C-sect equal higher rate of PPD?

[jeanine123]

Does anyone know if there have been any studies done on whether or not a c-sect, especially an unplanned one, leads to higher incidences of PPD? Thanks!

[Storm Bride]

I don't know where to find them, but I have read references to them. One study in Norway (I think it was Norway) found a 56% rate of PPD with mom who'd had a c-section.

I've had it to some degree after all three of mine...and PTSD after my second one (that would have been the scheduled, no labour one that everyone says is sooooo much easier).

[NYCVeg]

I can't remember precisely where I read this (I believe it was one of Ina May Gaskin's birth), but I've also heard that birth satisfaction is inversely correlated to the number/invasiveness of interventions--which would support your idea.

[ChattyCat]

I don't have any studies, but I would think that women who strongly desired a vaginal birth and had a cesarean would be more likely to suffer from PPD. I didn't have PPD, but I really think I had post-traumatic stress disorder. As far as the women who were gung-ho for an epidural, fetal monitoring, watching tv while in labor, etc, I'm not sure how they would be affected by a cesarean. Most mainstream people I know really think a csec is no big deal, and they really don't get my feelings of frustration and failure at not being able to push my baby out.

[Storm Bride]

I felt (feel) frustrated. I felt (feel) like a failure. And, I felt (feel) as though I'd been assaulted. I was changed from a happy, healthy pregnant woman into a "high risk pregnancy" and a statistic...against my wishes.

Why are people surprised that feeling as though you failed at the biggest thing you'd ever tackled, and were assaulted in the bargain, doesn't lead to great feelings of joy and satisfaction??

[Arwyn]

Check out the books Henci Goer's Thinking Woman's Guide and Robbie Davis-Floyd's Birth as American Rite of Passage. I believe they both address this.

(The short answer is Yes, but I don't have the references with me. Those are just two books I can remember off the top of my head I believe discuss PPD and method of birth.)

[Arwyn]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

Why are people surprised that feeling as though you failed at the biggest thing you'd ever tackled, and were assaulted in the bargain, doesn't lead to great feelings of joy and satisfaction??

We're not surprised, darlin'. But too many people believe "the only important thing is a healthy baby and a healthy mom!" (and by healthy they must mean "alive" - abdominal surgery requiring hospitalization is not exactly what I would call "healthy", but there ya go.)

[Storm Bride]

One thing that's boggled me a lot this time around has been the "healthy mom, healthy baby" credo.

The medical profession, as a whole, has labelled me "high risk" because of my primary c-section...supposedly done to ensure a "healthy mom". Sooo...how does that work, exactly?

"We were successful - you're a high risk, healthy mom". I mean...huh???

It's been over 12.5 years...and I still want to cry when I remember how happy I was to be pregnant the first time, how excited I was when I went into labour, how thrilled I was when they told me I was 8cm, and I "knew" my baby would be here soon...and how my whole freaking life fell apart five minutes later when they told me they were going to cut me open, even though I said no...

And, the scary thing is...I didn't even know how badly it had fallen apart. A VBAC would be "no problem", after all...

[JanetF]

In Australia it's about 12 times higher in c-sec mamas but then it's higher in hospy birthing mamas regardless of how the baby arrived. There are some compelling physiological reasons alone with the disruption inductions/c-secs cause to our chemical load.

[kim_nz]

I was talking about this with my MIL today!! I would love to read a study on this, if there are any?! Maybe they dont want to have to face up to more negative things associated with c/s's?

[turtlewomyn]

I think I am suffering from PPD right now and I am six, almost seven weeks post c/s. However, I have had a long history with depression, so I might be higher risk anyway. My doula had told my husband that studies do show that it is higher in c/s moms, but I don't know of any off hand.

[thepeach80]

I am sure I read somewhere that having a c/s was the #4 reason on the list of most common reasons for depression in women. I know just from reading on other boards, it does seem that c/s moms, especially unplanned ones, have a harder time w/ PPD and bonding w/ baby in general. I had an unplanned c/s and a VBAC and I don't think I had PPD w/ either.

[Arwyn]

From ICAN:

A cesarean section is major abdominal surgery with all that entails. The surgery itself, as opposed to medical problems that might lead to a cesarean increases the risk of maternal death, hysterectomy, hemorrhage, infection, blood clots, damage to blood vessels, urinary bladder and other organs, postpartum depression, post traumatic stress syndrome, and rehospitalization for complications. Potential chronic complications from scar tissue adhesions include pelvic pain, bowel problems, and pain during sexual intercourse.

They have an extensive reference list on their FAQ page (from which this quote was taken), but it's alphabetical, not by topic, and it's not hyperlinked.

[jeanine123]

Originally Posted by Arwyn

Check out the books Henci Goer's Thinking Woman's Guide and Robbie Davis-Floyd's Birth as American Rite of Passage. I believe they both address this.

(The short answer is Yes, but I don't have the references with me. Those are just two books I can remember off the top of my head I believe discuss PPD and method of birth.)

Duh! I've got Thinking Woman sitting right here on my desk and never thought to look in it! Doggone preggo brain some days. Thanks!

[applejuice]

Originally Posted by jeanine123

Does anyone know if there have been any studies done on whether or not a c-sect, especially an unplanned one, leads to higher incidences of PPD? Thanks!

A friend of mine was a student at Harvard in the late 1960s in the Psychology Department. This was to be the subject of her master's thesis, and no one in the department thought it was much of a thesis to write about.

There were all men, of course.

She never finished her work, but she became a midwife, and can certainly write about it now.