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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Can I choose to have a c section?

16 replies

HannahAD · 01/09/2020 12:04

I had a traumatic birth at 38 weeks with my first child after THREE failed inductions. I had a severe infection afterwards and I’m quite emotionally traumatised by the thought of giving birth vaginally again. Will I be able to request a c section this time round?

OP posts:
Disappointedkoala · 01/09/2020 12:07

Yes - my previous birth wasn't as bad as yours but I asked my midwife at my booking in and was referred to the consultant to discuss. You can read the nice guidelines on C-section to research beforehand.

starfishmummy · 01/09/2020 12:08

Sure. Ask for a referral to a private doctor/hospital and pay for it.

mynameiscalypso · 01/09/2020 12:11

Totally - look at birthrights.org.uk. You have the right to a c section and your reasons (not that you need to have any) are totally valid. I wanted and got an ELCS and it was totally the right choice for me.

Sanch1 · 01/09/2020 12:11

@starfishmummy unnecessary! Anyone can have a c section on the NHS. Just ask next time you see your midwife op, you need a traumatic reason to have them. As a pp says read up on the NICE guidelines so you know your rights.,

Sanch1 · 01/09/2020 12:12

Don't need!

LadyGAgain · 01/09/2020 12:13

You can absolutely have an elective c-section and @starfishmummy that was totally uncalled for.

Thenneverendingstorohree · 01/09/2020 12:17

Yes. You can! Ultimately you have a right to one but they might make you jump through hoops. Thankfully mine accepted it without issue. My consultant responded very well to me discussing the detailed stats and laying out that any increased risk of what happened last birth was unaccceptable to me and that the comparative risk of c section verses normal risks of birth are quite small. I also explained the cost (both to me and the NHS) of all the after care/ops etc I needed and he agreed c section was the sensible option.

I know other people had to attend counselling before stating they still wanted a c section (which they actually found helpful- so so much a hoop as a help really).

Don’t be afraid to advocate for what you need.

duckling3 · 01/09/2020 12:51

Definitely speak to your midwife about it. I think different hospitals work differently but I've had my request approved no issues at all, no jumping through hoops needed thankfully. feel much calmer about the birth now i have a plan in place.

TaVeryMuchLove · 01/09/2020 14:02

Yes, totally. I had an awful experience with my first and was actually offered a c sec with my second, but would have requested one otherwise. Had it 2 weeks ago and was amazing. So much better than first experience.

aToadOnTheWhole · 01/09/2020 14:03

@starfishmummy

Sure. Ask for a referral to a private doctor/hospital and pay for it.
Fuck off with this kind of cunty attitude.
aToadOnTheWhole · 01/09/2020 14:06

You can request an ELCS. You may have to jump through some hoops and be signed off but you can. I made it clear at my 8 weeks appointment that I intended to have an ELCS so they know which hospital to direct my antenatal care towards.

IDontMindMarmite · 01/09/2020 14:19

@mynameiscalypso thanks for the link, it looks promising but not conclusive. I've heard that my locality don't provide electives.
OP, here's a C+P of the relevant fact sheet:
"There has never been a legal case on women’s entitlement to maternal request c-sections, but you have a right to make decisions about the circumstances of your birth under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This includes the manner in which you give birth.

This means that if the hospital does not offer elective c-sections, your request must still be given proper consideration by a consultant obstetrician and all your personal circumstances must be taken into account. The obstetrician should consider the risks of vaginal birth and the likelihood of an emergency c-section. The hospital can only refuse to offer you a c-section if it has balanced all the factors and can show that there are good reasons for refusing and the effect on you is not disproportionate."

"The current guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (known as ‘NICE’) recommends that women who request a c-section are offered a referral to a health professional with perinatal mental health expertise to help address anxiety ‘in a supportive manner’. You are not obliged to accept an offer of support.

The guidance states that if after discussion and an offer of support, you continue to request a c-section, it should be offered to you.

Individual obstetricians are entitled to refuse to perform a c-section under the guidance, but they should refer you to another obstetrician who is willing to carry out the operation.

NICE guidance applies throughout the UK. It is not law and does not give you a legal entitlement to a particular treatment, but any decision not to follow the guidance would have to be justified with good reasons."

Littlegoth · 01/09/2020 14:37

FTM requested c section and had it approved. Apart from a minute in the middle where it wasn’t approved then was again I didn’t really have to jump through hoops, just had to show i had given proper thought to it. Due next week

Flynn2019 · 01/09/2020 14:42

I think you are well within your rights to request a c section given how traumatic your previous experience was. I think they would support this also. I just wanted to note though, my cousin had a c section, emergency not planned, and had a very traumatic experience also. Infection afterwards which saw her in hospital for almost 3 weeks. Just to set your expectation that while you hear less complications there are still possibilities of things not quite going to plan. Best of luck though x

Piper1879 · 01/09/2020 15:50

I requested a c section , I'm ftm but my pregnancy was high risk , they just went over the risks again in my case but you are allowed it and they might try and resist but do you research and be firm. My section was amazing and I would do it again, I had a gentle section.

TenThousandSpoons0 · 01/09/2020 17:09

Yes, you definitely can. Ask your midwife for a referral to an obstetrician (and ask her to do that straight away so there’s plenty of time rather than having to wait until 36 weeks for the appointment!).

You should find doctors are open to discussing this with you so try to go in prepared but with an open mind - you’ll find it easier to get what you want if you go ready to stand up for yourself but also ready to listen to their thoughts as well.

they’ll usually want to go through what happened last time, what options you have, and talk about balancing up what’s right for you - depending on your individual circumstances and exactly what happened last time they will adjust what they recommend to you (which may well be CS anyway) and then you can choose whether to take that recommendation or not.

Please don’t take this as questioning your decision - as I don’t know your story from last time at all - but in my experience sometimes after a full discussion women change their minds from wanting a planned CS, to wanting a vaginal birth that is just managed very differently from last time - most important is that you feel you’re in control of decisions about your birth.

Congratulations on your new pregnancy and I hope you find this birth a healing experience - often the case :)

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