does anyone ever NOT have c section after stillbirth ?

[tomps]

Far too early for me to be worrying about this (8 wks) and not even booked in yet, but I've read a couple of posts recently which made my heart sink. Dd was born by emergency c section 6 yrs ago, stillborn (42 wks) baby born very naturally 2 and a half years ago. From other threads it seems that doctors reluctant to let prgnancy go to term after stillbirth, is that right ? No idea at this stage if I'll feel happy letting nature take it's course by the end of this pregnancy, but interested in anyone else's experience.

sorry to hear about your loss. at how many weeks did he/she die?

Sorry to hear of your loss.

As a doula I supported a woman through a pregnancy after a previous stillbirth at term. The consultant was very very keen for her to be induced at 38/39 weeks but she felt very strongly that she didn't want to do this. In the end she had a very straightforward homebirth (planned) on her due date.

As you've had a previous cesarean it does limit the option for induction, but you don't have to opt for a c-section if you don't want to.

42 weeks nappyaddict. Not a 'poor me' thread at all - I'm really just wondering if medical intervention is inevitable after a stillbirth. My stillbirth was unexplained and not due to being 42 weeks, I was told, so no reason to think any future pregnancy at risk.

Sorry for your loss Tomps. My DD was stillborn at 26 weeks back in April. I am now pg (still in early stages)and the consultant advised being induced at 38 weeks but no mention of a c-section at all.

HTH x

Thanks Daisywhoooo, it is possible then. Not sure how brave I'll be, but it's good to have as much info as possible.

a friend of mine whose baby died (neonatal death rather than stillbirth) was induced - but I think this was so that her baby's birth didn't coincide with her other baby's due date, as they were both born within a year of each other. I imagine it's a good idea to discuss it with a consultant/senior midwife who's trained in dealing with women who've had a stillbirth to explore the options and see what the research says is best. But only you know what's best for you/your family, xxx

My friends who have had stillborn were all induced earlier than the date at which they had lost their term babies and had natural subsequent births. I think the issue may be that they don't routinely like inducing women who've had a previous c-section as there is a greater risk of the scar rupturing.

It may be worth researching the risks involved etc and look at VBAC sites.

Bundle's advice is good here, as ever
Tomps, in my case my consultant was prepared to let me go to term, and prepared to support me in my wish for a VBAC (my stillbirth was prem at 22 weeks after an elective c-section with my 1st for persistent transverse lie). However, with dd, it became apparent around 36 weeks that a combination of unstable lie and more amniotic fluid than the norm, could lead to a greater than average risk of cord compression during labour. Given that the only observation about a possible cause of my stillbirth was that there was a loose knot in the cord (personally I think the doctor was scrabbling here and he knew it), I reluctantly agreed to a second c-section at 39 + 5 for medical reasons.
I am so sorry your second baby died congratulations on your pregnancy. It helped me accept my c-section that I had the same, excellent and trustworthy consultant for all three pregnancies, and his hospital has one of the lowest elective rates in London.
I hope you have a similar consultant to hand, who, knowing your obstetric history, will give you wise and compassionate advice. Good luck.

more good advice from marina

and I forgot to say, I'm terribly sad that your baby died. I think you're very wise to think about how another birth could affect you and prepare yourself for the strong feelings which may overwhelm you nearer to the time. very best of luck, xxxx

Hi Tomps, when my baby was discovered to have died in-vitro at 33wks I was offered the choice of letting nature take its course or be induced there and then. The attending consultant, although seemingly happy for me to make my own choice, did advise that it would be best to go for the induction as I was probably already in early labour, hence the bleeding that got me to the hospital to hear this terrible news in the first place.

I delivered him in the early hours of the following morning.

Because the PM came back with no abnormalities detected, other than retarded growth- but reason unknown, when I was pregnant with my 2nd baby (9 months later) I was assigned a consultant at the hospital and attended his clinic every 2 weeks from 18 weeks on.
Had scans to check for growth on each visit.

At 34 weeks the scan showed he had not grown since the scan 2 weeks prev so they admitted me and kept me on a monitor. Heartbeat kept dipping and rising through the night ? movements had reduced too. By around 10am his heartbeat was frequently dropping below 95bpm so they decided better out than in. DS was born that afternoon by CS. Turns out, he had the cord round his neck twice and it wasn?t a particularly long one ? he cut off his supply every time he tried to move?Thank goodness I didn?t get to have a VBAC with him..

Meant to say, sorry to hear about your loss and congratulations on your new BFP.

I had a dd by elective section 4 years ago (she was stuck in my ribcage) and a stillborn dd at 25 weeks 2 years ago.No explanation found

I am 33.5 pregnant and I saw consultant on Monday to discuss options. I am desperate to give birth naturally as I feel this will give me some closure after delivering a dead baby but I do not want to go overdue as every day carrying this baby is hard. I thought it would be a case of another section if I did not go into labour by due date but he said he will examine me at first clinic after due date (2 days) and if my cervix is softening he will induce.If there is nothing happening he will do c section that week

So in answer to question you do not have to have a c section

good luck

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences ladies. Thank you also for expressions of sympathy, and of course mine to you, but hurrah for being pregnant again I can't really believe that anything could go wrong again, but at the same time I find it hard to imagine that there could be a baby in my house next year ! I really don't want to see the same consultant as last time, so hope I can find a different nice one at the hospital. Very good luck with your pregnancies chocolatepeanut and pinner35. Thank you again.