Reason for First Csection.. - Page 3

[Attached Mama]

I was at a great free-standing birth center with midwives. However, I was developing pre-eclampsia and the protein levels in my urine were way off the charts. Midwives were still ok with a natural birth, but then DD's heart was dipping too low and she had thick meconium - and my reflexes were going and I was only 3 centimeters. Turns out my placenta was very calcified and DD's blood levels were therefore off. They said she came out still healthy, tho a bit blue even after a minute, only because i ate extremely well.

I am planning a homebirth for the next one. NO WAY I would go near a hsptl for a VBAC. Most view it as a "trial" and have very poor success rates. I believe in my body's ability to birth. Something went wrong with my placenta most likely early on and made things stressful for DD later on and then for me too. That's highly unlikely to happen again.

[~Meg~]

Breech Twin A/ Vertex Twin B. My OB would only let me try a vaginal delivery if Twin A was vertex. I had been on bedrest for 15 weeks and was totally weak so I don't know that I would have made it through labor anyway. I had pre-E and had to be delivered at 35w. I feel in my heart the c/s was the right thing for this pregnancy but it still makes me sad. I don't feel like I gave birth.

[jkpmomtoboys]

Placental abruption.

[KristenandMadelein]

c section under general at 40w1d for a partial placenta abruption.

I know in my heart that there were other options.

[roadfamily6now]

I dont have time to type out all 4 of my VBAC stories here but here is the quick and sweet version

Baby #1 was breech, I was young did not know ANYTHING and just did the c-section cause I thought it was my only option.

Baby #2 was concieved 5 months after c-section. I was NEVER told about a repeat c-section. I guess I got lucky. I got my VBAC and did not even know most ladies have to fight for one.

Baby #3, 4, and 5 were all VBAC. By now I am an expert. my last baby was 10lbs 4oz!

If I can help it, i have plan on having a c-section even again.

[PROUD_2_B_A_MOM]

my first c-section was cuz i would noy dialate and it sucks now to know htat i didnt have to have a c-sectin.

[emdeecee_sierra]

I haven't read the thread- just want to respond quickly. My first was a supposed emergency section for fetal distress. I'll never know if that was true or not; if I'd had a doula I'm sure she would have suggested lots of position changes, etc., to see if we could avoid cutting. My others have been completely unmedicated and there is zero comparison in 'recovery' time- birthing a baby naturally is the most amazing experience. OP please read Silent Knife. Also Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Henci Goer's The Thinking Woman's Guide to Birth. For starters. Also Birthing from Within. There are others, but these top my list. I KNOW they will help you.

It is ok, normal, natural to be apprehensive about an approaching birth. This is my 4th and I'm going through the 'deer in the headlights' thing right now, myself, despite having had the 2 natural births. I wish you peace and your dream birth!

[miche28]

Failed induction at 34 weeks 6 days weeks due to severe pre-eclampsia - it was foregone conclusion as every OB and L&D nurse who came in during the three days I lay on my back on a labour bed repeatedly told me it wouldn't work and that I was wasting my time. But they "let" me because they couldn't justify an immeditre section to my midwives and actual OB.

Finally, I consented after ominous warnings about how quickly I was going downhill and how baby wasn't getting enough food or oxygen - yet not so much of a problem that it couldn't wait more than 24 hours when the OR could be convieniently scheduled. Got utterly incorrect information about c-section risks and rsisk of early delivery - but in the end, I think it was a matter of time because I just didn't have it in me to labour even if it had "taken".

DD spent 8 days in the NICU - I spent a long time struggling and thought I was finally ok. Now that I am actualy pregnant again I've realised that I'm really not.

