Cesaren Section Support Thread October 2005 - Page 8

[Heavenly]

Okay I am back. Anyways I am pretty sure I am going through with this. I am working on my c-birth plan right now (borrowing a lot of Kim's stuff! Thanks Kim!) and it just feels right. I feel very peaceful and calm preparing this birth plan. I am going to call my family doctor on Monday to get a referral to the OB I want to deliver the baby. He delivered Elijah and is really great. I will be delivering at the community hospital 9 km from my home. It has really nice, big private L&D rooms (and you recover there if you have a c-birth as well) and no nursery so no fights about that. I feel really happy about the idea of birthing somewhere I am comfortable, plus my mom and dad and Sister and BIL will be able to visit. We're going to schedule before labour. I know that is a controversial decision but I really don't want to go through labour and I want to be able to schedule Michael's parents being up at our house (they live 5 hours away). So we will be getting them to come up and watch the kids during all this and stay until I get home so Michael can be with me as much as possible. The kids love them and I trust them completely so that will be a load off my mind. I plan to only stay in 2 days because that is what I did with Olivia and it was just fine. This is so funny, after agonizing over this decision I am actually finally getting excited over this baby's arrival. I think my heart has felt all along that a VBA2C was not the right choice. Every time I went to the midwives office I just felt like I wasn't really there if you know what I mean. It all just felt surreal and I wasn't into it at all. Regarding the midwives I think it would be hard on me to go there (plus the hour drive) even though I am happy with my decision so would it be too horribly insensitive to contact them by phone to terminate my care with them? I will have to get them to transfer all my prenatal care records to the OB.

In regards to scheduling when is the best time to do that? I went into labour with Olivia at 39 weeks 4 days so I don't want to risk going into labour. A Friday would be best because it would be easiest with Michael's family coming up and Friday February 10 would be exactly 39 weeks (and I am 100% positive of my dates). Do you think that would be okay (provided the doctor can do it on that day? I have to admit the idea of being done sooner is a nice one! Not that that is a deciding factor but we have to look for positive whereever they are right? I have to run now but I'm sure I will have lots more questions as time goes on.

[greenmansions]

Shawna, congrats on having made your decision. It sounds like it's the best one for you.

If I choose to schedule a c/s, my OB wants to do it at 39 weeks. It sounded like that is pretty standard. They can also get it on the schedule for that date like 10 weeks ahead of time, so then you'd be able to get all your other plans set.

[Ben's Mommy]

Heavenly - I'm so glad that you have come to a peaceful decision. THAT is the hardest part. Now you can relax, enjoy and only focus on the 1 birthing option you have chosen. I feel the same way as you as far as the risk of rupture goes. The risk is way to great for me. I was never able to come home from the hospital with my last baby, and there is NO way that I'm leaving another hospital without one!! As far as scheduling goes.....my OB said that he would schedule me at 39 weeks. Now, that being said I did make it past 40 weeks with my prior pregnancy without EVER going into labor and walking around the month before at 4cm and 80% effaced! I'm sure that whenever your OB decides to schedule you, IF you do go into labor before then, you won't have to labor too long before you get your c-birth. I'll schedule before labor also. I obviously don't have day care issues, but my sister lives in CA and wasn't able to make it in time to see Benjamin alive, and I would really like her to be there the day my next baby is born. As far as the MW's go...I'd just call and cancel. I don't know if that is appropriate or not, but I'd do it. Good luck with all your decisions, and come here for questions anytime!

[momto3g3b]

Hi everyone ~ this is my first time here!

I had my first 3 kids vaginally, then my next 3 kids via c-section. I'm almost 21 weeks pg and this baby (my last) will be c-section #3.

