Any classical cut moms??

[Missgrl]

I had to have a classical cut due to the urgency to get ds2 out very
quickly! If I were to have another baby it would have to be c/s due
to this and it brings be down tremendously. I experienced a non medicated
vaginal birth w/ds1 and it was wonderful. Knowing that I will never
be able to do that again causes me lots of sadness.....even to the point
that I don't 'want' another pregnancy.

Anyone else here feeling this?

[Greaseball]

Sorry the first post has to be from someone who hasn't experienced it, but I've been looking at this for a few days. This might not be the info you're looking for, but have you read Open Season? There are stories of VBAC women who have had classical incisions, as well as T or Y cuts, and who have given birth at home afterwards. (It had to be at home, no hospital would touch that one.)

So if you would be comfortable with that and could find a midwife, it might be possible after all.

[Missgrl]

thanks Greaseball!
I'm off after this to look on Amazon!

[TreeLove]

I had a classical. The best thting I ever did was to come to terms with it (it took almost 5 years!). I had a WONDERFUL c-birth on the 13th. I never thought a JOYOUS c-birth was possible til I gave birth to my sweet Addie Mae. PM if you want to talk more, or I'll be glad to answer any and all questions right here!

[Greaseball]

I just picked up Open Season again today and read a story I hadn't remembered, from a midwife who attended a woman at home after 3 classical sections.

But I'd guess that's only for people who are totally comfortable with the idea.

[gossamer]

I had to have a classical cut due to the emergency nature of my C-section also. I have never been able to even experience a single labor contraction, because my baby was delivered at 24 1/2 weeks, and I never will. Having never given birth before, I don't know if I could give birth at home. I know for a fact my dh would never go for that in a million years. He is still having trouble coming to terms with my health 8 weeks after I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. If I am late coming home he gets paranoid and is sure I got hit by a car. There is no way I would have any peace or calmness if I chose homebirth.
Gossamer

[dlb]

Congratulations, Tree love--

Miss girl-- having never had a natural delivery, I feel alot of sadness, but then again, I don't really know what I missed. I can say though, my two planned c-births were beautiful. The fact that it wasn't an emergency gave me so much more power over the whole situation, I was able to make my needs clear before I was in the throws of labor or any kind of emergency. Both times I worked with the doctors concerning what my emotional needs were, what my prior disapointments were, and what I would and would not consent to. Both times I had to deliver at different hospitals, being unhappy with changing policies regarding infant/mother contact after c-birth. It was alot of hassle, I even had to go to a different doctor for the last baby, but it was well worth it.

One thing that made a difference was delivering at a hospital that had it a regular policy for the baby to remain with me, if he was healthy, in the or while I was stiched up. My third son had to go to the NICU, but prior to his leaving they made sure I had cuddled him, and they appologized for taking him. With my fourth, I held him the whole time I was in the or, and was wheeled out with him in my arms. That was so wonderful, I felt like a mama, not a surgical patient.

I would advise against hospitals that say "our policy is that the baby go to the nursery for all new born procedures while mom is in the or." They try to justify it as a safety concern, but if you dig deeper, you realize that it is a staffing and convenience issue-- not wanting to have someone in the or just for your birth to take care of the baby. Like I asked the hospital in my town, why is it considered safe 30 minutes away for the baby to be in the hospital? Sometimes they say "observation is better." Well, I was the one who first observed that my third son was not breathing lustily enough, when he was in the or with me. And they tend to have a whole football team in there anyway, no reason why the baby can't be looked after.

Sorry if I am rambling, its just that having my baby stay with me made all the difference, and some hospitals are resistant to that.

I will always the memory of my baby in my arms, right after birth. And I was not in any pain, not exhausted, just totally focused on his little face.

Gossamer, I am so sorry about what has happened to you. I hope that someday you get your hearts desire. And want to encourage you that a c-birth can be a beautiful, loving experience, if that does prove to be your only option.

DeAnna

[Missgrl]

thanks for all the support here

dlb....I understand what you meant when you talked about
holding your babe right after while they completed the
surgery. Maybe that's what i'm lacking emotionally, not the
c/b! My baby was taken to NICU immediatly due to underdeveloped
lungs and I didn't see him until many hours later! I didn't get
to hold him until 5 days later.
It was extrememly difficult on me....maybe that is what is
giving me such a bad taste of my c/b.

[Greaseball]

Another option is lying. If you want the security of the hospital, you could find one, maybe in another town, where the doctors don't know you, and just lie. You could say you were having your 1st pg (if you don't have an obvious abdominal scar) and then you could hope for a vaginal birth in the hospital.

