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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Getting pg after Caesarean - when is best?

12 replies

struts50 · 20/06/2005 13:30

I had my son 11 wks ago after an emergency section. I would like to try for another soonish as he took 10 yrs to concieve and I'm no spring chicken. I was wondering if anyone had another quite soon and if there were any problems from the scar etc.

Susan

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MommyD · 20/06/2005 16:49

I fell pg 6 months after ds1 who was born by emergency c-section. I had no problems and actually fell pg v quickly second time round - expected it to take a lot longer!

I know some doctors recommend waiting - I'd take advice on that.

Only thing ds2 was a lot smaller than ds1- due possibly to small age gap??

anchovies · 20/06/2005 16:52

My consultant recommended we wait at least a year but I'd see your GP, they'll be able to give you the best advice

eidsvold · 20/06/2005 23:49

i was advised to wait a year before falling pregnant again. My dd1 was about 18 months old when I got pregnant with dd2. GLad I waited as dd2 was huge compared to dd1 and i was huge compared to my first pregnancy.

jamiesam · 21/06/2005 00:00

I was also advised to wait a year after having ds1 by cs, but I suspect that advice is given to everybody regardless of how easy pg and labour were.

I was in the very fortunate position that I got pg very quickly with ds1 and 2, but I would caution you against get pg quite so soon - when I was pg with ds1 it was just SOOO easy to rest when I was tired (working full time), but when pg with ds2, well, life just doesn't stop in the same way. Having said that, ds2 was 9lbs 3 (ds1 7lbs 10) so I wasn't a complete physical wreck!

eidsvold · 21/06/2005 06:25

jamiesam is right about the resting etc. We actually moved to the other side of the world during my second pregnancy ( about 18 weeks pregnant) and with dd1 - 18 months - over 2 years old during my pregnancy and a non walker due to her special needs... I found myself quite exhausted a lot of the second pregnancy. I had to try and fit in some rest around all our activities and hospital visits etc.

Having said that - we had no trouble conceiving either dd - in fact a little too easy!!

vickiyumyum · 21/06/2005 08:44

they recommend that all women who have had a section (regardless of emergency or elective) wait a year before becoming pregnant again, this is to give your body time to recover and for your scar to heal properly!
i think that i read somewhere that if you fall pregnant within a year then the risk of uterine rupture occurring during the pregnancy is greater! (i'll try and find the article for you)

piglit · 21/06/2005 09:57

I fell pg 4 months after my ds was born by emergency section. I was concerned about all the stuff I'd read about ruptures and had been advised not to get pg for 6 months after ds was born. However, I went to see my consultant early on (I was terrified at the prospect of being advised to terminate) and he was very helpful. He said that in an ideal world it's best to wait 6 months but there is no empirical evidence to suggest that getting pg so soon after a section will lead to rupture or other problems. He explained that the advice to wait is given because "it is hard enough bringing up a new born without the added complication of having to deal with first trimester symptoms" (His words not mine).

Having said all of that I would say that being pg when you have a 4/5/6 month old is really really hard. When I was pg with ds I worked long hours but I always knew that if I felt really bad I could hide in the loo for 10 minutes until the sickness passed. And I used to spend my weekends sleeping. However you can't do that with a very young baby. Even though this pg has been easier that my first in terms of symptoms (so far) it is only now that I am now 17 weeks and my ds is 8 months old that I'm finally feeling human again.

Good luck with whatever you decide but do be prepared for some hard weeks if you do get pg quickly!

welshmummy · 22/06/2005 21:51

Hi
Like Piglit I too am 17weeks preg after emergency section. It wasn't planned though we had planned to start with a gap of about 18 months in age.
I saw a consultant at my 12 week scan who reassured me that all would be fine. She explained that the nature of the reattachment/stitches meant that there was very little chance of there being any rupture problems. She followed this up by further reassuring me when she said I would be assessed at 36 weeks for likelihood of large baby/breech so that plans could be made as they would advise that i do not go over my due date.
Being a physio I really was keen to be fully reassured, not fobbed off and I can honestly say that I was reassured - I think, thinking logically for a millisecond ()based the knowledge on tissue healing that I have myself after ten months or so post op if you are at risk, you are at risk and nothing is going to change/predict that (severe post op probs aside).

Also just to add, early preg is a nightmare of constant fatigue when you have a 5-8month old, but it is the thought of getting all the sleepless nights over and done with in as short a period of time that keeps me going. Obstetric Consultant I saw had 2children 13months apart.
When it happens it happens, and I believe that things do happen for a reason.

nooka · 22/06/2005 22:44

I was told (in the labour room) that a year was better than the 8mths we had waited (A bit late at that point, and any way dd was an acciden). Second labour was incredibly painful, but that was proabbly because of having an induction.

Short gaps are much harder work, but as has been said, gets all of the baby stuff out of the way faster. Very happy about the decision now (they are 4 and 6), but almost three years of either being pregnant or breastfeeding without a break for "normal life" was very hard going.

uwila · 22/06/2005 23:29

I think it's also worth considering if you want another caesarean. If you really want a VBAC your chances of successfully delivering vaginally are better if the scar has had enough time to heal. If, however, you are happy to have another caesarean, then I don't think it's much to worry about.

ChicPea · 23/06/2005 00:43

DD was 4 months when I got preg with DS as we wanted our children to be close in age. My Ob advised me to have at least one period before trying. I got preg in the second cycle and had no problems whatsoever with the pregnancy or the next C-section.
I would though agree with other postings which say how tiring the first 3-4mths of preg are and having a small baby to look after means not crashing out for a few hours. But having said that, I can understand that you want to get cracking due to the 10 year wait you had with your first so really time is of the essence.
Good luck!

piglit · 23/06/2005 09:15

Welshmummy - I totally agree with you about getting the sleepless nights out of the way. Ds is a crappy sleeper (like dh!) but surely even he will go through the night sometime before db2 arrives! I have been telling myself that this time next year (when db2 is 7 months old) I will be finishing breastfeeding and can get my body back at last. But then I'll have to shed all this baby weight.....

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