Ladies, why would you choose to have a C-section?

[SandraM]

From figures I have read in various media recently, it seems that over 1 in 4 babies born in the US are delivered by C-section.

I can understand it in a situation where, for medical reasons, you probably will end up having a C-section anyhow, or if you've already had one.

But for someone going through a trouble-free pregnancy where complications are not expected, why would you choose to have an operation that is not only going to scar you, but will mean that recovery after the birth is going to be considerably more difficult.

I think the C-section rate here in Ireland is a bit over 1 in 10. For my own part, I planned the deliveries of my 2 babies with recovery in mind, going for the least amount of pain relief I could cope with. That was 2 shots first time, 1 shot second time. With no stitches to cope with, I was sitting up (cross-legged ) within 2 hours of my first delivery.

I'm curious as to why so many American women seem to choose a C-section against the other method of delivery?!

 

[missypie]

When the baby wouldn't come out any other way! DS was 11 lbs and was so big he couldn't drop, so C-section was the only choice.

I've done both and I although I can't believe how much the labor hurt, I'd do a normal delivery any day before a c-section. No surgery to recover from with a newborn!

 

[Melora]

I would NEVER choose to have one!

I did however have 2 out 5 births. The first the doc thought the baby was in distress but ended up not so I was rather upset because the events that led up to it were mismanaged.

The second I was already pushing and we realized the little guy was trying to come out forehead first and it wasnt going to happen.

They were my first and last births. My second would have been a Csec if I had listend to docs.. (they were spewing the once a C always a C bull).

My plan was to stay home until I was part way into labor so they wouldnt try to force me to have one... well my little lady didnt want to wait and about an hour after I started labor she presented herself on our bed..... My ex delivered her!

The other 2 were also home births, no meds as well.

 

[Lisa L from MI]

Well, I had my first dd (1993) through a c-section....I tried pushing etc...but they decided it was time to take it and had a c-section.

With my second dd (1996)....I REALLY wanted a c-section but my doctor talked me into trying ******lly......I did it and it was awful!!! I would take a c-section over ******lly anyday!!!!! My recovery was MUCH easier and faster with the c-section.....and you can't even see my scare anymore!!!

That is my opinion...I know everyone has their own....

 

[snoopy]

I had a c-section with my frist pregnancy after 36 hours of labor. The second pregnancy the doctor asked if I wanted to try a VBAC and I laughed in his face. The decision was real easy for me - try a VBAC with the very real possibility I would be in for a long and painful labor that would end in a c-section anyway, versus a planned c-section where all I needed to do was show up on the scheduled date. I have no regrets that I never pushed a baby out, I know some women do but I'm not one of them. My goal was to deliver healthy babies with as little discomfort as to me as possible.

 

[mrsv98]

Well, DD chose to be a c-section! She was completely opposite of what she should have been, head up and facing out. I am not sure how it is in Ireland or the rest of Europe, but here, virtually all OBs insist on a section with a breech baby.

That being said, I can't see ever having chosen a section just for the mere convience, after all, it is major surgery. We don't plan on having another but I think I would aim for at least trying a VBAC if we did.

 

[tinaluis]

#2 and #3 were c-sections but not by choice. I would have done anything to have normal (I tried typing in the correct term and was censored, LOL) deliveries with them (and tried all sorts of things from pelvic tilts to actually trying to have the baby put into position - forget what that's called) but it was not to be. In the end, I was happy to have two healthy babies so it was all worth it, but I definitely prefer ******l (censored again) delivery over a c-section anyday.

 

[remyandhollandsmommy]

I have had two c-sections. The first one was not planned (emergency and both of us would have died), but I planned the second one.
My reason:
I knew what to expect because of the first one and didn't want to chance going through a god awful labor only to have one anyways. There is a good chance of repeat c-sections. Plus it is NOT as bad as people are led to believe. I could schedule it for a time when DD(5) was out of school (the day after Thanksgiving) to make things easier. Alot of people tried to talk me out of getting another c-section saying I would miss out on the miracle of birth and would not get to bond properly with my baby. This is hogwash! Keep your miracle of birth, I saw my SIL's and it was GROSS! And do they think I got my baby out of a gumball machine? I DID give birth to her. As for bonding, we bond just GREAT.
Results:
It is a VERY good thing that I did this because the inner scar tissue from the first one was real weak and my OB said it would have split under the pressure of contractions causing internal bleeding. Though my baby did have to go to the nursery because I began to hemmorage(spell?) a little and they wanted to get it under control, it was a decent experience.

