How mahy here have had c-sections?

[Icequeen_in_ak]

After reading the NYT article, I'm curious just how many women, on average end up with c-sections... and were they all necessary???

I had a c-section with my daughter, and I wonder if it really was the only option. I had contractions 5 minutes apart for 11 days (yes... 11 days!) and delivered my daughter at 37 1/2 weeks. They made the determination that I was NEVER going to dilate (I never progressed to a fingertip). After my c-section, they told me that she could not engage in my pelvis, that structurally it was not possible and that it truly was the only option and that I was right to consent before she ended up in serious distress.

I guess it just really makes you wonder how much of what they say is "really" the truth... you know???

[hotmamacita]

was she in distress when they recommended the C-birth?

[Gemini]

I had an emergency c-section due to my dd having heart decel's with my Braxton Hick's contractions. It was at 31 weeks, and she was in the hospital for one month. She's 4 years old now and doing great now.

[Icequeen_in_ak]

No, she was not in distress... I was.. but not medically speaking... I was in distress from not sleeping for 11 days I sometimes wonder if I really didn't make the most educated decision.. maybe I should have held out, but according to them, she never would have come vaginally. But we all know how much truth the medical profession can give at times. .. The doctor might have had an impending tee time or something???

[comet]

I had one. At 42 weeks.

I don't know if it was "necessary". I do wonder about that.

I dilated and effaced totally really quickly (in 2 hrs) without pain killers or pitocin, or any kind of drug, actually. An hour of pushing and she was nearly crowning. FOUR MORE hours and she was started moving back up. I had no idea what else to do, was worn out. My doctor, my doula didn't have any other ideas - we tried lots of pushing positions.

I still wonder if I had somehow been able to sleep for an hour or something (medicated, probably) could I have come back and pushed her out.

Also definitely *not* helping was my mental state. Having lost 3 babies before this one, I panicked at the end and thought she was going to die, so I asked for a csection. My doctor said the baby was not in distress and in fact encouraged me to push a bit longer, but I could still not calm down.

[hotmamacita]

Icequeen---


-----
I've never had a C-birth but I know that with my 1st dd I agreed to take cytotec, after 22 hours of 2 minutes contractions back to back. I was in pain, exhausted and misled about what cytotec was and told that I'd have to go to the hospital if she wasn't born before the 24 hour mark (b/c my water had broken). Cytotec was evil but 45 minutes later she was born vaginally and we didn't need to transfer. But the after effects of Cytotec were awful, she had seisures for days afterwards. When I finally learned more about cytotec, I was really angry.

I learned a lot from that experience. I am not sure I would have reported that my water had broken so early. And I KNOW that I wouldn't have take cytotec if I were more informed, educated and supported.

[Greaseball]

They made the determination that I was NEVER going to dilate (I never progressed to a fingertip).

They had no way of knowing this. 11 days is not an absolute cutoff. Some women have mild contractions for a few weeks before "real labor" starts.

Maybe what you could do is post a poll in the Birth and Beyond forum asking how many c/s one has had, or in the VBAC forum asking if they felt it was necessary (or unavoidable) or not.

[Icequeen_in_ak]

I wish I could say that my contractions for 11 days were mild... quite the contrary. Everyone told me they were the real deal and on the monitors, they were over 150... and hurt like holy h*ll!

He stated I never would have dilated because she never would have been able to engage in my pelvis, and therefore never put any pressure on my cervix???

[oatmeal]

I had an emergency c after 24 hours of labor, and it was so ironic because I had purposely changed OBs at 20 weeks because my original OB practiced out of the hospital with the highest c rate in the counry! So I got these new OBs -there were two of them who were partners and changed to what I thought was a crunchier hospital - hired a doula who promised to keep me away form the scalpel, and practiced yoga religiously for 30 weeks in preparation for my natural childbrith.

DD was 2 weeks over due, I was in labor for 24 hours before they decided she was not going to come out - despite the fact that I had originally dilated from 3-10 centimeteres within the first two hours of labor. they could see her head swiveling back and forth against my cervix trying to find a way out and she just couldn't get through. When they pulled her out of my abdomnen she was 11 pounds - already into 3 month old size jammies at that size.

I was temporarily traumatized - the doctor told me I would have never been continent again if I had persisted trying to push her through the birth canal. I would have worn a poop bag for the rest of my life he said.

When I came back for my 6 week check up, he told me the tale of the prior night - another patient had an 11 pound baby - her husband threw my doctor to the ground when she was told she should have a c-section because the baby's head was stuck in the vagina. They had to have security take the husband away. Then the lady insisted on pushing the baby out though he was suffocating - so my doctor had to break the baby's clavicle and shoulder to get him out.

Imagine starting life with broken bones like that. Grusome.

Not that I am an advocate of c-section at all. My next will be a vaginal delivery if I can at all manage that. But I have big babies it seems - so I'll have to choose an induction if the next baby starts to go late term... I think dd grew two pounds in that last two weeks or something... giganto-baby.

[melaniewb]

I had a c-section and without going into all the details here, yes, it was necessary.

