C-Section scheduled, feeling nervous (updated, post 74)

[rbork]

Couple of things.
Sounds like c section is scheduled soon. Is the OP 39 weeks? It is late in the game to be so frustrated. A lot of women come into L&D with a birth plan. A good MD will try to stick to her birth plan but women need to realize that there are so many factors that go into an MD decision and things change. Cervix's don't always dilate as planned. Baby may decel with prolonged labor. etc. And who knows, you may go into labor earlier than the c section? The ultimate goal is a healthy baby and mother. At some point you have to accept the changes that may not have been planned.
OP asked for advice on c sections...
Be prepared for the spinal epidural feeling. I felt like I couldn't take a deep breath and felt nauseated. Have your partner or a nurse take some photos. Even if you don't think you want to. I look back at the photo of the MD holding up my boy after pulling him out all covered in goo. lol It is a great photo.
I'd say stay on top of your pain meds. Fill and pick up your pain meds PRIOR to leaving the hospital. Nothing like getting home and realizing someone has to go out and pick up the percocet and your pain level is climbing. Get up as soon as you are able to and walk but don't overdo it. Sutures vs Staples. I have seen alot of c sections open up without staples. Also when your BMI is alittle higher it will be harder to keep the wound clean and dry simply because you may not be able to see it. Get help from someone. Things happen and sometimes you just can't control them. Hang in there OP. Keep your eye on the prize - a beautiful baby.
I had babies both ways: v and c section. Both over 9lbs. There are advantages to both recoveries.
Good Luck and Congratulations OP!

 

[msmama]

Already posted once, but I'm sorry you had a bad interaction with the doc. Hope you're able to get some answers today!

I had staples and my wound still didn't close correctly so I'm going to say that whatever the doctor is most comfortable with is probably best (you wouldn't want him messing up something he doesn't usually use). They removed the staples before I left the hospital so treking back for that wasn't a concern.

Like I said, my wound didn't heal. I had a vacuum pump hooked up to my wound and home health care nurses coming twice a day for a couple of weeks to very painfully change my dressing.

But you know what...IT SUCKED BUT I WOULD DO IT OVER AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT FOR THE BABY I GOT OUT OF IT!!

No matter what, just remember that the payoff of a healthy baby is worth whatever you'll have to go through! Good luck!!

 

[angelmom27]

Sounds a dr who wants things done his way and on his schedule. Probably the reason for wanting to do a c section. No dr can predict the size of baby or how your body will do during delivery. It would help a lot more if hospitals and drs allowed women to get up and move and get into positions to beter help our pelvic to open for delivery. I wish you the best of luck on the delivery of your baby. Just remember foloow your instincts. If you feel you shouldnt have a section then don't. No dr can force you to do something you dont want to do. Its your body and your baby and you are in charge of what happens to it.

 

[AmyBWV99]

Your dr doesn't sound very open to walking you thru your concerns that sucks.

I had staples with 3/4 of my sections I honestly didn't notice any differences other than them being removed which just felt like tiny pinches but nothing traumatic.

 

[Vbellman]

Your doctor sounds like he is hurried and possibly not listening to your concerns but that does not mean that his medical advice is wrong. With my first pregnancy, my doctor told me from the first visit that I had a very narrow pelvis. I am an average sized woman(5'3" 145 lbs). He never specifically mentioned a c-section until I developed pre-eclampsia at 33 weeks. I was totally against having a c/s and told him so. Due to the pre-eclampsia, I was forced to deliver at 35 weeks. We tried an induction and I labored for 14 hours with very little progress or dilation. Our baby was no longer tolerating labor after 14 hours and I was rushed for an emergency c/s. My daughter was born weighing 4 lb 7 oz with a huge blood blister on her scalp where she was wedged in my pelvis for so many hours. C/S recovery was not all that bad since I got up quickly to see my baby in the NICU. With my second pregnancy, I again did not want to have a c/s, but I developed hellp syndrome and had to deliver at 34 weeks. While I was in the hospital before delivery, another doctor who checked me said, wow! You have such a narrow pelvis, no baby is getting through there. I guess what I am saying is that not all doctors are trying to make things easier in them, but might have legitimate medical reasons for c/s. I am certainly not a propionate of any scheduled surgery, but In some cases they are needed. It is preposterous to say that a woman would not grow a baby too big for her to deliver, since I could not deliver a small one despite walking, squatting and many other pelvis opening techniques. I would have been one that died in child birth many years ago. Yes, do your research, tell your doctor you want to try delivering ******lly, but also trust your doctor when he says enough!