[mamamoogs]

long

I was told by m O/B that i would be having a section because my DD was too big to come out vaginally, she measured big the whole pg, but my mother had 10 pound children too, so i assumed if was the norm for my family, but my o/b wouldnt hear of a vaginaly birth so he scheduled a section for a monday but boo who to him my water broke the thursday before and the deal my DH and myself made with him was if i go into labor myself then

I could go vaginally but ofcourse he lied the o/b showed up at the hospital about an hour after us, my water broke at 7:30 pm we got to the hospital a little after 8: oo pm and my o/b was there by 9:00 pm and checked my cervic stated isnt hasnt even dialted a finger tip with in the tow hours since my water broke and had me prepped for a section although

i was crying and asking him why i havent been giving a chance to labor he told me it has been two hours and that was my chance i a hadnt dialted and reminded me of my high blood pressure which ws under control with meds so i am not sure what that mattered.

so now it is time to make a move, well i let him do it he scared me telling me my DD head would not fit into my pelvic region and it wasnt going to work that way, so he did the surgery and i didnt get to see my DD for almost 4 hours afterward and i felt like crap and all doped up and hated hated my bithing experience and two years later still cry when i think about it.

I am pg again and hope to have a vbac at home this time...
wish me luck and GL to all of you

[GoodMomma]

Originally Posted by Hindyg

and how it affects choices to VBAC...

I am 19 weeks pregnant and have started to research VBAC. To be honest though, I am absolutely terrified.

Can you please share what led you to a csection in earlier pregnancies and how have you come to succeed in a VBAC or in making a decision to have a VBAC.

Would love to hear some VBAC stories. Both sides even

Stupid me went to a family Dr. instead of an OB or midwife. She induced me because I had some swelling and some protein in my urine. Her words were she didn't want my symptoms leading to pre-e. : So after a terrible induction, the placenta started coming apart which led to an emergency c/s. About a year later I did some research (after assuring everyone I'd choose a repeat c/s next time) and decided a VBAC is much safer and better! My sister gave birth in April 2006 and her pain and recovery was no where near like mine was. So that's what I want! I'm refusing any interventions so my chances of having a VBAC are pretty good. Good luck!

[Sagesgirl]

With first DD, I was induced because of bad pre-E. That actually has nothing to do with the c-section, but I mention it because of worry it caused me later on. I labored for eight hours with no dialation. When I finally got an OB in the room who knew what the hell she was doing, she said to me that chances were the reason for my lack of progression was a breech baby. As I'd been telling all the OBs I'd seen since my 24 week ultrasound that the baby was breech (I believe she flipped head down & then back to breech, but can't prove it), I knew she was right.

So, the first c-section had nothing to do with induction or failure to progress. It was because DD was a footling breech.

DD#2 also tried to walk out into the world, only a month ahead of time. The little twist in the plot here is the twist in my spine that accompanies the curve in my spine. I do not know how many attempts it took the anesthesiologist to get the needle for the spinal inserted, because I quit counting after five. I was told later that that took longer than the surgery itself. He had to call in another anesthesiologist to get it in place. So, basically, no one was coming near me with a needle unless my life hung in the balance.

Some would be comfortable delivering footling breeches vaginally; at the time I was not (nor, realistically, did I have any choice at the hospital).

So that I would have a VBA2C was pretty much a given for me, because after all babies are meant to come out your vagina rather than your abdomen (though I do have this really neat zipper...). Of course, I got pregnant with #3 in Hawaii, and to make a long story short Tripler is more commonly called Crippler. There was a criminally stupid incident right after I found out I was pregnant wherein a perfectly healthy baby boy was given straight carbon dioxide for 48 minutes. Why? 'Cause he was "a little grunty" and the OR (he was born via c-section) was staffed by a bunch of drooling idiots who were too flipping stupid to realize their mistake until the tank ran out and they went to hook him up to a new one. But I digress, slightly. Bottom line is I was not only not having another section, I wasn't having even a VBA2C in that hellhole.

Though I was sometimes quite paranoid and nervous--especially when I was planning the VBAC-that-wasn't with Linda--in all honesty having a vaginal birth sticks out as the safest option for both mother and baby, and so it's what I aimed for. Of course, I do not begrudge any other woman her ERC. The risks, though quite slight, may strike someone else as too much.

[julie128]

After pushing for 5 hours, even using a vacuum, it was clear she wasn't coming out that way. The doc thought she may have been facing sideways. I don't know, but I do know it was necessary.

