Page 5 | Can I have an elective CS just because I want one?

Selmaandpatty · 2023-07-21T20:58:18+00:00

Sorry if this sounds very naive, don't have any children yet and don't know of many women who've had a CS. I have been doing a lot of reading but the answers seem to vary. I personally would like to have a CS rather than a natural birth, I know the recovery will be harder, but the thought of being in labour for 36 hours and the pain terrifies me. However I'm not sure if they would do it without a valid reason? Or do they?

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MinnieTruck · 21/07/2023 23:14

Bakedbeansandtoast · 21/07/2023 22:00

No, you would need a proper reason to have one or else you can pay for one privately.

This is so untrue yet you’ve commented on here with confidence

Babyboomtastic · 21/07/2023 23:19

Catheter: this might be weird, but it was GREAT! I'd spent months hobbling to the toilet hourly at night (i had severe spd from the first trimester), and minimising fluids in the day as we didn't have a downstairs loo, and the stairs were agony.

They let me keep it in overnight and I drank jug fulls of water, safe in the knowledge that I didn't need to deal with the other end.

I had the injections for 2 weeks, but stopped half way with my second because they stung and I'd been more mobile than I'd been for 6m.

No stockings at any point for me.

BluNomad · 21/07/2023 23:20

Totaly · 21/07/2023 22:57

I hate to break it to some of you but I didn't have to pay for my 3 elective sections on the NHS.

We know you didn’t pay for it, not the NHS did pay for it …. Glad you had a nice time.

Well let’s hope you pay NI

elfx · 21/07/2023 23:21

I would always plan for a vaginal birth initially. I was ready to give birth vaginally but after 6 days of labour and multiple methods of induction not working I asked for a c section and got taken straight down and it was done within an hour of asking for it.

BluNomad · 21/07/2023 23:23

elfx · 21/07/2023 23:21

I would always plan for a vaginal birth initially. I was ready to give birth vaginally but after 6 days of labour and multiple methods of induction not working I asked for a c section and got taken straight down and it was done within an hour of asking for it.

6 days! So sorry for you must have been horrendous (I’m not being sarcastic) x

elfx · 21/07/2023 23:23

Also yes I had to have the injections in my tummy for 10 days post c section. Had to have a urine catheter in as soon as I had my epidural. They said I didn't have to have one if I could still pass urine into a bed pan but my bladder had basically frozen and it was impossible. It stayed in for 12 hours post c section and getting it out was absolutely fine and not painful in the slightest, it was actually a relief.

Babyboomtastic · 21/07/2023 23:24

elfx · 21/07/2023 23:21

I would always plan for a vaginal birth initially. I was ready to give birth vaginally but after 6 days of labour and multiple methods of induction not working I asked for a c section and got taken straight down and it was done within an hour of asking for it.

I'm not quite sure that's much of an endorsement for giving it a go tbh 😬.

elfx · 21/07/2023 23:25

@BluNomad it was intense and it definitely traumatised me a little bit!! But I was really trying for that vagina birth 😂 (her head was in the wrong position in my pelvis and it was preventing me from dilating)

Presseddaisy · 21/07/2023 23:25

As many others have said you absolutely can request an elective c-section for any reason- it is a relatively recent thing though which is why many people arent aware or didnt have that option themselves. Individual Obstetricians do not have to agree to perform an ELCS (which I think is fair if they believe the risks to outweigh the benefits as it is in their oath not to cause harm) but if they don't agree they have to refer you to another Obstetrician who will do it. I think you could say that ELCS for the prevention of trauma due to mental health issues/previous sexual assault etc is a medical reason to provide one but it makes sense for Trusts to put support in place first as per the NICE guidelines.

Having heparin injections after the delivery is dependent upon individual factors which increase risk of VTE such as raised BMI etc but are generally given much more than they were 10 years ago.

elfx · 21/07/2023 23:26

@Babyboomtastic it's not is it 🤣 I didn't want to give up too soon though and carried on, I had an epidural as soon as I got onto the birthing suite.

TomatoSandwiches · 21/07/2023 23:29

BluNomad · 21/07/2023 23:20

Well let’s hope you pay NI

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Oh no this might send you off the edge but I don't, not for the last 7 years unfortunately as my youngest born is very much disabled and needs constant care.

blahblahblah1654 · 21/07/2023 23:37

I had a c section with my son due to preeclampsia. I was only 34 weeks and they didn't want to risk inducing me as needed him out. It was halfway between elective and emergency I guess. I had a spinal block and found it pretty painless. Recovery was fine. Like other posters said, the blood thinning injections can be the worst bit! I wouldn't put them anywhere near my stomach after major surgery though. The thought of it is horrifying. I injected mine into my thigh. I recently had a late miscarriage at 20 weeks and was in labour for 3 days and it was very traumatic so if I decide to get pregnant again I'll definitely push for an elective c section.

QuinnofHearts · 21/07/2023 23:38

Yes, you can. NICE guidelines state so. If in doubt, print them off and show your midwife.

