C section or natural

[Miss2820]

Hi

I had my booking appt yesterday and was asked if I would want another c section or natural.. to be honest I was heading towards another c section purely based on the fact I have been through it and I know the outcome recovery etc natural birth the whole thing scares me and gives me bad anxiety that it will keep me up all night just thinking about the pain the process recovery etc what do you ladies think will be the best ? Or has anyone had both ?

Is there any medical reason why a section would be a better option to natural? Has the doctor said which would be safer? What was the reason you had a section last time? I have only had natural, and I wont lie it was verh tough going, but my recovery was very quick on the other side. 6 hours after having my baby I walked out of the hospital. A section is tempting as its much calmer and controlled but it is major abdominal surgery. I personally would only go for it for medical reasons or if I had a very traumatic birth last time around. To be honest I thought that was the only reason they offered them.

My daughter heart rate dropped quite considerably so was rushed for a c section when I spoke to the midwife on the phone yesterday she said she will refer me to a clinic or something where they discuss the pros and cons of it all and it would be my choice if I decide to go for a c section or not.. she said we normally recommend natural birth but we are not saying no to a c section it would be my choice

I think a VBAC comes with additional risks but is still possible, I'd weigh up the risks of both and see what you're most comfortable with,

I had a natural birth with an epidural, and it was brilliant. No pain once the needle went in, i had a nap, and even with an episiotomy i was completely back to normal (sex life and all) in about 3 or 4 weeks. I was up and about 6hrs later and not in any pain by the end of the week.

Haven’t had a c section just a natural birth- I’m pregnant again and have never been so scared in my life the thought of giving birth again. The pain of contractions I don’t think I can relieve, however to highlight a positive I never ripped or tore. I was up and normal straight after pretty much. Whilst I am in a panic over giving birth, if you have another child to look after I can’t imagine c sections recovery will be much fun.

I'd see what the specialists say, as I know VBAC can be riskier. I ended up with a c section after 20hrs of labour, so weirdly feel like I almost did both with one DC. But missed out on the actual need to push. I do sorta feel like I missed out on something and am hoping with my next I'll be able to have a natural birth. But would definitely take the dr advice on what's safest for me and baby.

I had an EMCS with my first because his heart rate dropped and had my second by vbac. The recovery was soo much quicker, I couldn't believe it! I was monitored throughout labour because of the risk of the scar rupturing and and after I'd been pushing a little while there was talk of assisted delivery or a c section because of the pressure on the scar tissue but it didn't get to that point in the end.

However, I was really keen to have a vbac and wanted to avoid a second section at all costs, whereas you are worried about it.

It's also worth considering how many children you want all together because I know people who have been advised not to have any more after 2 c sections (although I've seen it higher on other threads on here)

Take the appointment and ask all your questions and I believe you can delay the decision until quite late on if you want to!

Good luck

Thanks everyone I haven’t exactly decided yet just wanted to hear everyone’s experiences.

I wouldn't worry about it yet, you have plenty of time to decide. Other things may arise during the pregnancy which make one route or the other more sensible.

@FrugiFan

I wouldn't worry about it yet, you have plenty of time to decide. Other things may arise during the pregnancy which make one route or the other more sensible.

Thank you your right was just that was mentioned on my call yesterday so was curious to see what everyone else’s experiences were

I personally opted for an ELCS with DS. I had a few concerns to do with PGP and DS measuring big but nothing that said I should have CS. I however decided I was happier with the risks of CS rather than a vaginal delivery and I don't regret my decision.

I had an emergency section the first time and an elective one the second. But that was because they never found out what went wrong the first time, and therefore couldn't predict if it would happen again.

Do you remember if there was many risks involved ?

@miss2820 c-section is a major abdominal surgery, so if you're otherwise healthy there are always going to be more risks with that rather than a vaginal birth.

I had emcs with DC1 because his oxygen levels plummeted.
I have since had 2 VBACs, both successful.
I am currently expecting DC4 and am going to have another VBAC if possible.

I'm currently 13 weeks and weighing up the same choice. I still haven't come to any decision yet, going to wait to chat to my midwife and I've got an appointment booked in for September already specifically to discuss this and make a final decision. There are some good leaflets out there, this one is quite medical in terminology and long, but has lots of stats on the success rates of VBAC vs CS. Each woman is different though so best to speak it through with your midwife/consultant. I don't think you have to make a final decision until your quite far through. Such a tough choice and I find I'm changing my mind all the time.

www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/gtg45/

In my circumstance there were additional risks to vaginal birth. I am overweight and DS was measuring big so he was at an increased risk of things like shoulder dystocia. I was also more likely to end up with an assisted birth and so I decided to cut out the middle man and just go straight for a c-section. DS was 10lbs 10oz when he was born.

23 weeks and have flipped from elective to VBAC and back to elective 🙈 I'm waiting on an appointment with the head of midwifery to discuss my options. Last time my little boy was undiagnosed breech but we only found out 32 hours down after my waters went, and the whole time was spent in rather painful early labour. Before I decide I think I need to know whether it was so painful and if I didn't progress purely based on his position or not.

I’ve recently had an elective caesarean for my second, and having had a vaginal birth first time round, I found the recovery so much easier with the caesarean.

A caesarean is routine surgery and while there are risks, there are also risks to VB. ask your midwife/dr for your personal risk factors.

The only thing I’d say is while I was pain free with the caesarean after a couple of days, 10 days on I wouldn’t be able to lift a toddler so you would need support with your older child.

That said I couldn’t have lifted a child after my VB either. There’s no way to know how your VBAC would go, you might have a great recovery or you might have forceps or something and be laid up for ages.

There’s no right answer but If you’re awake with anxiety at the thought of natural, honestly I’d go with a caesarean.

Thank you

I’m waiting to hear when the appt will be to discuss this all x

Do lots of research & remember you can change you're mind at any point!

I had a planned csection with my first as she was big, they missed that I had gestational diabetes. Second time around everything was fine with pregnancy & baby & had a vaginal birth. Pros & cons for each.