 

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

I left a message with his answering service last night about wanting to talk with him. My husband called during a break from teaching and left a message with a nurse at his office. Turns out the office is open today, but he's out with scheduled surgeries all day. We told the office we need to talk with him and if it's not possible, we'd like to reschedule for after our questions can be answered. It sounds like I will definitely be having a c-section, but he should spend more than 5 minutes (over 2 office visits) explaining things to me and he should have been more willing to answer my questions.

It never occurred to me that I could have a birth plan with a c-section, so I did research into that and liked a lot of the ideas. I'm hoping he will be receptive, but we will see.

It also still bothers me so much that I've found two studies that say sutures are the best way to go, regardless of BMI, and that they have a much lower rate of having the wound open upon removal and a lower rate of infection. Both studies mentioned that sutures take 8-10 minutes longer in surgery, though, so I can't help but wonder if that's part of the reason he doesn't want to do them.

 

[Stephaniesue]

I am so sorry you are going through this.

Sometimes our doctors see it as so routine they stop thinking about how big this is for the patient. I wish he could sit with you and explain things in detail to you. But, with his behavior it doesn't sound like it's going to happen.

After my csection I did have staples, and I am a larger woman. I had 25 staples, they were left in too long and the skin started to grow over them. I had my son right before Thanksgiving, so the long weekend had his schedule booked.

My advice would be, if he is insistent on the staples and you have no choice, make sure you keep it clean and dry. I actually used thin maxi pads that were folded over on my incision site. I know it's not nice to think about but, being bigger we sweat and it can get trapped in there. Make sure you can get the staples removed as soon as possible.

I hope he comes around and spends a little more time explaining things. It's awful to feel trapped into something.

Maybe you will go into labor on your own before the csection!

 

[MSLRAC]

I left a message with his answering service last night about wanting to talk with him. My husband called during a break from teaching and left a message with a nurse at his office. Turns out the office is open today, but he's out with scheduled surgeries all day. We told the office we need to talk with him and if it's not possible, we'd like to reschedule for after our questions can be answered. It sounds like I will definitely be having a c-section, but he should spend more than 5 minutes (over 2 office visits) explaining things to me and he should have been more willing to answer my questions.

It never occurred to me that I could have a birth plan with a c-section, so I did research into that and liked a lot of the ideas. I'm hoping he will be receptive, but we will see.

It also still bothers me so much that I've found two studies that say sutures are the best way to go, regardless of BMI, and that they have a much lower rate of having the wound open upon removal and a lower rate of infection. Both studies mentioned that sutures take 8-10 minutes longer in surgery, though, so I can't help but wonder if that's part of the reason he doesn't want to do them.

I hope you are able to talk to your OB and get all of your questions answered. I know that it can be scary and some times doctors forget that while it's routine for them, it's not for you. I was young and didn't ask many questions because I didn't have a choice due to a medical condition with DD. So I just went with it but I did find the nurses the morning of my c-section very helpful and informative (I suddenly had 101 questions that morning). So don't be afraid to ask them questions too.

But try not over thinking the stitches vs staples thing. I had both. I had staples with my first two and stitches with my last. The staples were a piece of cake and healed great. I honestly didn't give my incision a second thought either time. But my stitches oozed for almost a week and four opened up on the first night and had to be repaired. It took a bit longer for me to heal that time and I felt like I had to be careful which was hard with 3 kids. It wasn't bad and I didn't get an infection or anything but if given the choice, I would have opted for staples that time as well.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

OP, I am also a pooh-sized woman who had to have a C section due to complications (pre-eclampsia). I'm going to PM you a few comments I'd rather not share in public, such as how much I weigh (so that you can get a comparison) and what my experiences were.

 

[Goin2Disney2006]

I can tell you from my experience (and I am Pooh sized too) that I had staples both times and had no complications at all. He used staples and steristrips over them. The steristrips fell off on their own and he remove the staples right in the office maybe 10 days after? I can't remember.

I hope you get the answers you are looking for. I hope in the future you find another doctor.

