Anyone have an elective c-section?? - Page 2

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by turtlewomyn

My c-section is listed as elective. It was scheduled and I had no labor.

I did not want it, I cried and sobbed about it, and I have had PTSD and PPD because of it. But, it is listed as "elective" on my medical records.

:
My first section was done over my protests, when they discovered that ds1 was breech when I was 10cm dilated.

My second section was done when my doctors (GP & OB) bullied me into it when dd was found to also be breech at 39 weeks. She wasn't breech at 38. Despite the fact that she had turned during that week, my OB insisted that there was no possible way that she could turn now - she was too big. I argued with both doctors, then caved. (I'd been trying to have a second baby for 10 years, with only three miscarriages to show for it, and was highly susceptible to the emotional pressure.)

My third section was done after I fought my doctors for months for a VBA2C. At 41w, 4d, my OB kindly informed me that if I didn't hop back up on the table and get cut the following day, he'd drop me from care...I'd been experiencing prodomal labour for a week, and I panicked...so I caved again. That one's "elective", too.

I'm pregnant with number four right now, and my doctor's never going to know.

[rubymoon]

Okay, so I went to www.electivecesarean.com and I did get scared. Thanks for pointing me there, though, it was helpful and I'm still planning an hbac.

[KestrelDream]

(I'd been trying to have a second baby for 10 years, with only three miscarriages to show for it, and was highly susceptible to the emotional pressure.)

Oh my! I bet!!

With my third, I was told during an ultrasound that I had no amniotic fluid. The OB on call was so rude, & said the baby could die from cord compression. I was terrified of losing him....my hubby had a vasectomy after my second c-section, & this was our reversal baby. So I hopped up on the table very fast.

I think the majority of the time, we women make the decision of having a cesarean out of deep love for our babies. We tried the best we could, with the info we had at the time.

I will tell you this though....I'm going to find it very hard to hire a care provider for my next child. I plan on doing UP, & make my decision then.

[intorainbowz]

I logged in.... : Some of the reasons for a c/s are stupid, stupid... IE you can't recieve oral sex for a couple of months with vaginal due to infection risk.

LIKE that is any reason to have MAJOR surgery....

I'm a c/s mom, and will be having all c/s and I have BIG problems with that site.

Best quote over there.... re Elizabeth Hurley's scheduled c/s

A medical spokesperson at the time: 'Like many busy women, she opted to have the CS rather than a long, painful labour.'

Cause a c/s is so very pain free ya know, and we are too busy to let babies come when they are ready, and we are too busy to be in labor. But 6 weeks of healing, we have time for that.

[Sagesgirl]

IE you can't recieve oral sex for a couple of months with vaginal due to infection risk.

Hmm, I couldn't receive oral sex for a couple of months after my c-sections 'cause I was bleeding the whole time. Really no different from my vaginal birth.

As for recovery...I know a lot of women will disagree with me on this, but personally the recovery from my surgeries was a lot easier. One, I didn't have the stitches in my left labium from the repaired tear, and--much more importantly--my pelvis didn't really separate for my surgical births. I had no idea how much time it would take for my bones to settle back together, or for my ligaments to unstretch, or whatever the heck it is that goes on after a vaginal birth. All I know was that it felt like my hips were just going to fall out of their sockets as I walked. It was surreal.

Still, not IMO a reason to choose a surgical birth. If God had wanted my babies to come out that way, He'd have put a zipper there.

[Emma's_Mommy]

i had i guess what was an elective c-section with my first......she as breech and despite all efforts she was not moving into a birthable position.

with this one i am concidering vbac but i must admit im very very scared i'll mess things up down there.....i already have a bladder problem that causes me lots of urethra pain....i dont know if i could handle crotch pain on top of that!

my OB is on board with letting my try VBAC i am just very very nervous i will do more damage

[2tadpoles]

Originally Posted by velcromom

I had an elective c/s with ds2 because of fear from first traumatic labor, and a complete lack of informed consent.

Same here.

My first "birth" involved Pitocin-induction at 42 weeks gestation with a long/closed cervix. I was on the Pitocin for about 24 hours and only got to 4cm, was labeled "failure to progress" and taken for a CS, only to lose about 700-800 cc's of blood during the surgery. I felt like a train wreck for about two months following.

When I got to 40 weeks with DS2, and was told that my cervix hadn't changed or softened (once again) and that the baby still had not dropped, I abandoned my wishes for a VBAC and elected for a repeat CS.

I have lots of regrets and wish I could do things over. I grew up in a mainstream community and then I joined the military. Although I was always somewhat outside the box with many of my personal ideas (BF, noCIRC, etc.), I had absolutely no idea that anything was available to me other than regular OB's and hospitals. Actually, considering time and place (SC in 1992 and NC in 1995), there truly may NOT have been any alternatives. No Internet, either.

