Subsequent pregnancy after c section - how long?

[SarahB88]

I had our perfect little girl in the middle of May by c section. We always wanted to have a second one quickly but since having her we’ve decided that we’d like to start trying again quite soon so hopefully a sibling is added next year so they aren’t too far apart in age.

Has anyone fallen pregnant soon after a section, what was your experience? Any issues with the scar area? I’ll be getting another section rather than trying for VBAC.

We are going to try soon in the hope that I fall pregnant when our little girl is around 6 months old. My doctor advised pregnancy from 6 months post section would be safe but what if I fall pregnant sooner?

I fell pregnant accidentally 3 months after a c section so there was only 13 months between deliveries. My second was a VBAC and although I was monitored quite closely during labour in case the scar ruptured had no other complications and my ante natal care was the same. that’s just my experience however. I’d be guided by your own doctor another what is best for you.

I was told to wait a minimum of 12 months to get pregnant after a c section.

Kudos to you for even contemplating a pregnancy so soon, I need to forget about what pregnancy was like before I can do it again 😅

@HuggingAnIcePack887 I’ve already checked with my doctor and she said 6 months onwards was ok for me but my friend was told wait a minimum of 9 months so must be different for everyone!

I loved being pregnant so really looking forward to it 🙈

I had 2 under 2 via section there's 20m between them.
Medically it was fine but...
What i would say is a todder is verrry different to a baby.
My pregnancies were very different too.

Make sure you have good support its doable and i have no regrets but it is hard and i wouldnt enjoy it if i didnt have the extra help

I feel pregnant 6 months after my first section, it sadly ended in a miscarriage. 6 YEARS down the line and I've got my second.

I do remember being advised 12 months, personally I think 6 months is quite soon to put such a huge toll on your body again after major surgery but I'm not a doctor.

I also definitely feel like I've had a baby this time around (I had another section like you're planning), whereas with my first I bounced back to "normal" very quickly.

Look after yourself and also seriously consider how crazy 2 under 2 can be! It may be a blessing to just wait an extra 6 months but that's just my opinion.

Best of luck in whatever you chose - congratulations on your first, too! 💞

I was told two years but that was twenty years ago now, so advice has probably changed!! However, I’d be more concerned with trying to look after a young toddler whilst recovering from a section. The second one was much harder to recover from and I wouldn’t have wanted to be also running after a small child who can’t understand why you can’t lift them up etc.

My partners going to be taking a good amount of time off to help me with my recovery, he’s a very hands on dad so that aspect doesn’t worry us. We also just live a couple of streets away from my parents who are always happy to help us, we wouldn’t have got any housework done when I was recovering from this section if it wasn’t for them! If we didn’t have this set up we wouldn’t be considering it.

Some good advice/experiences here, thank you.

I fell pregnant when my daughter was 12 weeks. There is 12 months and 10 days between them. I had no issues at all and the midwife or doctors wasn't concerned. I was just told I would need another section

Your doctor was wrong. It takes a minimum of 18 months for your body to recover post csection so the recommendation is 18 months.

Any sooner than that and you are taking risks with both you and baby.

@MoosesOnGooses respectfully, you will see that people on this thread have had varying advice based on their personal circumstance regarding the wait times. I am taking my doctors advice for me specifically in to consideration rather than reading something online.

I was simply asking here for others experiences, I have received the appropriate medical advice already.

Respectfully, the bare minimum is 6 months. As in, it would be life threatening to do it before then.

That doesn’t make it suddenly okay at 6 months. It isn’t.

Your body doesn’t recover from a csection until 18 months post partum. It doesn’t matter what your doctor says, that’s just a fact.

Of course you are going to follow such “advice”, because it’s what you want to hear, and you’re going to be selfish and do exactly what you want even though it risks your life, baby’s life and has the potential to alter your first child’s life if anything happens to you.

My BFF had all 4 pregnancies pretty much back to back all C sections and complicated.
Scar tissue was monitored during pregnancy.
Last one they said no more as scar tissue was not good.
So always speak to y9ur Dr wmd get all the checks. OBGYNs are experts in high risk pregnancies.

Thanks but I’ll take the advice of a trained medical professional who fully understands my health rather than someone on the internet.

Of course you will, because that’s what you want to hear.

You won’t actually bother to do the research yourself, find evidence based facts of exactly why 6 months is bare minimum only and it takes 18 months to recover from a section so you aren’t risking yourself or baby.

Doctors, GPs in particular, have a small amount of knowledge on a wide range of subjects. They are not experts.

I was advised 12 months but the advice online ranges from minimum 6 months up to 18 months.
Personally for me I'd be worried about the pressure a new pregnancy would have on a fairly new scar, although lots of women get pregnant fairly quickly after again after a section I'm sure!
If you are looking for some reassurance on this I would definitely advise speaking to an obstetrician rather than a GP because they will obviously be better equipped with the knowledge on the safety of it.
Good luck with whatever you decide ☺️

@MixedCouple2 gosh that sounds very difficult for your friend! I didn’t even know having 4 sections was safe. We are absolutely stopping at 2 as I was under the impression that each scar weakens the uterine wall and can increase the risk of rupture so I certainly wouldn’t want to put myself in that position again. I’m glad your friend and her babies are ok now.

I appreciate the tip from a couple of you to speak with an obgyn as well as the doctor.

Six months sounds awfully short and I’m really surprised your GP said that. Everyone will have stories about how they had a similar gap and it was fine, but generally speaking, that doesn’t sound right at all so suggest you speak to someone more experienced than a GP (which I gave just seen you plan to do!).

Yup, as others have said, it was a obgyn that explained to me after my csections about not getting pregnant until 18 months postnpartum so there’s no risk to you or baby.

I too am very surprised your GP said six months and agree it will probably be due to a lack of detailed knowledge in that regard.

The NHS recommends a minimum of twelve months. Research shows you are more at risk of complications if you fall pregnant within the six month period following a c section. I really wouldn’t aim to get pregnant just yet.

Edit to add: Tommy’s also recommends a minimum of six months but advise that really it should be 12-18 months.