Yet another curveball from Baby Simon...

[TortelliniMama]

Apparently this child is determined not to be taken for granted, even if he is the third in our family. This pg we've gone through an anterior placenta (which isn't a problem, of course, but did mean that it took longer for me to feel consistent movement and rather freaked me out), a two vessel umbilical cord (which could be associated with various heart/kidney issues (ruled out through u/s) and growth retardation -- ha!), and polyhydramnios (my fluid levels have been as high as 35, where the cutoff for high normal is 24). There's a slight concern that the baby may have a fistula between his trachea and esophagus (leading to the increased fluid levels), so a tube will have to be run down his esophagus to make sure it reaches his stomach before he can nurse.

With all of this, we risked out of our homebirth about 5 weeks ago. Our midwives also have hospital privileges, which is good, but it was still a huge disappointment.

Today (38wks 6days) we got a weight estimate from our final serial growth scan. 11 pounds, 12 ounces. The irony of having these growth scans due to IUGR worries and then having Gigantic Baby doesn't escape me. My m/w figures he could be somewhat smaller, but palpation suggests that it's not that far off. (I also do have a history of good-sized babies, although not that big -- 10-3 and 8-8.) Between his size and the substantial excess fluid (with its dangers of cord prolapse and placental abruption), the recommendation today was for a scheduled c-section.

I'm broken-hearted. This is so not how I wanted my last pg to go. Of course, parenthood isn't exactly a made-to-order endeavor, so it's not surprising to not get what you want, but this really is pretty rotten. And, of course, I'm worried that I'll go in tomorrow morning, they'll do the c-section, and he'll end up being about 9 pounds, and this will have been for nothing. At least I do know that my m/ws have a c-section rate of ~5%, so I do have a lot of faith in their judgment. They're definitely not surgery-happy, and if their experience and knowledge is prompting them to call for this, it seems likely to be a good call. And, since we're planning for this to be our last baby, I won't have to worry about VBACing. If you've got to have a c-section, I guess the last baby is the time to do it.

Can you tell I'm looking for a bright side? Anyway, I'll post once I'm home in a few days. I'd tell dh to post an update while I'm in the hospital, but heck, half the fun of having big babies is telling people just how big they are!

[mom-to-jj]

Hugs, Mama. Hope that all goes well and your little guy (or big guy!) arrives happy, healthy, and ready for some of Mama's good milk!

[fyrebloom]

Are they willing to allow a trial of labor just in case? It seems awfuly wierd to me to suggest a c-section due to ultrasound ESP when you've had a history of excessive fluid this pregnancy. With a range of 2 lbs it's likely he's not that big. Remember it's ALWAYS your decision to have a c-section and many mamas have had 11 lbers vaginally and you've already HAD a 10 lber in the past. Just think it all through before making a final decision about the big cut.

The only upside is they can do a tubal while they're in there, but it hardly seems like a good trade. Having three kids to chase after and recovering from a section is really hard to do, even if you recover fast (I was up and walking around within 24 hours and out and about with my twins at 1 week). Big hugs about all this. Like you need stress right now

[Spiralshell]

My wish for you is after all the excitement of this pregnancy, that you get a niiiiice calm babyhood with this little one!!!

[Serenyd]

If it were me, I'd fight like hell to have a vaginal birth, but that, of course, is up to you. Best of luck with whatever decision you make and hope all goes well.

[TortelliniMama]

Thanks for all the good thoughts and well wishes.

I certainly have given the decision a lot of thought, and I'm well aware that there are a lot of negatives to surgical birth. But when faced with the recommendation for a c-section given by a midwife with 1200 births under her belt and a 5% c-section rate (which makes it pretty obvious she doesn't make this suggestion lightly), my decision (though painfully reached) is to follow that recommendation. Although the c-sec rate in this country is criminally high, there really are cases where it's indicated, and my efforts to find quality and trustworthy care (which I feel I have) have led me to this point where I feel that this birth is one of those cases. If I fought further to have a vaginal birth, my biggest fight wouldn't be with my care providers, but with medical reality and my baby's (and my) safety. I'm not going to review here all the indications I went over in the several discussions I had with my m/ws today. I'm going to guess, MDC being MDC, that I'd never be able to convince some of you of the validity of this decision anyway.