Baby 2 went very easily. We use HypnoBirthing, and it was awesome.

[roadfamily6now]

first baby was Breech, feet first.

next 4 were all VBAC, nothing to be afraid of! You can do it!

[todavia]

at 38 weeks i noticed decreased fetal movement & went to my OB's office for monitoring. while hooked up, they saw a big deceleration on the monitor and sent me for an u/s. a doctor i had never met looked at my ultrasound and told me that my placenta looked "tired" and that she was going to recommend i be induced that night. yikes! went to the hosp at 10pm, finally got in a room at 12:30. cervidil. i guess i had a bad reaction cuz i had a huge contraction that wouldn't stop. baby's heart rate drops, nurses run in and give me a magnesium shot and the ob says "well, i'll break your water and wait 1 hour to see what happens but it looks like this baby is not gong to tolerate labor so let's just get the epidural in place now for the c-section and then we'll see what happens." so encouraging, right? i was pretty scared by this point and just wanted my baby to be okay so i said okay. of course, no progress after 1 hour so off we went to the OR. baby was fine. i was zonked. and that was that.
it was really disappointing and i wish things had been different but i'm also glad everything was okay.
now i know better than to get myself into that stuation again and am planning a HBAC with #2 - may/june '07.

[Selesai]

Long...

I too had my mind set on a natural birth, and didn't even think of a c/s as a remote possibility. Baby was headdown and I was confident things would go well.
At 39 wks 1 day I had my regular appointment; cervix was still back and no dilation.
Three days later my water broke spontaneously at 7am as I got out of bed. I called my doctor (I had an OB; she is a great dr though and rather midwifey, so I wasn't too worried; I had also discussed my wishes with her before the birth) but she had someone on call for her (rare). He told me to go into the hospital. I went into the hospital about 8am, no contractions yet but was 2 cm. After about 5 hours I had not really progressed. (I was maybe 3-4 cm) My dr ordered a small dose of pitocin to augment labor. I was really tired already for some reason and didn't even try to walk around. DH was not super supportive-- dss was there and I felt he was focusing more on dss than me.
To make a long story short-- pitocin, stadol, epidural, I dilated to 9/10 with a lip, tried pushing for a bit at 2:30am, dr tried forceps, baby was stuck, I had had a temperature for a while, and heartrate was dropping some. So, c-section. Apparently his head was turned or something. ? I think he had been sunny side up and hadn't completely rotated back down.
I really thought the section itself was horrible.
I didn't realize how upset about this I was until more recently. I wonder if having a doula would have changed things, or if I had had enough energy to move and change positions, things would have been different.
It is obvious to me that although I thought I had to go to the hospital once my water broke, I should not have. I believe I wasn't progressing as fast as they wanted (in their arbitrary 24 hour time frame) because ds was still turning himself.
On the other hand, I also wonder if it may have been a necessary c/s due to my temperature. ?

[gamecaco4]

Hmmm...where to start? "Fetal distress" was the reason.

To preface the actual birth, I should say that ds was estimated to be about 4.5 pounds at 34 weeks. I ended up not having another u/s, but that isnt relavent.

Feb. 19th, I was just falling asleep when I felt a little something. 12 minutes later, another and so on for an hour. Called DH at work to let him know he needed to call in his cover guy and waited. 10 minutes apart...9 minutes...call dh again...7 minutes. Dh finally gets home at 6AM, 6 hours after the first call. At 7:22 we left for the hospital. On the way, I went through "transition"...that was nice: . Get to the hospital and Im 6cm with contraction 3 minutes apart and HUUUUGE! By 8:30, I was handling them, but couldnt stay comfy which pissed off the nurse because they couldnt keep the toko in the right spot.

FF to 9:30. Still didnt have any pain relief, had the on call OB from my practice (: ) there and couldnt find ds's heartbeat so they do an internal monitor. Still couldnt get it consistently. What few beats they did get, were few and far between. Oxygen, position changes...nothing helped.