 

[Manders77]

I had two c- sections. First one was because baby was breach. Honestly when I found out I had to have it I was relieved. I also had staples with the first one. No issues or problems. Second was a repeat section. My son was in nicu so I was walking 4 hours after surgery since hospital messed up by not taking me to nicu before taking me to my room. Once I got to my room originally they said I gas to wait 12 hours but I flipped out so nurse made a deal and said if I can walk 6 steps to wheelchair they will wheel me down. I slept for a couple hours then seeing my baby motivated me.
I feel for you. Get your answers or seek someone else. My opinion planned c-sections recovery are easier than emergencies but it depends. Mine were easy, my cousin had a ******l birth with a big baby and it took her almost a month to recover. She couldn't sit normally for 2 weeks. It depends on the person.

 

[jahber]

OP, I want to encourage you to be persistent. INSIST that your OB discuss any and all concerns you have, no matter how much time it takes or how busy he is. That is his job--not just cutting you open. If you then feel confident in a c-sec, you'll go into it knowing you made the right decision. I would not be able to trust a medical practitioner who couldn't be bothered to thoroughly explain the (very real) risks of a medical procedure to me. It's late in the game for you, but until you go into labor, it's NOT too late to switch providers. That's why PPs mentioned groups like ICAN. They will work tirelessly to find you a new provider at the last minute.

I'm 36 weeks myself with a baby who's breech one minute, transverse the next, and head down 5 minutes later. My midwives have already given me several options for getting this baby to move. None of them involve surgery. Discussing these options involved conversations of 15 minutes or more at my appointments (after the regular exam), but I never felt rushed. If the baby doesn't get his bottom up by the time labor starts, I'll have a c-sec. But that's ok. I've done my research and feel confident that my midwives and I will get this baby in position. And if we don't, they will support me (even going to the hospital with me) through the whole thing. That's what a good provider does. I truly hope you are able to work this out and have a wonderful birth!

 

[magicwishes]

OP, I want to encourage you to be persistent. INSIST that your OB discuss any and all concerns you have, no matter how much time it takes or how busy he is. That is his job--not just cutting you open. If you then feel confident in a c-sec, you'll go into it knowing you made the right decision. I would not be able to trust a medical practitioner who couldn't be bothered to thoroughly explain the (very real) risks of a medical procedure to me. It's late in the game for you, but until you go into labor, it's NOT too late to switch providers. That's why PPs mentioned groups like ICAN. They will work tirelessly to find you a new provider at the last minute.

I'm 36 weeks myself with a baby who's breech one minute, transverse the next, and head down 5 minutes later. My midwives have already given me several options for getting this baby to move. None of them involve surgery. Discussing these options involved conversations of 15 minutes or more at my appointments (after the regular exam), but I never felt rushed. If the baby doesn't get his bottom up by the time labor starts, I'll have a c-sec. But that's ok. I've done my research and feel confident that my midwives and I will get this baby in position. And if we don't, they will support me (even going to the hospital with me) through the whole thing. That's what a good provider does. I truly hope you are able to work this out and have a wonderful birth!

 

[Help Please!]

OP,

I sent you a private message because I am not going to deal with the rude posters who post little smiley faces rolling their eyes. I don't do that to others in real life, so I don't do it on message boards.

I know you're probably having a crazy weekend, and I hope that you can find a sounding board that is more knowledgeable/ more considerate than this one for this particular issue. I sent you a few ideas for places that might be of help. I truly hope they are! Just remember, you will be holding your beautiful baby soon! : )

To the few posters who challenged my advice:

Please understand that I didn't tell her to go against the advice of her doctor. I just advised for her to be educated as well. Doctors don't know everything, and from her doctor's recent behavior, I would like to go into an appointment knowledgeable...knowing my options, the correct questions to ask, etc. just like I would probably do my research before agreeing to a specific type of cancer treatment, type of surgical incision, hospital, doctor, etc!

I didn't post all about my own experiences here because I think that bringing up one specific instance (like a child being born with a disability because a c-section wasn't done/ was done) is irrelevant. What makes sense is going in for major surgery if and only if it is the best option for you and your child. And if it is, aren't we lucky to live in a country with such an option. : )

I don't judge anyone for how they choose to give birth...just the doctors who choose how a woman gives birth for the WRONG reasons.