My first c-section was necessary as I had twins who were both in a footling breech position. The surgery went fine (they were both out within one minute), but my recovery was a bit rough. The doctor stretched the outer-right edge of my incision, which resulted in a tearing/ripping/burning pain every time I stood up. The only way to alleviate the pain was to apply pressure against the edge of the incision. This was difficult to achieve when I was trying to hold 2 babies. I finally solved the problem by using an Ace bandage wrapped around my lower abdomen. The other complication I had from my first c-section was that I had zero urge to urinate. Ever. At my 6-week postpartum check-up, I asked my ob about it and she said that sometimes the bladder got damaged during the surgery (oh joy) and only time would tell if the nerve damage was permanent. In the meantime, she told me to make sure I emptied my bladder every 3 hours so it wouldn't get distended and lead to urinary incontinence down the road. Thankfully, around 6 months post-section, the sensation to urinate returned and I had no further concerns.

I had my second c-section 26.5 months after my first. My ob (same one who'd delivered my twins) had told me all along during my pregnancy that I could vbac, no problem. After all, the only reason I'd had a section the last time was due to positioning issues with twins. But then, 2 days before my son was born, my ob changed her mind and told me she wasn't comfortable letting me vbac due to my son's size (he was 9lb,12oz). I did not want a second c-section, but didn't feel I had any choice. I wasn't prepared to homebirth ~ had no supplies, no midwife, no herbs to address the issue of postpartum hemorrhage (I'd had severe bleeding with 2 of my vaginal births that required D&C's and blood transfusions), etc. I suppose I could have stayed at home, labored there and come to the hospital when I was ready to push, but honestly, it never even occurred to me at the time. I wasn't thrilled about having another section, but I acquiesed and had it done.

I had a scare with the anesthesia during my second c-section. You know how the spinal meds can make your blood pressure drop (which is what makes you feel nauseated/dizzy) and then the anesthesiologist gives you something to bring your pressure back up? Well, whatever was put in my IV caused my blood pressure to skyrocket and I had the *worst* pain in my head because of it! I sincerely thought I was going to have a stroke from a burst blood vessel. The pressure/pain was the worst thing I've experienced. The anesthesiologist was working at trying to get my pressure down and told the ob to "go ahead; get him out!" So I totally missed my son being born because I couldn't focus on anything other than the pain in my head. By the time I was sewn up, however, the new meds the anesthesiologist had given me had kicked in and my head felt completely fine again. It was a *very* scary experience, however, and one I'm a bit worried about being repeated this time around. I'll be giving the anesthesiologist the report so he knows what *not* to give me!

I am almost 21 weeks pregnant with baby #7 and had originally planned to have a homebirth vba2c. I'd located a midwife, met her, and everything was a 'go' and looked great. I had been seeing an ob prior to finding the midwife (it took me until I was almost 17 weeks to find a midwife who was comfortable taking me on as a client) and I found out at 18 weeks that there is a maternal-fetal blood incompatibility issue between the baby and me. The baby has antigen-c in its red blood cells and I have antibody-c in my blood, which means my immune system recognizes the antigen-c in the baby's blood as a foreign protein and sends antibodies to destroy the antigen-c, which, in turn, destroys the baby's red blood cells. This causes anemia and excess bilirubin (a by-product of broken-down red blood cells), which can result in brain damage, in-utero jaundice, heart failure and death to the baby. The only treatment is to monitor the baby's level of anemia through ultrasounds at the perinatologist's office and if/when it reaches a severe level, to administer in-utero blood transfusions (which have their own set of risks, including death) every 2-3 weeks until the baby reaches 32-35 weeks, at which point the baby is delivered and treated in NICU.

This baby also has a 2-vessel umbilical cord, which can be indicative of a chromosome problem (which the peri doesn't think the baby has, as there are no markers for a problem on the u/s) or it can be no big deal except that it often leads to IUGR and an earlier birth than expected.

