C section or Natural Labour

[Bearsar90]

Just hoping for some honest discussion.

No reason I can't go for natural labour but I've been advised by close friends that I should seriously consider opting for c section based on their bad experiences...

A csection is major surgery. Not sure why without medical suggestion anyone would opt...
When I had dc 3 at 6 am I collected dc 1 and 2 from school at 3.
Last dc was emcs.. Couldn't even walk to the loo alone!!

Everything @Easterbunnyiswindowshopping said. A c-section is major surgery with huge risks. You need to look up both types of deliveries and choose what is right for you.

Rubbish to say such a thing to a new expecting mum.
Please do your own research... and make your own decision.
When i got pregnant i said the same based on well... the same.
And then a whole new world opened to me when I looked... beautiful natural births. Not perfect. Not necessarily unmedicated and in a pool... but just the whole experience of natural labor, the excitement, the hard work, the hormones,... etc
It can be absolutely magical.

It's entirely up to you. Each method of delivery has risks unfortunately. You could get the dream natural birth and be up the next day, or you could be unlucky and get the opposite and have birth injuries that can be quite debilitating. You could have a very easy C section or you could get an infection and be very unwell. That's what makes it all so difficult, as there's no guarantees either way.

I had an EMCS and found it very easy and am having an elective for second, but that's just my experience and everyone has their own.

My consultant was great and very honest about the two methods of birth, and it was a lot more nuanced than 'natural good, section bad', so maybe worth seeing if you can speak to someone.

I have wondered the same.

Anyone i have ever spoke to about it curled their face up at me like i was askign them whether i should chop off a limb for fun.

I am still no further to understanding what would be best for me - as for me its more about the mental health aspect, the fear of the unknown so to speak . E.g - how long labour will last, where i will be, what will be available, will i have to have an emergency C-Section anyway. The thought of having a planned date, and knowing the recovery procedure reassures me more than people realise.

And actually, majority of stories from people who opted for elected c-section have nothing but glowing stories from their experience.

I think this is one we are going to have to decide for ourselves, everyone has their own opinions and there is still some crazy people out their that thing C-Sections are shameful for some reason!

Unfortunately there's just no way to know in advance. If I could have an unmedicated, breathe them out in the pool birth I would choose that but there's just no way to know. Turns out that's not the way my body/babies run, and so I had c sections which were fine and I would never say avoid one. You just can't know what way things will go - including c sections which do seem to have more predictable outcomes, but can have massive complications all the same.

Without diminishing the potential risks, the term “major surgery” makes a C section sound very dramatic. It is major surgery in the same way an appendicectomy is, but it’s not exactly heart surgery.

Natural birth…. forceps, ventouse, tears, episiotomy, wound infection, wound breakdown, pelvic floor dysfunction, vaginal/bladder/rectal prolapse, shoulder dystocia, emergency section.

The more I looked into it the more I realised I never knew the risks of a vaginal delivery. A c section seems much lower risk. A lot of the information doesn’t separate out the emergency from elective sections though which makes it difficult to get exact figures. Other than the first week or so for recovery after, to me, the long term advantages of a planned C section outweigh the unknowns of a vaginal birth

I’ve had both but my c section was carried out under general anaesthetic and my son was incredibly ill and taken straight to another hospital NICU. Obviously I wanted to be with my son straight away so I made sure I was up and walking and passing urine as soon as I could and was transferred to the same hospital as him the next day. My recovery was standard but even though it was seven years ago I’m still numb where my scar is which I have been told is normal.

I had a VBAC 18 months ago and it was fabulous. Had a small tear but even this wasn’t painful afterwards.

If I had the choice I would go for the vaginal delivery.

However, my sister has had three planned c sections and would never consider a vaginal birth so my view could well be coloured by the fact my c section wasn’t planned.

If you have no medical reason to consider a c section perhaps try for the vaginal but have an open mind for a c section as you obviously cannot predict these things.

@FirstTimeMama848484 I hope you make the decision that is right for you with your birth.

Usually, emergency and elective sections are very different experiences. However, I find it surprising that you have written off some of the danger towards sections. NHS deem sections as major surgery. Not heart surgery, no. But when you have so much blood pouring from you because of a simple hospital error and the doctors can't tell you whether your husband whether you will live or die, the dangers remain the same.

I've had a fast, limited intervention VB & a straightforward ELCS. The VB was better

It is major surgery in the same way an appendicectomy is

I've had that before keyhole was standard & the CS was harder imo. Plus after the appendicectomy I was on morphine, kept in for a few days & didn't have a newborn to look after.

Also one thing that is massively overlooked in these conversations is that pregnancy alone weakens your pelvic floor.

VB with epidural for me, great experience and he was a nearly 10lb baby back to back. I'd choose this over C-section any day and I'm an ex scrub nurse so well used to surgery.

You'll find horror stories either side and the opposite, best looking at statistics (from a reputable source) to help make up your mind.

Although I wouldn't choose a C-section, it's a fair and reasonable choice.

I had a horrendous ‘natural’ birth that ended with forceps, episiotomy, infection and damage to bladder. 10 days hospitalisation.

With DC2 I opted for an elective section and got the usual comments from people who had straightforward births and couldn’t understand why I chose this option. It was honestly a lovely experience. If you’ve had a crappy first birth as it seems your friends have then I can understand why they want you to know what can happen rather than believe the NcT mantra that everything will just happen easily and naturally in a warm bath in a midwife led birth centre or at home with no interventions.

