C section without medical reason

[daisytumble]

Did anyone on here have a C section without a medical reason? I’d love to hear your stories

TTC but researching and trying to become more informed.

DH is tall, 6ft something. I am a foot and some shorter than he is. He was a big baby when he was born, ten pounds something.

All of my relatives (maternal side) are similar build to me and have had very long labours with intervention and instrumental delivery, one of of my cousins had a PPH and was really out of it and another had forceps and episiotomy, both needing lengthy debriefs and one of the babies needing physio as a result of it all. My sister had a planned sections so can’t go off hers.

I look at this, and look to how stretched and strained maternity care seems to be at the moment. Most trusts nearby us have requires improvement or even inadequate for maternity. There’s a hospital 10 miles away which has good.

I don’t think ELCS is the easy way out but it seems a bit more predictable, even if it’s harder recovery. I’m not sure if the alternative is too much a gamble particularly in all the circumstances outlined above! I know it’s all just speculating at this point and will have to take medical advice at the time and see what baby measures at.

thanks in advance :-))

I was always keen on a c section as I have seen the consequences of difficult births for both the mother and the child. I remember a surgeon telling me how a huge amount of his work relating to faecal incontinence is secondary to giving birth and he told me how he would want those closest to him to have a c section. Having a child with long term issues such as cerebral palsy can also be a complication of a difficult birth.

I am sure there will be midwives come in and be reassuring but due to the rise in c sections, there are less midwives trained and experienced in less straightforward births. Many births also end up as emergency c sections which is likely to be scary and traumatic.

Compare this to an elective c section, you have a date to go in, you have your plan in place eg the music you want the atmosphere of the theatre and your baby arrives.

The negatives are that it is major surgery and you will need around 6 weeks until you feel back to your normal self. Some people may say the risk is higher but if you remove emergency c sections from the data I doubt that's the case.

You are allowed to chose to have a c section, you don't need to give any reasoning for your choice.

Hmmm well I am probably the poster child of all the things the small print advises on the form could be a complication of having a c section 😳 it's not just about the recovery time (they was actually the easiest part)

I had one for my first (breach baby) - 12 months post c section adhesion and scar tissue had stuck my ovaries and tubes to my bowel and uterus. Excruciating ovulation pain to the point had to take day off work. Oh and then nearly died twice from 2 ruptured ectopic pregnancies within 18 months. Left infertile and then had to spend the best of £40k to get pregnant again through IVF

My son was almost 11lbs at birth. His wife was scared of having a big baby like that, so she opted for a C-section. She was more than a week over her dute date, and was all packed and ready to go to hospital for the C-section, then went into labour naturally the night before! She gave birth vaginally, didn't have any stitches, and only had gas and air. Baby was 8lbs 6. Mum and baby did so well.

You are allowed to opt for a c section.

I had one for breach baby. I was considered geriatric pregnancy, consultant wanted to perform an ECV. I declined. Spoke to nurses, sonographer who all said don’t do it, have the c sec!

Glad I did. It was calm, quick, it felt safe. The recovery probably took me 4 weeks to feel ‘normal’ again. Felt like I’d done a 1,000 sit ups!

I did this twice. Both easy, painless and frankly lovely births. Recovery was less painful than a period for me, and I wad back to normal in about a week. No issues with breastfeeding.

No regrets.

Due to a few medical complications towards the end of my pregnancy (and after watching those around me have horrendous labours many of which resulted in emergency surgery) I decided to have an elective. Best thing I could have done. My baby was 10lb + ! The recovery was quick. The scar was kept completely air tight for ten days and had almost healed by the time the bandage came
off. With one of my twins in a later pregnancy (also an elective) he had breathing issues and a team from ICU were around us immediately. It was very organised and I felt it was completely under control. Appreciate that’s just my experience. But I couldn’t have faulted my care. I do believe it was because it was scheduled. Less urgency, less panic, more time and care taken. Very thankful for that. Of course it has its down sides. It’s harder (but not impossible) to breastfeed. The scar and overhang isn’t great either. Plus the risk of additional complications.

Thank you everyone, there’s a real mix!

I've had two sections. My first was elective and awful. Don't think it ever healed right - I'm still in pain many years after the last one. It still effects my core work at the gym. Ive had loads of bladder and bowel issues since the second one which may or may not have been caused by it, but I certainly didn't have them before.

I wouldn't have chosen to have a c section but felt under pressure to have one for medical reasons.

Definitely google what stomachs look like post c-sections too before you commit. Not scary gore pictures but just the weird flabby over hang you get, just to be forewarned. I wasn't.

Then you must do what feels best for you.

At what week/antenatal appointment do you tell them you want a c-section and do you get a date straight away?

I put in the request at 20 weeks and then got a date around 35 weeks. I went in at 39 weeks with 1st 40 with 2nd and twins at 37 weeks.

I had an elective c section. Couldn’t recommend it more. Was so easy and calm. I don’t have the overhang pouch thing either. Recovery was easy. The only thing I would say is that nearly 3 years on it can feel a bit painful around the scar sometimes but not very often.

plus out of 6 other women I knew who had babies around the same time 5 ended up having to have an emergency c section and all have said if they were to have another baby they would go elective.

I had an elective at the last minute (contractions had started). Before pregnancy I'd always said I'd have a c-section, then somehow during pregnancy I convinced myself I would do vaginal, then at the last minute I was like 'no way!'. As a keen runner with already some incontinence issues I didn't want to make them worse. I found the recovery very easy, they had me moving about within 24 hours once the catheter was out. Not in the NHS though so I got 3 nights in hospital in my own private room.

My friend who is a surgeon said that after she did her genito-urinary elective she was never going to give birth vaginally, having repaired lots of fistulas and all sorts of birth trauma. She also had an elective.

I never has any desire to have a vaginal birth. My ELCS was so calm, we have very fond memories of that day. My recovery was straightforward and I don’t have any overhang either. My scar is hypertrophic so it still gets itchy from time to time after 19 months but I’ll have that sorted when I finish breastfeeding.

My partner is 6’3 and was 4.5kg at birth (10lbs). I am 5’1 and was 2.92kg (6lb7oz) so was naturally concerned.

Our baby was born at full term and weighed 2.96kg.