And that's okay. It's an artifact of living in this medical culture. When so many surgical births are done for so little reason, doubting the need for any particular one is a game with good odds. I do want to say at this point, though, that I'm going to bed and won't be online again until after I'm home from the hospital, so any further encouragement to change my mind is going to be wasted at best and the cause of increased postpartum weepiness at worst. Of course, commercials will also be making me cry at that point, along with rainy days and dropping a fork...

[star*mora]

be at peace with your birth
i have accepted the cesarian birth i had this time because my uterus began to tear.
yes it sucks to have a surgical birth but there are times when it's indicated
my midwife didn't tell me to consent to the section but she did say several times that my pain wasn't normal and she hadn't seen an attempted vbac go the way mine did.
i never thought i'd be grateful to have had an emergency c-section but i am, knowing that the outcome could have been very bad had i not consented.
my midwife has a very low rate of c-section transfers too.
i would have loved a vaginal birth too, but there are times when a c-section is indicated

be gentle with yourself, it's not an easy road.

[shakenbake]

good luck hun! i hppe you heal fast and your baby is just beautyful! =-)

[ZoraP]

In case you happen to return to read comments, I'd just like to say I think you're making a sound decision. I'd probably do the same in your shoes. Good luck with everything and I hope he's perfectly healthy when he's born.

[boobs4milk]

healthy baby, healthy mom! that's my mantra after my high intervention pregnancy, birth, and nicu stay for millie. medicine has a place in our lives; deciding when to use it and when extraordinary measures are appropriate is the hard part. like arlene said, be gentle and kind to yourself and know that you can not guess the opposite (vag birth) outcome and just enjoy this time with your l.o.!

s

[pjs]

You've made an INFORMED choice and that is all that matters. You haven't gone into this blindly, but have made yourself aware of the risks and have found a solution that matches your risk tolerance- good for you. Best of luck! (love the name btw)

[fyrebloom]

I understand where you're coming from. I made the same decision with my last pregnancy. I had pre-eclampsia, my twins were in the WORST possible positions for vaginal delivery and I was deteriorating. I knew in my heart what had to be done and that's what we did. Only you know what is best for you and for baby and I understand if you would choose differently in this situation then I would. No judgement here. I at the time felt that my MWs would not do a c-section unless it was clearly needed because of their low c-section rate. I found out later that their rate the year I delivered was 22% and not what I was originally told (less then 10%). Just listen VERY closely to your body and your baby. If you know you have to have a c-section then follow your heart, if anything seems amiss don't consent. The choice is always yours.

Just make sure you have FT help for a minimum of 2-3 weeks after the c-section. Also take all your drugs, don't be a hero! The more you can move around normally the faster you will recover and the less you'll need in the long run. I only needed my big meds for 3 days and then maybe Ibprophen for a couple more after that. I found I had to remove my cosleeper because getting in an out of bed way very hard for a good week or few. Getting around wasn't a big deal though. The faster you can start walking the faster you will heal. If they can do stitches they are much more comfy. I barely felt mine and my scar is not noticable, I've heard of many moms having alot of trouble with staples. Even though you are done, make sure they do double suture your womb just in case. You never know what will happen in your future and you may want another child one day. If you're single sutured the risk of rupture is much higher. You can request 30 seconds of delay in cord clamping even with a c-section (i wish I knew this with mine!) if you want that.

Wishing you the best! It's a hard situation to be stuck in, I know.

[cinnamongrl]

Originally Posted by TortelliniMama

But when faced with the recommendation for a c-section given by a midwife with 1200 births under her belt and a 5% c-section rate (which makes it pretty obvious she doesn't make this suggestion lightly), my decision (though painfully reached) is to follow that recommendation.

This is all you need to say, right here... Yes, be at peace with this well informed and intuitive decision.

[Bromache]

Some things are meant to be. I'm very thankful that the medical system is there for when it's needed, and would be making the same decision as you given these circumstances. Healthy mama and healthy baby are the most important things! Best of luck to you!

[gumby74]

I hope all went well!!!!

[TortelliniMama]

Thanks, everyone, for all the support! I'm going to go start a new thread, but figured I'd put on this one that Simon's here and doing great.