Elective C-sections?

[gracefulswan]

well... we all know the what brittany did, LOL. cause she didn't want to go through labar pangs curtesy of mom's horror stories.

but i am now interested (should i have a child in the future) in one b/c of back issues and will most likely be near or over 40 years of age if and when it happens. i think i should just go ahead for those reasons. my sister-in-law said that she has back problems now b/c of the pain and process of labor and delivery.

so what do all the gals in the know say? or those with any opinion on it... advised? i don't think elective c-sections should be so much frowned upon.... oh, the agony of labor...

 

[RealtorGal]

The recovery from a C section is much more difficult than that of regular birth. Still, I had one, and in retrospect I'm glad I didn't have to go through full regular labor (well, I did partially but not the REALLY hard part). There are problems there, however. The fluid is not forced out of the lungs of a C-Section baby and they often end up in intensive care (as mine did) for breathing problems.

It's something I'd discuss thoroughly with your doctor.

 

[dlkksk8fan]

A C-section was one of the last things I wanted to have with my two sons. Glad I was able to go the natural way.

 

[CzarinaAnya]

My mother had easy labors. 6 hours for my older sister, and 2 with me.(She was also 19 & 21 when we were born) Not everyone has difficult labor, it just depends. As you get older, the chance for complications increases, and on the other side, a c-section could take longer to heal.

 

[megsk8z]

My first baby wound up being a C-section, a decision that was made 19 hours into labor. By that time they could have cut my leg off and I wouldn't have cared. But my first baby was a bit more than 9 pounds and the doctor said he was going into fetal distress, so I thought it best to follow his advice and go for the C-section. 11 years later when I got pregnant again, I was asked if I'd like to try natural childbirth again and my answer was a hearty, "No, thank you." So both my children are C-section babies and honestly, I wasn't the least bit unhappy about it. Just so long as they sent me home with an adequate supply of pain medication, I was fine with my decision to C-section the second time around.

With all that being said, I don't think anyone should have a C-section just because they don't want to feel any pain. There's plenty of that, no matter what, and I believe the general practice is to have the woman try to give birth naturally, at least the first time around. Heck, these days they even have epidurals, which allegedly makes "natural" much easier. (I am not qualified to speak on epidurals, am just saying what I've heard from some of my friends.)

Anyone else want to tell their side?

 

[diver chick]

I know that in hospitals here, once you have had a C-section any babies after that will be delivered by C-section because of the potential weaknesses in the womb that may not stand up to a natural delivery.

I don't do unecessary pain personally so I would be all for natural with as many drugs as they can legally give me

 

[Tonichelle]

I was a C-Section baby... I just didn't want to come out and after 24+ hours of labor they decided I just flat needed to come out

I was born in JANUARY in ALASKA... I hate the cold... my guess is I took one look outside and said "heck no!"


as for what I want, neither seems fun to me I keep telling my parents that I'll either have a surrogate or I'll adopt

 

[RealtorGal]

I was a C-Section baby... I just didn't want to come out and after 24+ hours of labor they decided I just flat needed to come out

Now that you mention it, I wonder why they didn't do that with me. My poor Mom went through 25 hours of labor and then they decided that FORCEPS was the way to go. I came out with a black eye.

 

[nicole_l]

Hehe, my mom was only in labor for 30 minutes before she had me! I don't think I'll need a C-section when the time comes.

 

[Tonichelle]

Now that you mention it, I wonder why they didn't do that with me. My poor Mom went through 25 hours of labor and then they decided that FORCEPS was the way to go. I came out with a black eye.

how awful! your first photos in teh world you have a black eye! I would have sued LOL

 

[gracefulswan]

Thanks for responding! i think i'll try to go ahead with a section...after weighing the pros and cons. i think it's a hot topic to discuss with some 'traditionalists' who swear by natural and nothing else even with all the other complications. my 17 year old sister had a daughter with no epidural or anything. her water broke at home and less than an hour later, at a nearby hospital, the baby was out... so who knows what shall happen to me with my back problems and being in my forties.... anyway, we'll see when the time comes. hopefully, it won't be so bad one way or the other...

 

[childfreegirl]

as for what I want, neither seems fun to me

One of the many reasons I'm childfree and steralized!

 

[Ptichka]

My mother had a very difficult delivery. It's a miracle neither of us died in the process; I was monitored by psychologists until I was 4 because they weren't sure my brain wasn't damaged during the delivery. Petite as my mom is, I'm even smaller and more narrow, so chances are I'll end up with a C-section. Of course, I'd try to have it "naturally" first, but with an epidural, and certainly only in the hospital.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

Now that you mention it, I wonder why they didn't do that with me. My poor Mom went through 25 hours of labor and then they decided that FORCEPS was the way to go. I came out with a black eye.

RealtorGal, I think you and I are from the generation when doctors were very reluctant to do C-Sections. My mom was in labor with me 29 hours, and won't let me see the baby pictures because, I, too, had to be pulled out with forceps and apparently, my head looks weird.

However, my sister, five years later, was out in a half hour. Go figure.