[kalisis]

Originally Posted by jackie75

I had an "ERC" with my 2nd because I was not given informed consent at all. I was told that most likely I would rupture, & that she (the OB) just had a patient die in front of her from one. This was in 1998, I had no computer to do my own research, & I trusted that Dr.'s knew what they were talking about & gave you the facts.

This is *SO* true. Without access to information, all you have to go on is what the Drs. are telling you and you have to trust that they're being honest and forthright when IME, they're not. They're giving you only the info they want you to have to help you make the decision they want you to make.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Emma's_Mommy

with this one i am concidering vbac but i must admit im very very scared i'll mess things up down there.....i already have a bladder problem that causes me lots of urethra pain....i dont know if i could handle crotch pain on top of that!

my OB is on board with letting my try VBAC i am just very very nervous i will do more damage

FWIW, I didn't have any bladder problems...until after my last section. I've got abdominal/pelvic nerve damage, and can barely feel my bladder, anymore. I guess when I have to go pee, and if I wait to long, I end up in pain - seems to be my overly-full bladder pressing on other organs, but I don't really know. I'm now almost 19 months out, and I regained a smidgeon of feeling a couple of months ago, but things are still really screwed up. I also have great difficulty doing any kind of exercise to develop core strength, because I can't feel a largeish chunk of my abdomen. This is all post-section damage.

I'm not sure how having someone cut us open prevents damage.

[Emma's_Mommy]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

FWIW, I didn't have any bladder problems...until after my last section. I've got abdominal/pelvic nerve damage, and can barely feel my bladder, anymore. I guess when I have to go pee, and if I wait to long, I end up in pain - seems to be my overly-full bladder pressing on other organs, but I don't really know. I'm now almost 19 months out, and I regained a smidgeon of feeling a couple of months ago, but things are still really screwed up. I also have great difficulty doing any kind of exercise to develop core strength, because I can't feel a largeish chunk of my abdomen. This is all post-section damage.

I'm not sure how having someone cut us open prevents damage.

my bladder problems are internal....i have IC....which means i am lacking the protective lining on the inside of my bladder and causes pain....i also have the ulcers that occure with this condition and my bladder bleeds when it is full....and my bladder and urethra in general just HURT sometimes....but luckly my IC has been in remission sence i've been pregnant!

it sucks and i have learned to live with it but it is totally not related to my c-section at all....i actually didnt start developing symptoms until Emma was 9 months old

[Storm Bride]

I wasn't suggesting that your problems are related to your c-section...just throwing out there that having a section does not equal "avoiding damage". (Really - if it did, there wouldn't even be an issue about VBAC, would there?)

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by jackie75

My blood pressure would go through the roof if I went over there. I hate seeing so many women being deceived by their (s)care providers. And that, I dare to say, is the majority of the reasons WHY women have elective cesareans.

Hence the reason why I have never gone there past the first time that I found out about the site, but it didn't sound like the op had been there yet. I think it's certainly a good place to hear all about maternal elected c/s.

Originally Posted by rubymoon

Okay, so I went to www.electivecesarean.com and I did get scared. Thanks for pointing me there, though, it was helpful and I'm still planning an hbac.

Seriously, I wouldn't put too much credibility/credence to the information you find there. This site here and the ICAN site are much better sources.

Originally Posted by Sagesgirl

As for recovery...I know a lot of women will disagree with me on this, but personally the recovery from my surgeries was a lot easier. One, I didn't have the stitches in my left labium from the repaired tear, and--much more importantly--my pelvis didn't really separate for my surgical births. I had no idea how much time it would take for my bones to settle back together, or for my ligaments to unstretch, or whatever the heck it is that goes on after a vaginal birth. All I know was that it felt like my hips were just going to fall out of their sockets as I walked. It was surreal.

I would rather have your experience post vaginal birth than spending the first month or so of my son's life feeling like my belly was going to split open and all of my internal organs were going to come cascading out.

Originally Posted by Emma's_Mommy

with this one i am concidering vbac but i must admit im very very scared i'll mess things up down there.....i already have a bladder problem that causes me lots of urethra pain....i dont know if i could handle crotch pain on top of that!

I would agree with StormBride - choosing an ERCS to avoid messing things up in your pelvic region (please, let's use proper terms here instead of using a phrase like "down there") is by no means a guarantee that you won't end up with other problems. No nerve damage here, but I have some problems with urinary incontinence, a possible blocked fallopian tube, and scar tissue around my right ovary. According to my RE the scar tissue is "usually" formed in the bladder area for most women.