You could also just refuse to have surgery and insist on a vaginal birth. You have the right to refuse any medical procedure, and if you refuse what they offer, they must offer you a reasonable alternative. They can't throw you out on the street because you don't want to do it their way. The only danger is the court-ordered c/s that occasionally happens.

[Missgrl]

Couldn't hide my scar

[gossamer]

No way I could hide my scar. Goes from belly button to pubic hair.

[Greaseball]

I know...a giant tattoo!

[Spark]

Just wanted to chime in another success story after classical cut. This success is a vaginal birth. My friend Arlene (Arlene are you still online here? Where are you, they need your story!) her first baby was 2 1/2 months early when she went into labor. They tried to stop labor for a couple of days and then emergency C-birthed him when it looked like he was taking a dive. She had a classical cut. (Yes, it's a big scar that runs up her tummy and spreads out in two directions at one end like a Y.)

Eight years later when she finally got the nerve up to have another child she searched all over before getting pregnant. She wanted a homebirth, but her husband thought the idea was insane. So she searched all over for a Birth Center that was run by midwives and NOT attached to any hospital by walls or by principles. The place she found was The Birth Place in Taylor, MI. They welcomed her to their practice. She was supported so beautifully during pregancy and carried the baby full term and even past the EDD. A week and half past her due date, she woke up to mild contractions that were coming 4 minutes apart. She labored at home for a few hours until her son & husband woke up. Then, they went to the birth center and with no interventions or medication of an kind she pushed out her healthy beautiful baby girl in a big bathtub. Arlene felt great!

Fast forward a couple years and she just had another beautiful baby girl this time at home. After her husband saw how non-medicalized birth is handled, he never wanted to go back to beeping monitors again. He had faith in birth, in Arlene's ability and trust in nature. They now have one son born emergency C-birth and two beautiful daughters born without drugs or interventions both past their due dates.

Best wishes. Sending you peace and love. May you birth more babies if that is what your heart wants -- C-birth or vaginal.

[Peppamint]

I have a story for you.

My midwife told me the story of a client of hers. There's a commune nearby and the woman assist each other when it comes time to birth. One mom had some kind of trouble while in labor and they drove 30 minutes to the nearest hospital where they did a T cut. Well, she immediately got preggo again and was due 9 months after her C/B. Because she refused to have another hospital birth, my midwife assisted her and she delivered vaginally 9 months after her T cut C/B.

and best wishes.

[Missgrl]

Thanks for those success stories!
I have to admit I haven't ''read up'' on vaginal births after
classical cuts. Like I said, I don't plan on having anymore
kids so that's probably the reason.
I understand that many woman after classicals desire a vaginal birth.
I also think many women don't feel like that is the best route for themselves. I"m not sure how I'd feel if I got pregnant. Women that have had c/b (esp. classicals cuts) hold alot of baggage and many feel that having another c/b is the best choice. I think it's just so important to support each women individually in whatever choice they make!

[TreeLove]

personally, for me, it's not worth the risk. I, without a doubt ,would consider suicide if my VBAC resulted in death due to rupture. That's totally just me, but when I was weighing the options I knew I just couldn't take the chance, but I did go on to have a WONDERFUL c-birth and I LOVE my lil' Addie Mae!

[Missgrl]

Exactly Treelove! Like I said...I'm not sure what I would do, but I would't do anything to risk the life of the babe or myself. I have the rest of my family to think about ya know!

T..my SIL is named Addy (different spelling though)! I love the name. Her fullname is Adelaide.

[TreeLove]

happy c-births are possible! It takes some work to get there tho.

[LisaG]

Just wanted to encourage anyone weighing options to look at the research. Of course uterine rupture undesirable. I was very surprised though when I explored the research and looked at what circumstances contributed to rupture (induction), and the fact that while a previous c-section does increase your risk of rupture during a vaginal birth, the likelihood that it is life threatening to mom or babe, or uterus threatening to mom is actually LESS than a mom with an unscarred uterus. In otherwords, ruptures in unscarred uteruses (while rare) are a lot more serious and life threatening than ruptures in scarred uteruses. I always assumed when I heard the word rupture that it meant your uterus went splat. Not true.

I was surprised by what I learned when I went to explore my options (don't have a c-section, but did have uterine surgery).

Ultimately, everyone must do what they feel is the right choice for them. It's wonderful to hear from women who have had positive c-section experiences . For those who are wondering if there's an alternative to a repeat c-section, I'd encourage you to explore the loads of resources and information out there before making your final decision. You might be pleasantly surprised, or you might realize that a c-section really is the best choice for you.

Best wishes,
LisaG

[Missgrl]

Lisa~what you say may be true for the bikini cut c/b but
we are talking about the classical cut here...different story.
I wish it werent' so but that's why I needed to have this
support thread so I could share my feelings with other
moms that had classical cut cesareans.