It’s also important to be flexible if certain issues come up - eg you may want a natural birth but what about if you go overdue and the option is then induction or section? The risks and likelihood of intervention changes at different stages.

I had elective c sections and it worked well for me. I have no lasting effects apart from a faint pink scar low on my bikini line. When I talk to all of my friends who had vaginal or attempted vaginal there's some after effect. Could be as small as leaking urine when laughing or dancing. Or terrible injuries from horrendous tears or dramatic EMCS. It might be 'major surgery' but I was up and about the same day and discharged the next. Pain was minimal. That's just my experience but I did look extensively into the risks of vaginal birth and elective c sections and chose c section.

might be 'major surgery' but I was up and about the same day and discharged the next

Same, I think that's very standard. They want you up & out.

I’ve done both. Emcs for first, unplanned VBAC with episiotomy for second. In terms of wound healing it was much the same. In terms of recovery the VBAC was easier and I was discharged in 36 hours and driving 2 weeks after my cs.

Just had an EMCS Sunday week ago. Pregnancy had been normal and perfectly healthy, and I’d been planning to take labour as it came.

My contractions started hard and fast, and baby’s heart rate was erratic, so wound up with a section. I had done hypnobirthing and was aiming to avoid an epidural but I got one and it was the best thing ever. I found the contractions incredibly debilitating. Now, that was possibly due to the fact that when they opened me up they discovered I’d an infection, and my consultant reckons that my body had just gone into eject mode, hence the hard labour.

So, I suppose, what I would say is, if you go the natural route, be open to anything happening. I had an excellent relationship with my consultant and that made everything so much easier, I really trusted her. I had thought labour would start gently and I’d be able to acclimatise but I didn’t get that experience! So, by going naturally there’s a huge level of uncertainty. I found that element really hard to deal with coming up to my due date.

As regards recovery, it’s been manageable. I’m now 9 days post op, and am just relying on paracetamol for pain relief. By day 3 I was able to move around much more easily, and on the whole I feel good. We live rurally so I’m not looking forward to not being able to drive for a few weeks but tbh with a new baby I probably won’t be going anywhere anyway!

I've had 2 sections for medical reasons and I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. Took me months to recover from both whilst my sisters had natural deliveries are were fine within days.

might be 'major surgery' but I was up and about the same day and discharged the next

I was in 5 days with my first and 10 days with my second including 4 days in high dependency

I had to have planned c-section for medical reasons and I found it fantastic, but I wouldn't opt for it if you don't have to.

I was lucky to have a very smooth experience both times and quick recovery - the scarring through all the layers can be complicated if not all done very well.

I planned a vaginal but ended with a C-section. As it was my first I have nothing to compare it to. I will say however that it was no where near as bad as people made it out to be and my recovery was very smooth.

Also noting though, that absolutely everyone is different in terms of healing times etc, c sections are no way easy, but no form of birth is easy. All have different risks etc.

It really needs to be a well informed decision, you may get push back from a consultant.

Do you have any reason to push for a c-section? If you are having a straight forward pregnancy/no risks to mum and baby, and decent scale on centile lines I don't see why you'd want to opt for one?

I’ve had both a cesarean (‘emergency’ but not due to life threatening complications so quite relaxed) and a vaginal birth. Both had their pros and cons.

The cesarean (first DC) was a good experience for me. We still had delayed cord clamping and skin to skin in theatre. DS breastfed well from birth. My recovery was remarkably easy compared to some (although I still felt sore and exhausted for about a week) and I was running 5km 6 weeks later. I think it helped that I had been fit and active in my pregnancy and was lucky not to have any complications.

The vaginal birth (second) was a really lovely experience. Compared to the long labour with my first (the one that ended in a cesarean), it was a breeze. Had a small tear and a couple of grazes that stung like hell for a week or so but no major issues. I was able to walk as far as I wanted, carry baby, chase after our toddler etc. from day 1. DD also breastfed well from birth.

As a midwife, I’ve seen recovery from both be really shit. I’ve also seen first time mums deliver very quickly with no complications, some even without minor tears. It’s very hard to predict.

I had my first baby last May and wish I really understood the risks of a vaginal delivery. My situation was quite rare and ended up having a punctured spine caused by an anaesthetist and having three surgeries to fix it🙃 however at the time I still didn't understand other risks as much as I do now.

My second is due next month and I'll be having a planned C section. I haven't had it yet so I can't comment but the fact that I'll be going into a situation that's planned is already so much more reassuring for me. I know the recovery time will be much longer but hoping all goes well, if I ever had another child, I'd immediately ask for a C section. I will say I do think vaginal births are somewhat glamorised or some people will stick their nose up if they hear you've had a planned C section as if you've picked the 'easy route' but honestly do your research and do what's best for you.

I also agree with a pp who said when you speak to people that have had elective C section, most of the time they've had such positive experiences so 🤷‍♀️ who really knows what's going to be best for you!

With a vaginal birth there is a higher chance you will have an easy and quick recovery but there is also a higher chance you will have a very difficult recovery and long term medical complications. After a 3rd degree tear I wish I had chosen an elective section. Yes there is some recovery involved in a c-section, and things can go badly wrong in a very small number of cases but in general the range of outcomes is smaller and so the outcome is more predictable.