to let go of her.

The highs I have experienced after giving birth to a live baby have been absolutely the best times of my life, the very best memories I have. It has absolutely nothing to do with any rush of love (which i didn’t get until much later in my babies lives), it has very little to do with the babies themselves and everything to do with an absolute bodyslam of endorphins and oxytocin which knocked me sideways. Like a massively magnified version of reaching the top of a mountain or the end of a long run or workout where you have pushed yourself beyond what you thought you could do, mixed with the utter physical relief of no longer being pregnant, instantly regaining my mobility and bodily comfort, and the feeling I can only liken to needing to sneeze or poo for nine months and finally doing so....all combined. I was higher than a kite. I felt like I had superpowers. It was the absolutely best way to begin parenthood. I felt confident, assured, powerful, like I could do anything. The idea of keeping this new small creature alive and well wasn’t in the least daunting. I was capable, I was strong, I could do it. The feeling peaked immediately after birth but its effects lasted for weeks and months.

If I could bottle it, I would. I am pretty sure it was part of a physical process which could easily have been thrown off course hormonally and I am lucky that was not the case. I was lucky enough to experience it once by chance (as I had a completely physiological birth the first time, with literally zero intervention) and i safeguarded it massively the second time as I wanted to feel it again so much. Thankfully again I managed it.

As someone whose birth preferences go 1) home birth 2) elective c-section 3) no babies that’s my honest answer.

Had two traumatic deliveries, babies got in distress. For the third I had ELCS. It was so much better, no comparison. Yes it took 6 weeks to fully recover but then so did my first. Have lasting issues from the first two births but c section scar is practically invisible. Wish it had been an option with my first.

@firstimemamma

With a section, no you can't get that first skin to skin cuddle in a pool, but it does mean you get it (for me anyway), when utterly pain free, not knackered, not having to think about delivering the placenta etc. And like with the mum above, they do some delayed cord clamping (though not as much as with a vaginal birth).

When I cuddled my babies against my skin moments after birth, with sections, they were the most euphoric and defining moments of my life too. Very different (no euphoria of having pushed out a baby, with the relief that its over etc), but no reason why it can't be just as amazing.

With a section, some will have that euphoric cuddle straight away, others might feel poorly and it have to wait, or be marred by how they are feeling.

With a vaginal birth, some will also have that euphoric cuddle straight away, others because of exhaustion, pain or a protracted labour might be too out of it to properly take it in.

Every birth is different I guess.

VB id choose everytime, ive just had baby no.6. All mine have been VB.
My lady bits are fine id say takes about 4wks for it to get back to normal down there.
I like giving birth(only had gas & air or nothing) some have been harder than others but its not something that i couldnt handle. Id only get a CS if a doctor said i had too.

I had my first by ELCS and have just agreed with the consultant to take the same course again.

1st weighed 10lb 5 and after hearing "Aren't you big?" 49 times a day and going 10 days past my due date, I'd had enough.

When the consultant asked what I wanted to do this time - I don't have a crystal ball and can only go on my last experience, and I had a very easy time over all.

It is sore afterwards. You can't push it too hard for several weeks or you will bleed a lot. Scar healed quickly and neatly though and is low so you wouldn't see it if you wore a bikini.

Emotionally, I had a very easy time and it wasn't nearly so scary as I'd imagined. Also age is an extenuating factor for me. I was 39 then and am about to turn 42.

I wouldn't because it's major surgery. For me it would be a last resort. Yes I was in pain for a while after but not as bad as recovering from a c section

I didn’t tear with either of mine and one of them was 8lb 6oz. Sex is fine btw.

Two sections here and I cannot believe your staggering stupidity.

@wowbutter Wowser - aren’t you a charmer. And if you think a VB is just a matter of “popping the baby out” then you obviously don’t know very much about it

I'm considering a elcs for my next baby - 1st birth was BBA and left me with ongoing incontinence issues. Vaginal birth had it's risks, as does ELCS. I would highly recommend doing your research op and talking with as many people (friends, family, midwives,drs etc) before making your decision!

Some people do just pop the baby out. A friend of mine had hers in 18 minutes start to finish. She gave birth at home to a lovely healthy baby, as there was no time to get to the hospital.

That's what happened to me @DontBe -easy birth but lots of problems since

Had a supposedly textbook VB. Spontaneous, only gas and air, birth pool. Labour was fucking horrible as it pressed on my sciatic nerve throughout. Second degree tear that healed well and I was up and walking next day albeit wobbly. But. Everything has dropped internally. I won't be the same again despite kegels and I know that's nowhere near as bad as it could have been. I could be prolapsed fully or incontinent. I'm an older mum this second time around at 39 and I am having an elcs no matter what. I didn't 'forget' the birth, I didn't want sex for years after. If I'd been fully informed about the toll it could take on me physically I would have been very very reluctant to even have a baby. The thing is, it's different for evryone, every time. But fuck natural now. I have a choice luckily; my doctors are really supportive.

I had a forceps delivery with my first. It followed a long labour with no pain relief except gas and air (not my choice). It was traumatic. I was left with faecal incontinence and PTSD. It was uncomfortable to walk or run for around a year afterwards, feeling I was going to prolapse. My baby was permanently injured from the forceps. I am pregnant again and going for ELCS. I have no doubts about my choice. I am under no illusion that recovery may be difficult. But recovery from my vaginal birth was worse. The truth is it’s different for everyone, and it is your decision to make, weighing up the worst case scenarios for each. An ELCS is more predictable. VB is an unknown.