SO! Once I learned about the challenges facing the baby, I realized a homebirth was impossible. The peri told me that a c-section was the safest method of delivery for this baby. It will need blood transfusions at birth to get rid of the bilirubin and antibody-c in its blood (it's called an exchange transfusion ~ the doctor removes a small amount of the baby's blood and replaces it with with an equal amount of donor blood, monitors the baby for signs of shock and when everything is okay, the neonatologist then repeats the procedure, doing this over and over until the baby's blood supply has been replaced). The baby will also need high-intensity bili lights to breakdown the bilirubin in its skin. And that's a "best case scenario"! There's a chance the baby could die in-utero or be stillborn, or that it will be born very prematurely and need to spend time in NICU. There is no midwife who could address my baby's needs at birth and it would be asinine for me to even consider an UC, so........c-section #3 it's going to be!

I am hoping for a good experience with this delivery. I was *really* disappointed for a few days about not getting to homebirth and avoid another c-section, but I'm over that now. My primary concern is the baby, and I will do whatever is necessary to get a good outcome for him/her. And since a c-section is the safest route for him/her to be delivered, that's what I'll do, kwim?

I do have some concerns about how much scar tissue the doctor will have to contend with from my prior sections, and I'm not looking forward to the pain and limited mobility (difficulty getting up, especially out of bed) that a c-section causes, but I know it'll be all right. I think having a high-risk pregnancy diminishes the worrying about the delivery, itself (for me, anyhow). I just want a baby who makes it and is okay when all is said & done.

I'm so happy to have found this thread. It will be nice to be able to talk to others who have had and/or are having c-sections and aren't going to flip me sh*t about how I'm "choosing" to have a repeat section versus trying to birth this baby vaginally. I would if I could, but I can't, so I'd like to just move past those who want to try to "convince" me otherwise and focus, instead, on how to make the birth of my 7th child as good/pleasant as possible.

[Ben's Mommy]

Kate - Welcome! Wow, you've been thru a lot! I am so sorry to hear about all the complications with your current pregnancy. I pray that you won't have any more unnecessary complications and that both you and your baby will be healthy when everything is all said and done. Please keep us updated as your pregnancy progresses.

[mamabeth]

hi Kate and welcome! Sorry you're dealing with so much, plus 6 other kids, wow!

I don't know about alternatives for the bp drug, but I do know that being "present" for my 2nd birth by c-section made all the difference. I asked them to not give me anything before the baby came out (such as fentanyl, which I had for my 1st) or afterwards, and it was great to actually feel the baby be born and to see and hold him asap. We had an appointment with the surgeon the day before the c-section to discuss what we wanted, and it was good to be able to talk to him before I was all prepped and stuff about what was possible and what wasn't. I'm sure it depends on the doc but there's a lot they can do that people don't know to request...a mirror, seeing the baby right away, holding him/her in the OR, etc.

Anyway I hope this is helpful...sounds like you have lots of things to deal with so I hope your birth is a good experience.

[ruby slippers]

Hello,
I had my c-section in feb 05 as my baby was "stuck". She was OP and acynclitic. I feel ilke I did everything to avoid it, except going out into the woods alone and not returning until she was out - I live in New York City - so I'm not even sure where the nearest woods are.... Seriously, I still have mixed emotions from it, sometimes I feel great and even empowered that i did so well and other times like a failure. I find it difficult to deal with other peoples comments like "you couldn't push this baby out, what makes you think you could push another baby out?" This was during a VBAC conversation with another L&D RN. Some L&D RN's have no clue about birth....
I wrote a poem after my baby was born that I'd like to share with you guys. So here goes...don't laugh...

My baby was born on a bright winter morning in New York;
I didn't see the sun that day.
She was lifted up from my body;
there had been "no descent".
She was lifted high up into the light
But I didn't see the sun that day.
My wonderful red squirming daughter
Lay in my arms
But I didn't see the sun.

Just wanted to share.

[Ben's Mommy]

ruby slippers - Thanks for sharing your beautiful poem. (don't worry, I didn't laugh.)

Kim - I was just curious if you wanted to start the November thread? (since you are the "official" thread keeper)

[Storm Bride]

ruby slippers: Why on earth would we laugh? Thanks for sharing the poem. I keep thinking I should write one about my sections and miscarriages, but I don't seem to be able to put pen to paper about it...