So there I go...off to the OR now (seriously, they couldnt find the anesthesiologist so they paged him STAT(!!!!)). There still wasnt a hb being registered. Why they were prepping me, doc checked me one last time because I just had a lip before they wheeled me in to the OR. They could see his head, but decided it would be quicker and safer to do the c/s since there still wasnt a hb registering.

At 10:34AM, after 3 hours of hard labor and no meds (until the spinal for the c/s), my son was born wailing. Apgars of 8 and 9, no help needed, weighing 5lb 10oz. It was determined that when he "dropped", his cord was under his shoulder, nestled in by his neck. He was tiny because he wasnt getting the nutrients he needed from 35 weeks on...IUGR. We were lucky, to say the least.

Whew! Sorry 'bout the length.

[ella*enchanted]

My initial c-section was due to a placental abruption. Absolutely TOTALLY needed. It was also my second birth after a successful vaginal birth. I also went on to VBAC my next child.

[shortstuff31117]

Hmmm where do I begin...The official reasons were failure to progress and fetal intolerance to labor. The real reason that stand out in my mind was that it was 1am and my midwife was tired of waiting for me to deliver.
I labored for 20hrs unmedicated before I finally opted for an epidural and of course that made the midwife feel free to go ahead with pitocin, and internal monitoring etc. (i had been 6cm for 2 whole hours OH NO) Babys heart rate dropped with pitocin and midwife said the pressure in my uterus was elevated putting me at risk for rupture, infection etc. Baby is also said to be posterior, though in my records it says when they pulled her out that she was anterior so who knows. The next day I found out from my labor nurse that I had a swollen cervix with a lip so I assume that DD was in a funky position at some point, but maybe turned when I was laying on my side with the epidural. When I got my records I discovered that the pressure in my uterus was on the high end of normal so my midwife had basically exaggerated that. I felt extremely angry and betrayed by this midwife. I know that my body was capable of giving birth and that the section had been unecessary. I'm 99% sure we're having an HBAC next time, although there are some very pro-vbac hospital near me so I do have that option.

[BetsyS]

My section was for arrest of dilatation.

Let me first say, I had my ds in a hospital, but with a CNM. She was fabulous. Never mentioned induction, even though my BP slowly creeped up, and I had enormous swelling (like I gained 8-15 lbs a WEEK in the last 4 weeks; it was pitting up to and including my knees. I don't recognize pregnant pictures of me because even my face was so swollen) I came out of work at 36 weeks because of the swelling. But, my PIH labs and proteinuria were always fine, so we just kept trucking. The baby felt big, but I was thinking 9.5 lbs, and the midwife was thinking 10 lbs. Both kind average to large, but not worrisome. I declined an ultrasound, because the current ACOG recommendations are no induction for "big baby" but straight to elective c-section. So, even if the US said he was going to be big, what would my option be?

At 41 weeks, I went into labor. I had early labor stuff for about 12 hours at home--no big deal, I carried on regular life, even cooked supper, although it took twice as long. I started active labor that night (about 9:30 pm), went to the hospital around 3 am. I was 6 cm.

My water broke about 8 am--thick meconium. My contractions spaced out, I got pit, I got an epidural, I was an anterior lip at noon. Hours later, no change, so we turned off the epidural. No change. We replaced the epidural. The baby was posterior, so I was in every postion known to man to try to get him to turn. We even tried to push past the lip without any success.

After about 9.5 hours of being an anterior lip, a good hour nap after an epidural, and absolutely no change in dilatation or station for the baby's head, still with a posterior baby, we (the midwife, my dh, and me) made the choice for a section.

I'm okay with that decision. Ds WAS big. A lot bigger than we estimated. And, he was OP, plus a little asynclitic.

But, even in the OR, I was asking the doc to make sure he did a double layer closure so that next time I could VBAC.

[lissi]

With #1 they told me he was out of position and possible shoulder distocia. (sp?) He probably was a little OOP. What they wrote in the report was not OOP, but whatever their fancy word for "space issue" is.

#2 was a planned HBAC, he got stuck, too. I was able to get him a little further down, probably due to having MWs who encouraged better pushing positions, but he still needed to come out surgically.