Sadly, I was not made to have a "regular" birth...sigh...

 

[RitaZ.]

I was reading an article the other day about the c-section rates in S. FL hospitals and the percentage of c-sections has definitely gone up in the last 10 years. I doubt that most doctors will agree to performing c-section on a patient that has a low risk pregnancy, without giving labor a try first. I think the reason for the increase in c-sections has to do more with medical liability rather than women demanding to have c-sections.

I had 3 c-sections and with the exception of the last one, the other two weren't planned. I had trouble-free pregnancies (I mean nothing abnormal), but delivery was an entirely different matter for me. I'm one of those women that truly has a narrow pelvic cavity, we didn't find this out until my first delivery. With my second child, my doctor encouraged me to try VBAC. I ended up with another c-section because DS decided to move up (instead of down) and there was a risk of cord prolapse. One of my dear friends had lost her first child due to cord prolapse a month earlier. By the time DD came along, my doctor knew my history with difficult deliveries (he performed all 3 of my c-sections) and suggested that I plan to have a c-section. My risk of a uterine tear was also greater after having had 2 c-sections. I can honestly say that c-section was so stress free and my recovery very quick, I used Tylenol for pain relief.

With my first c-section, I went through a very difficult labor and then I had to have an emergency c-section. I felt like a rag, my body was all worn out from all the stress. With DS #2, I was induced and went through labor and made absolutely no progress. The best delivery was definitely the planned c-section without all the stress and fear. BTW, my "scars" are barely noticeable. My doctor was always surprised at how well my incisions healed, I'm too.

 

[frustrated]

Originally posted by southernclass
Let's put it this way. I have never had kids and I can barely take two of my fi's fingers there much less a child so for me a C section sounds like heaven. I like being small down there and although you can do exercises after birth, I know first hand you are never as small as you once were.

TMI, IMO! By the way, if you have not had children then how do you know this first hand? Just curious.

 

[Doesney]

Originally posted by southernclass
Let's put it this way. I have never had kids and I can barely take two of my fi's fingers there much less a child so for me a C section sounds like heaven. I like being small down there and although you can do exercises after birth, I know first hand you are never as small as you once were.

WOW this is TMI

 

[padams]

Most women in the U.S. who have a c-section don't "choose" to have it. They didn't pick having a c-section over a natural birth. Their doctors recommended it for the health and safety of the mother and child. One of the reasons for the high c-section rate in the U.S. is physicians' fear of malpractice lawsuits. They don't want to risk something going wrong with a prolonged labor, for example, so they opt for a c-section.

BTW, I had 2 c-sections 6 and 8 years ago because of prolonged labor the first time, and being 2 weeks post- due date on the second. My scar has faded and is no longer visible.

 

[Christine]

I had two *regular* easy births (probably can't use the "V" word on this board). I am 40 years old now and am beginning to suffer from mild prolapse. This will get worse as time goes on and I will probably have to have a hysterectomy in another 10 years. If I jog, it flares up; if I jump rope, it flares up. Not fun. There are a few pieces of research out there now that state that C-sections cause much less problems "down there" for women in their later years. I had my children in my late 20's/early 30s. I had NO problems whatsoever after their births. It is 10 years later that the problems are starting. My doc says it has to do with childbirth that causes a "crack" in the supporting tissue around the pelvic organs. I wish I had had C-sections.

My friend had two regular births with episiotomies (sp?). To no avail, she had 3rd degree tears that went through to her rectum (sorry to be so graphic). Another doctor told her just the other day that her "childbirths" had pretty much "wrecked her cervix." Maybe we can get a discount rate if we show up together for the pelvic floor reconstruction surgery!

Anyway, I think in the U.S., many women are researching the pros and cons of each type of birth and deciding what they want to deal with down the road.

 

[helenabear]

Originally posted by frustrated
TMI, IMO!

I agree!!!!!!!

Intresting thread... I haven't had children yet so this is a bit intriguing to read all the reasonings behind them