[SneakyPie]

I am amazed I ended up feeling great about our son's cesaerean birth, but I totally do. For me the reason for trying for homebirth was mainly that I am totally terrified of being in a hospital at all, so when a homebirth midwife fired me as a patient at 11w because of 1 HBP reading (induced by her insistence on using a too-small cuff) and said I would HAVE to have this baby in a hospital & probably go on BP meds for the rest of my life, I FLIPPED. Like realizing that had I known I might birth in a hospital I never would have conceived flipped.

Well, that was going to get me nowhere. Eventually I calmed down, found a better midwife who used the right size BP cuff, & had an uneventful pregnancy. But I realized I had better get myself together in case I did somehow end up in the hospital. I made friends w/several NP midwives, went to a homeopath to find my global remedy, saw a hypnotherapist, & went back to my regular therapist for several sessions. I made sure I had massages & adjustments, & did all the exercises in "Birthing from Within." I read every word on plus-sizepregnancy.com. I started maternity leave a few weeks early. I had a consult w/the birth-friendly OB lady who consults w/the homebirth midwives in our area, & toured that hospital w/nurses who teased me kindly about my hospital fears and pretended to beg me to consider birthing with them. And at 39w3d, dilated 2cm effaced 50%, I had a *really* high BP spike. With terror in my heart we had to go to the hospital for an induction -- where we were treated like royalty, apparently how they try to treat all the mothers who planned homebirth.

Long story longer, labor did go well & fast (got to use a tub in the birthsuite), but a pushing-stage emergency necessitated surgery. Great nursing support, the midwife stayed in surg w/me while husband accompanied son to nursery, great support for our decisions to keep foreskin, delay HebB vax, bring procedures to our room rather than remove babe. I grew a lot during this experience & wish that every woman who is unexpectedly faced w/a surgical birth could receive this level of care, in every sense. I truly feel my son was *born*, and that his birth was attended w/love.

(Oh, the best thing was having my best friend tape the post-birth nursery stuff while I was in recovery, so I missed nothing. She also "interviewed" our families in the waiting room during surg. so we can watch that tape & feel their love & concern while we went through what truly was a big scary thing for us all.)

[mandalamama]

hi mamas *wave* i'm a little over one year post-cesarean now. still having tearing pains from adhesions, they don't seem to get better or worse. i had a miscarriage that is finally ending this last week, whew. early, 8 or 9 weeks. i chose not to go in to see my OB because i'm frankly terrified of pelvic exams now (post-cesarean issue? not sure) but i checked in with her on the phone, closely monitored my temp and how many pads i was using, everything went ok. i wish all women were informed they had the option of miscarrying naturally, you know? and that a d&c is only needed in emergencies. just like c-births.

anyway i've been curled up in a shell for a while but peeking out now. i still feel like an outsider looking in when it comes to birth ... like, i don't get involved in the sex-drive threads because i didn't have a vaginal birth. but my sex drive tanked and has stayed tanked, not sure if that has anything to do with the cesarean, hormones, or just life in general (marriage is shaky).

the babe is having her first chiropractor visit Thursday, i wish i had known she was covered for it (medicaid)! i would have had her in earlier. we had a long labor, 30 hours, i've heard chiro is great for babies of long labors and of cesareans.

anyone still having adhesion problems?

[chantald]

Hi All
Mandalamama: I am so sorry for your loss
We took DD to a cranial sacral Dr for a few months after her long and complicated birth and she sees a chiro on occasion now, as does my son

? Someone mentioned they were going to ask their Dr about very painful ovulation? Anyone get an answer on that? My ovulation pains are so bad.. I was nearly doubled over the other day... I really don't want to call my Dr unless there is a need.

Chantal

[Ben's Mommy]

Chantal - I've never had that kind of pain with ovualtion...so I'm not quite sure how to advise you. OnTheFence started a new thread for Nov & Dec, so maybe if you post your question there, you may get more answers.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=368103