Originally Posted by Emma's_Mommy

my OB is on board with letting my try VBAC i am just very very nervous i will do more damage

There are lots of problems with this statement here. First off, no one is "letting" you "try" anything. If they phrase it that way it's a clear sign that you need to start looking for anothe cp. Secondly, a cesarean is major surgery and by its very nature it will do damage. Your body will heal from it, but it will never be the same.

If you haven't already it would be a good idea to surround yourself with others who are supportive of VBAC and believe in a woman's body's ability to birth a baby. I would suggest heading on over to ICAN (www.ican-online.org) and signing up for their email support list and/or checking to see if they have a local chapter in your area.

[intorainbowz]

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

I would rather have your experience post vaginal birth than spending the first month or so of my son's life feeling like my belly was going to split open and all of my internal organs were going to come cascading out.

I never had that sensation. : Seriously, my c/s was easier to heal from than my foot surgery.

[Emma's_Mommy]

Originally Posted by Storm Bride

I wasn't suggesting that your problems are related to your c-section...just throwing out there that having a section does not equal "avoiding damage". (Really - if it did, there wouldn't even be an issue about VBAC, would there?)

oh no i wasn't saying you were....i just wanted everyone to be clear that mine are not! I'm just scared i'm gonna have the hugest peri tear in the world and be left with 50 stitches and tons of scar tissue....i have enough problems with the IC and urethra pain (maybe scar tissue?? from my first c-section...i'll have to look into that more) i have enough problems going to the bathroom as it is i dont really want to create more problems

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

I would rather have your experience post vaginal birth than spending the first month or so of my son's life feeling like my belly was going to split open and all of my internal organs were going to come cascading out.

There are lots of problems with this statement here. First off, no one is "letting" you "try" anything. If they phrase it that way it's a clear sign that you need to start looking for anothe cp. Secondly, a cesarean is major surgery and by its very nature it will do damage. Your body will heal from it, but it will never be the same.

i never had problems recovering from my c-section it was honestly one of the easiest surgeries i've ever had...the day of was tough....but i went home 2 days later and was fine....and once they took those annoying staples out you would have never known i'd had abdominal surgery! serously a walk in the park for me....but im sure this is not the norm for most!

my urologist reccomended i have a c-section when he found out i was pregnant because i have some major pelvic floor problems that we were in the process of working on when i became pregnant....i wanted to be honest with my new OB and she said that she would do whatever i wanted....that it was my birth and she would do the best she could to have it go the way I WANTED IT!!! she didnt try to talk me into or out of anything....and once i told them Vbac was what i wanted there hasn't been a mention of a c-section sence!

[Ks Mama]

[QUOTE=rubymoon;7261232]

Originally Posted by Sagesgirl

I keep reading about women who want to have a cs to avoid the pain of labor-as if recovering from a cs isn't painful!!

I know, this is so strange to me. I've actually met intelligent, normal women, who have expressed this to me, after hearing of my C-section - asking if I'm going to go for a repeat (because it's so much "easier"), or expressing that they'd like to "skip the pain of labor" and just get a C.


Firstly, I may be the wrong person to ask about this since I had 31 hours of labor (24 very painful back labor, without meds) before I had my C-section.

And frankly, I found my pre-surgical unmedicated labor pain to be much more painful than my post-surgical pain (of course good medical pain management and a positive attitude had a lot to do with this). I felt I healed very quickly (in comparison to my fears of what post-major surgery would be, and what I had read about the horrors of C-sections). I was able to walk within 24 hours, was able to nurse well within the week, was able to hold my baby at home. Certainly, I understand these stats likely sound rediculous to a women who had a vaginal birth who was able to hold her baby immediately after birth, nursing immediately after birth, and walking or peeing on her own wasn't even an issue! But for me, these things were big accomplishments!

All of that being said, I'd NEVER recommend a C-section that wasn't necessary (and YES, I consider mine necessary at the time, though I'm sure things could have been different - and that people would argue it wasn't - I hold no grudges against my midwife or doctor, and was grateful to have my baby healthy, even though it wasn't in the way I had planned!). I'd also NEVER recommend a spinal for pain management. And I STILL will try to go for a VBAC - natural, unmedicated birth, with all my might this time around again.

Because I believe my body can do it, because I believe vaginal birth is best for babies, AND mothers, and because a C-section, elective or otherwise, is MAJOR surgery - with major risks to life & health of mom & baby. Even with my "good" experience with my C, I would never choose it or recommend someone choose it.

