Women that had elective C-sections. Any regrets?

[BellaRosex]

Hi all,

Currently 30 weeks pregnant and trying to decide whether to give birth naturally or have an elective C-section.

Curious to hear of other women's experiences of elective C sections - positive and negative!

TIA x

Zero regrets.

I suppose the biggest compliment I can give, is that I would urge my own daughter to give birth this way.

I’ve had 2. They were not elective. Does anyone have concerns about what an elective c-section costs when it’s just for preference? (Going to put my bulletproof vest on and prepare for fire)

I had a necessary c section due to preeclampsia then a second elective. Painless and well controlled. I couldn’t cope with the uncertainty and risk of injury in a vaginal birth! Both c sections were easy recovery.

Well, I'm pretty sure cost is the same, they don't use different tools for elective 😁 My friend who works for NHS told me £7000 but it was 2 or 3 years ago

I don't want to post a daily fail link but Google "Planned C-sections are £400 cheaper than vaginal births for the NHS, finds study"

A planned Caesarean section is cheaper for the NHS than a vaginal birth once compensation costs for botched deliveries are taken into account, new research suggests.

Experts said women should not be denied a Caesarean on cost grounds after their study found they were more than £400 cheaper once compensation claims were taken into account.

I don't know what an ELCS costs.
I also don't know how much a 3rd degree tear repair costs. Plus I was supposed to go to follow up after care check up, but I was far too upset to go. We also had a paediatrician in the room for the last ?? minutes of labour, as DS3 "needed some help" (was not breathing)

I've had 4 babies, the first 3 all spontaneous & natural births, home the same day & healing not too bad. My forth baby was an emergency C-section, I've never been so scared, baby had to be taken to NICU straight away so I didn't get to hold him, where my other babies I held as soon as they were born, I was in hospital for 3 days, leaving my husband, eldest, a 3 & 2 year old at home, I've never experienced pain like it, just walking indoors killed me, I'm nearly 14 weeks postpartum & still not 100% healed, I would never have a C-section by choice, it has taken weeks & weeks longer to heal. I've still not lost my baby weight either, my stomach over hangs badly which I've never experienced before with my other babies......good luck tho Mamma & congratulations on your new little one ❤️

Surely an attempted vaginal birth followed by a c section would be more expensive than going for an elective?

An emergency c section is entirely different to an elective one. More time and less urgency. Wishing you a good recovery anyway!

Yes I absolutely agree, I'm guessing it would have been a lot calmer if it was planned. I was just trying to explain that the healing is a lot longer, by weeks & weeks, I'm normally very active but I just couldn't do hardly anything. Thank you so much!

Yes, if there is a need obviously. But elective just as a preference? The NHS is there for a reason, not a choice. It's the choices they now offer that IMHO is bringing it to its knees. If you want an elective pay for it.

Luckily your opinion doesn’t matter. You have no idea why people chose to do things differently.

Obviously, because I'm that thick. I've had 2 c-sections. I didn't want 2 c-sections. I know the cost of a c-section and that every time someone has one who could have given birth vaginally how much that costs the NHS. I'm presuming that you are the person who goes to the top of the menu when you know the costs will be shared and it's not down to you? As I said, if there's good reason fair enough.

What’s the cost? Do you think fat people shouldn’t be treated on the nhs too? I’d say that’s more of a reason why the nhs is on its knees. Don’t presume anything about me. I thought you had your hard hat on.

But it isn't actually more expensive if you look at the research I linked previously.

No regrets here but I was unprepared for how immobile I was for five days and I didn't know I'd have to inject myself for a few days

I paid £80k income tax in the year my DS was born via elective c-section. I’m pretty sure I’m more than paying my way.

Had a private elective c-section 20 years ago with my one and only DD. Absolutely no regrets - why would you want to go through the pain and stress of pushing a baby out if you don’t have to?!

It was a lovely, calm delivery - DD was brought in to the world safe and sound meanwhile I was pain free and my vagina + sanity stayed intact. Surgeon did a wonderful job, you honestly can’t see my scar whatsoever and he was even known to throw in a bit of a tummy tuck whilst stitching you up. Easy recovery. Happy days!

There are benefits to vaginal delivery. The biggest influence on a baby’s microbiome is whether or not they were delivered vaginally. That was a factor in me choosing vaginal delivery; but it’s a personal decision and everyone will weigh up their own situation.

I had an elective c-section with my twins. The only regret I have is that I wish I had one with my first.

They aren't more expensive once you've taken into account birth repair and the bills for botched vaginal births.

They are also really efficient for staff. No midwife needed to help women in labour for many, many hours. Less uncertainty in terms of type of birth - ie is an anethetist needed, will they need theatre, will there be a bed for them. Less resource juggling than the unit suddenly going over capacity because it's been a unexpectedly busy night, or because more women had complications and need to stay for longer.

Obviously women do go into labour before planned sections (which are then bright forward) and occasionally there are complications. But by any large, they know that they'll be doing 3 x sections on Monday morning, that beds will be required for 1-2 nights. There's not suddenly 6 women crowning within half an hour or something. It's mostly planned and predictable, and that is something that's much easier for the NHS.

Why I'd have guilt for choosing a predictable, safe method that doesn't cost any more is beyond me, but rest assured, I feel zero guilt and zero regrets.

No. My VB involved 3 nights in hospital, about 10 medical professionals in the room at one point, and 2 follow-up appointments with the birth trauma reflection team. I don't believe that can have cost more than my ELCS.

The NHS budget for dealing with negligence claims associated with maternity care is higher than the budget for maternity care. Read into that what you will.

But that may well have been because it was an EMCS rather than ELCS. My CS healing was MUCH quicker than after my VB (weeks and weeks quicker). It's not inevitable that a CS will be more painful or involve a longer recovery.

Bollocks. Problems with the NHS are not caused by giving women the right to an ELCS
Should people with type 2 diabetes need to pay for their care? That is predicted to take up 1/6 of the entire NHS budget in the coming years. Or is it just women of childbearing age who you expect to put up or shut up?

Planned sections are £400 cheaper for the NHS than vaginal childbirth once the costs of fixing and compensating for birth injuries is taken into account.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347709746_The_true_relative_financial_cost_of_Planned_Caesarean_Birth_PCB_versus_Planned_Vaginal_Birth_PVB_in_England_for_the_year_201819_taking_into_account_litigation_and_compensation_for_harm_a_sensitivity_a