 

[julietvalcouer]

Nowdays, I think there is a possibility that you can have a vaginal delivery after having a previous c-section. Not so when I was born, and I was face-down and backwards and apparently changed my mind after eight hours of labor. (Even then: "Five more minutes! Just five more minutes...") So the doctors told Mom they could keep fooling around or they could just do a caesarian and get it over with. She opted for the c-section. Unfortunately the epidural didn't work all the way and she felt half the cut. Needless to say I've heard about this over the years. A lot. And then of course she had to have a c-section for my little brother. She claims the post-op pain and recovery is as bad or worse than doing things the traditional way. I say I've seen a human pelvis, the opening through which the baby must pass, and I've seen partuition scarring. Yes, vaginal delivery causes so much strain on the bone it actually grinds marks into the pubic symphesis. It actually gouges bone. It is possible to look at a skeletonized female's remains and say whether she ever delivered children that way. I say anything that causes that much stress on the skeleton, let alone the muscles and tendons around it, is too much more me. Bring on the surgery, I say.

 

[gracefulswan]

i'm with you juliet... :agree:

childbearing won't be something to be looked forward to...but it's good to have a clear agenda in mine if the time should come just in case, ya know. i never thought of it so much until i started working in the healthcare field. know your body and its limitations i say.

 

[sk8tngcanuck]

Both of my children are c-section babies, and let me assure you a section is no walk in the park. That said, my second was a breeze compared to the first, and I attribute that to not having experienced the exhaustion and strain of labour. Our son was quite happy to stay where he was, so I was induced at 14 days overdue. Induction is NOT fun, in fact I would say I would rather have a section. I was induced at 7 am on a Wednesday morning, and within 1 hour was in full out labour - contractions every 10 minutes lasting 2 minutes. It was agonizing, and continued until Thursday evening. At 4:30 pm my doctor was still unimpressed with my progress (4 cm in 34 hours), so he presented me with the option of a section if I did not advance in the next hour. By 5;30 I was back at 1 cm dilation, so Section it was. I was exhausted and in agony, and all I wanted was to hold the devil child who had put me through the wringer! He was delivered at 6:40 pm on Thursday and I was released from the hospital on the Sunday. It was a very unpleasant experience.

When we got pregnant with number 2, I had the option of vbac, but I opted for the caesarean. There was only a 25 percent chance I would be able to deliver naturally, so to me it was a no brainer. It was very appealing to me to know that I would have a baby in my arms by noon the 11th of September, no guessing, no waiting! I opted for the epidural for that birth so that I could at least be awake for it and have never regretted the decision. Our daughter was born at 10:40 am, and by 3pm I was up and walking, by 4pm i could do stairs. It was painful, but I really just sucked it up and forced myself to do it. I really wanted to be home with my family and be home for our son who was only 17 months. My doctor was amazed with my progress, and i was released 46 hours after the birth of our daughter. I was fortunate to not have had any complications, and I bounced back very quickly from section #2, however that is not the case for everyone. It really is a very extensive surgery, and the decision to have a section is a difficult one.

That said, realize that your body will never be the same! Yes, I know, thats true for all births, but with a section what I have found is that I have absolutely no abdominal strength whatsoever. As a result of the sections, I have very loose skin on my abdomen and while I know that is natural of course after pregnancy, it seems to be more prominent in women with a section, and I am sure it is because of the damage done to the muscles when they cut them.

I can't imagine anyone would ever opt to have a section just to avoid labour pains. I think that is ludicrous, and am surprised that a doctor would perform major surgery on a woman just because she is afraid of a little pain.

Canuck

 

[Johar]

My friend had a C-section and it was awful--alot of pain and far longer recovery. She had to have somebody help her around the house, too.

 

[CzarinaAnya]

I'm adopting....I ne-eh-eh-ever want to have a C-secton, ow ow ow, or even the natural way. I was going to adopt, anyways :yes:
I would would like to be pregnant someday, but not the labor pains, They're just going to have to put me under, for it!

 

[heyang]

Several years ago, my friend was doing his OB/GYN rotation. I think it was probably the most amazing experience for him. Anyway, after he described it, I wondered why I would ever want to give birth either way.

In a C-section, they basically cut you and shove your muscles every which way to get to the baby. After the baby's out, they stitch you and then push the muscles back into a general position and close you up. It's no wonder that a woman's body is never the same after a c-section since the muscles aren't neccessarily realigned properly afterwards. It is less traumatic for the baby, but recovery is longer for the Mom.

When my cousin had her twins, she had a c-section. We visited her in the hospital and it hurt me just watching her get in and out of a chair to go to the bathroom.

Generally, natural birth is less recovery time from pain for the mother - depending on the difficulty of the birth. If you have a narrow pelvis, the doctor would probably suggest a c-section. The rest is up to the baby's cooperation and your body's reaction to labor. My SIL had a relatively easy experience both times, but both kids were under 6 pounds. Another cousin tried natural, but ended up needing a c-section because both kids were over 9 pounds.