[Ks Mama]

Originally Posted by Emma's_Mommy

i never had problems recovering from my c-section it was honestly one of the easiest surgeries i've ever had...the day of was tough....but i went home 2 days later and was fine....and once they took those annoying staples out you would have never known i'd had abdominal surgery! serously a walk in the park for me....but im sure this is not the norm for most!

I hear you! I had a very similar experience, except that I stayed in the hopsital 5 days post-surgery because my daughter had some specialized care (completely UNrelated to the C-section), and because I was nursing, the pediatrician & lactation consultant requested that my stay be extended as well... I wasn't willing to leave my daughter overnight, and they were willing to work with that. Healing was very easy for me.

Even still, I wouldn't choose another C!

[Shenandoah]

If I ever get pg again I will probably have ERC. My first pregnancy was 22+ hour labor, baby stuck at +1, 6cm. Second was a 3 day labor, 10 cm, pushed 3+ hours, baby stuck at +1, 10cm. With the first we thought he was stuck because he was asynclitic. Second was breech until 2 days before I went into labor (version). Lined up properly, everything was great. Then after I pushed for hours the doc said, "Your bones are in the way." This doc did everything she could to help me vbac. I do not feel I was coerced in any way into a repeat c/s. When she opened me she found that I had extensive adhesions from c/s #1. The incision on my skin is low transverse, but on my uterus I have a vertical incision all the way over to the right because it was the only place to put it. So I have 2 separate scars. The risk of rupture gets pretty high that way.

Also, even though my medical records don't state it I believe both babies were just plain too big to fit through my pelvis. Ds#1 was 6 lbs 6 oz with a 14" head. DS#2 was 7 lbs 14.5 oz with a 15+ inch head (15.25 I think). DS#2 was 50th percentile for weight and 95+ percentile for head circumference!

I am not planning to get pg again, but if I did I'd likely ERC.

[Nique]

Here's my story. I have what is pretty much considered an elective primary cesarean section. I was pregnant with twins. Baby B stayed transverse most of the pregnancy and the doctor was convinced she (baby B) wouldn't turn. We discussed the "options" and she told me that our hospital didn't allow twin vaginal deliveries unless both babies are vertex. My response was "what if I just refuse to consent?" And she said that obviously that was an option, but probably not a good one. She also said that whether it was because she turned or I refused surgery that the hospital would demand I deliver in an OR "just in case" and have an ACTIVE epidural (meaning I would have NO feeling while trying to push) "just in case." My OB felt these just aren't favorable conditions for a vaginal birth, I would have a pretty tough time delivering. Especially since I was a FTM and had no clue what a labor and delivery felt like.

With all that stacked against me, I just kinda felt like there really was no way to succeed anyway. It wasn't until much later that it hit me, I could have refused the epidural too. Anyway... at 35 weeks, baby B turned. Baby A was already wedged into my pelvis pretty good too! The OB offered me a vaginal delivery, to which I responded that I have spent most of my pregnancy preparing for a c/s, it is SCHEDULED already, and my DH is coming home from Iraq for this birth. NO. She offered to have me induced the day before my scheduled c/s (or day of, but she felt starting it the day before would have me delivering day of). I repeated NO. I wish I had known better. She offered it again the following week, and the day before the c/s, she said we can admit you this evening and start everything.

I was given the option to do vaginal but was TRUELY scared. I look back on it and WISH I had known more and just gone for it. But I was scared and was prepared for a c/s at that point. My recovery was really quite easy, and the girls were fine.

Anyway, that's MY story. Now I'm hoping to have a tubal reversal soon (another dumb thing I let myself be talked into ) and eventually a VBAC baby.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by jackie75

I think the majority of the time, we women make the decision of having a cesarean out of deep love for our babies. We tried the best we could, with the info we had at the time.

You know, I think this is what's behind my feeling about elective cesareans. If a woman has a cesarean because she honestly believes that it is safer for her baby in her specific case, I'm not going to criticize her for it. I'd certainly want her to do her research and make her decision based on knowing all the risks, but I wouldn't think any less of her for it. Even if it's a primary elective section because her sister had an unexplained stillbirth and she's terrified her own baby won't make it ... OK, maybe it's irrational, but I think it's a valid reason.

Now, someone who has a c-section so they can pick the right date or keep their tight vagina or get over being pregnant earlier ... : Seriously. WTF.

I'm trying to decide whether to visit that elective cesarean site or whether it's just too scary. I doubt those people would really want the 12 (not 6, 12!) weeks of painful recovery I had.

[rubymoon]

Originally Posted by jackie75

I think the majority of the time, we women make the decision of having a cesarean out of deep love for our babies. We tried the best we could, with the info we had at the time.

Well said!

What's "UP" ?