[Mom2baldie]

I had a cesarean in 98 because my son was breech. I think that it was necessary since there were no vag. breech experienced Drs in my area and I didnt know about homebirth then. I wouldnt want to have a breech baby vaginally with a fearful Dr. That would def. cause more problems and interventions. Ive since had a VBAC and am planning a HBAC for this Sept.

[ksjhwkr]

I had a c-section at 37 1/2 weeks. My water broke and dd was footling breech. When I got to the hospital, I was dilated to a 3 with a foot presenting. Planning a hbac this time!

[Phoebe]

I had a similar situation to comet.
I had my son (42 weeks and 1 day) 2 weeks ago via c section. I started out with a home water birth plan and 36 hours into that my contractions stoped coming...about one an hour. I was exhausted. I had dilated to a 6 so the ones I had before were productive but they just quit. I transfered to the hospital for some pitocin and rest. It worked like a charm but after 3 hours of pushing my son turned transverse at the last minute. Surprisingly the drs. tried to turn him...excruciating by the way. They wanted to try again but I begged them not to. I was the one that asked, 50 hours into it at this point, to give me a c section. They really wanted to give me the birth experience I wanted. My midwife was very impressed. So was I. But at that point I would have rather had my legs ripped from my body than go on pressing my 10 pound son into my pelvis.

So, maybe they could have turned him, maybe not. I do think that had I got some sleep I may have been in better shape and I would have progressed better at home, avoiding the situation all to gether.

Good question though...
amy

[loftmama]

hi. 2 c-sections here after a failed vbac.

the first one was a dr's suggestion. no stress. i was tired and hungry after about 16 hours with "failure to dilate" past 3 cm as the reason. devastated, i moved from texas to mexico for a vbac at a midwife clinic that had surgery available in emergency. this is a great place to have a natural birth. lots of sucess stories. after 18 hours, this one wouldn't progress either. the surgery team was called in. these midwives tried EVERY midwifery trick in the book, i believe, including tossing me around in a sheet!

interestingly enough, both babies were born with identical "scars" on their foreheads. the midwives and i think there is some physical blockage to my pelvis. Has anyone ever heard of that or been told that???

sometimes i wonder if we could've forced out the first one if the second one would've have then been successful. but then, my last one was huge and i think there probably would've been some broken bones involved - mine and the babies! Who knows?????:

[GoodWillHunter]

I've had three c-secitons. The first, my twins were in distress and needed to come out... My second, probably wasn't necessary, but, since i wasn't very informed, happened anyway. The third was necessary...When they went in, my scar was so thin, they could see the baby through it. I have had a tubal ligation and I will not have any more kids. Of course, five is enough... I think!

[Bippity]

I had a c-section. It probably wasn't necessary, because I don't think I really NEEDED to be INDUCED, but once I was on the path, there was no stoppin it... Here's the story in brief...

I was high-risk throughout my pregnancy. 42/"high" BP (was normal on meds entire pregnancy-even off meds it was like 160/90 & I had gone on meds to begin mainly for the heart protective benefits)/GD (blood sugars returned to normal ON THEIR OWN (really!) at about 36 weeks)/overweight. Baby was NEVER in distress at all for one second. I think I scared the :ignore out of my OB.

I tried to go with a midwife - wouldn't take me. I called one of the very few doulas in town - we talked - she said, "I think we can work something out" - never called me back. I had a female OB - I thought that might help a little bit...

I was induced at 38 1/2 weeks - 36 hours of cervadil, pitocin & no pain drugs. Cervadil did nothing. First round of pit produced no productive contractions. Second round of pit produced contrax on top of each other - all that & I got dialated to 2 cm. At about 36 hours I was exhausted & asked for a Fentanyl shot - had a few of those for the next 6 hours when they did the c-section.

I'm still disappointed I couldn't go natural, but I accept that I did the best I could at the time.

[OnTheFence]

All my kids were csections, even the adopted one.

All of them were necessary.

First csection, failed ECV, fetal distress, fetal heart decels, and I had complications. Baby was transverse breech and it was discovered upon delivery I had a bicornuate uterus

Second child. Adopted from birth. Birth mother had history of pre-e. her blood pressure one hour before her csection was 210/100 with Dylan. He was born at 36 weeks 5 days.

Third baby, my second. I chose to have a repeat csection even though he was head down, his head was cocked to the side and his shoulder presenting against the cervix. I had contractions during this pregnancy from 14 weeks till I delivered. The last few weeks I was having contractions every 10-15 minutes. I never once dilated and baby tolerated them well. I also had pre-e with this pregnancy.

[its_our_family]

2---1 unplanned 1 planned

[Boobs]

I had a cesarean. I was a single 18 yr. old on Medicaid at the time. I was induced at 42 weeks. I'm positive it wasn't necessary.

[Dawnalex]

Ive had 2 soon to be 3 c-sec.
The first one at the time because of distress was needed. But i think that inducing made that worse...
I tried a VBAC with irelend and ruptured so the c-sec saved both our lives...
and anymore kids will be c-sec around 37 wks....or i would most likely rupture again...