I've had 3 sections as I have a heart conditions. All 3 I was up and walking within hours, and in days I was back to normal. I had my daughter on the Friday, and on the Monday I was back doing the school run for my kid.

QuinnofHearts · 21/07/2023 23:38

Nothingbuttheglory · 21/07/2023 22:10

Some utter bollocks being talked on this thread.

You should be able to have a section if you want one. You may encounter some obstructive attitudes/be required to meet with psychologist/ have statistics explained to you. However, NICE guidelines state that you should be offered one if you want one.

Recovery from vaginal delivery is not always easier, and vaginal delivery can result in worse complications than c section.

Right!!!

RugbyMom123 · 21/07/2023 23:42

Yes you can. I had a completely elective c. First time mum, no risk factors and would have been approved for home or midwife led birth.

It hurt like a bitch after but so does labour probably and really pleased with it. Will have another for my second if lucky enough to get pregnant again.

OdeToBarney · 21/07/2023 23:44

Bakedbeansandtoast · 21/07/2023 22:00

No, you would need a proper reason to have one or else you can pay for one privately.

This is actual bullshit. I had an elective section last year, no medical need. It's patient choice. You tell your midwife, they refer you to the consultant, you tell them you have considered all risks and would still like to proceed, they book you in. If they refuse they have to refer you to another consultant. Stop spreading untruths because it doesn't suit your own personal agenda.

zombielady · 21/07/2023 23:45

If men gave birth, everyone would have elective c-sections.

Totaly · 21/07/2023 23:48

This is actual bullshit. I had an elective section last year, no medical need. It's patient choice. You tell your midwife

Ans this is why the NHS is in tatters and ‘get them told’ nurses are leaving in droves.

QuinnofHearts · 21/07/2023 23:49

Totaly · 21/07/2023 23:48

This is actual bullshit. I had an elective section last year, no medical need. It's patient choice. You tell your midwife

Ans this is why the NHS is in tatters and ‘get them told’ nurses are leaving in droves.

Nurses don't do CS, that's midwives mate

strawberryandcreams · 21/07/2023 23:54

Bakedbeansandtoast · 21/07/2023 22:00

No, you would need a proper reason to have one or else you can pay for one privately.

Well that's completely incorrect.
Yes OP. It is your human right. Doctors may try and deter you along the way but stand your ground. You do not have to pay private!

monsteramunch · 21/07/2023 23:55

Totaly · 21/07/2023 23:48

This is actual bullshit. I had an elective section last year, no medical need. It's patient choice. You tell your midwife

Ans this is why the NHS is in tatters and ‘get them told’ nurses are leaving in droves.

Can I ask what it is that makes you angry about women choosing to have c sections if it isn't medically necessary?

They don't cost more when you take into account compensation claims from vaginal births in the NHS.

And it's not about cost, I can't understand why you're so against women making that choice individually?

strawberryandcreams · 21/07/2023 23:58

A c section is not the easy way out. There is nothing wrong with a c section. It doesn't make you a better mother if you don't give birth naturally. My child almost died because the doctors were insistent o went natural. Had a c section under general as emergency was that severe, there was no time. I missed my daughters birth as was asleep.

I recovered fabulously. And my second child was elective.
When they said c section, after 40 hours of labour, I breathed a sigh of relief. But even without any justification; we need to stop bashing women for choosing how they want to give birth. It's ridiculous. OP, do what is right for you and you unborn baby. Good luck

strawberryandcreams · 21/07/2023 23:59

Totaly · 21/07/2023 23:48

This is actual bullshit. I had an elective section last year, no medical need. It's patient choice. You tell your midwife

Ans this is why the NHS is in tatters and ‘get them told’ nurses are leaving in droves.

Oh go away. Get off your high horse. A 16k elective c section is not the reason why the NHS is in tatters.
Congratulations on your vaginal birth- you are the superior mother

strawberryandcreams · 22/07/2023 00:02

Confusedotcomm · 21/07/2023 23:13

@Hibiscrubbed
yep! It’s well known that Drs and wives of doctors almost always book a section.
I had a very quick damage free vaginal delivery for my 1st ( she almost slid down my trouser leg as I walked into the hospital) , and I’ve also had a section for my late term , breech, fatty. Loved the section! Such a calm experience and the soreness of the scar afterwards was nothing compared to the afterpains and arse daggers following my apparently smooth vag birth.
also, can still trampoline and sneeze perfectly safely at 40 😂

This. All of this. Hurrah!

Sweetsweetlike1 · 22/07/2023 00:05

Selmaandpatty · 21/07/2023 21:59

Obviously it might not be 36 hours! But it's the unpredictability which scares me, it could go absolutely any way.

Labour is indeed unpredictable as I've had one last 21 hours and another last only 2 hours 🤷🏽‍♀️ However, everyone I know that's had a C-section had some health risk to either themselves or the baby as to why it was needed