To C section or not?

lissbright

I had an ultrasound today to see the weight of my baby...hes pretty big at about 10.1 pounds. I am 39wks, I've not had any contractions or dilation. My doctor is giving me a choice-we can either have a c-section this monday morning, OR we can wait and try to go naturally but based on his size and everything she feels I am most likely going to need a c section anyway. She told me to think about it and get back to her tomorrow. What do you guys think? I know ideally natural is the way to go, but is c-section recovery THAT awful? 

mb314

I personally wouldn't schedule a c-section for a "big baby".  As pp said, ultra sound weight estimates can be off.  I've known people who have scheduled c-sections for "big babies" and their babies ended up being just 8 lbs.  Also, it's possible to safely give birth to a 10 lb baby vaginally.  Lastly, give the baby time to come on his/her own.

gallegosdc

I personally did not have a difficult recovery with my first C-section.  I'm scheduled for a RCS on 10/24 and hoping since the first one wasn't so bad, this one will be the same.  However, every surgery and experience is different.  I was hoping to go VBAC this time around, but with some of the issues I've been having, we decided RCS would carry the least amount of risk. Like PP stated, measurements can be inaccurate.  My daughter was thought to be 9lbs and was born at 7lbs 7oz. Worst case scenario...you go into labor and need an emergency c-section - you at least tried to have baby on your own.  That was how I looked at it when considering going VBAC - I trust my dr enough to get baby quick if he needed to. 

You have to do what's best for you and your situation. Good luck!!

bitsybubbles7

I ended up having several issues with my first and had an ecs after 30 hours of labor.  This time around, my ob and I decided a rcs was the way to go.  That being said, I was told at my 32 week appt u/s that this baby was weighing in at 6lbs, so I'm happy the decision was already made. 

PrimRoseMama

I would not.

leela02

I know moms who have naturally given birth to 10 and 11+ lb babies without complications. Personally I would wait for labor to start naturally and get a c-section only if a medical need arises, especially since weight estimates can be really off. But it is your choice!

RayRay007

gallegosdc said:

I personally did not have a difficult recovery with my first C-section.  I'm scheduled for a RCS on 10/24 and hoping since the first one wasn't so bad, this one will be the same.  However, every surgery and experience is different.  I was hoping to go VBAC this time around, but with some of the issues I've been having, we decided RCS would carry the least amount of risk. Like PP stated, measurements can be inaccurate.  My daughter was thought to be 9lbs and was born at 7lbs 7oz. Worst case scenario...you go into labor and need an emergency c-section - you at least tried to have baby on your own.  That was how I looked at it when considering going VBAC - I trust my dr enough to get baby quick if he needed to. 

You have to do what's best for you and your situation. Good luck!!

I would be careful with the term emergency c/s. It implies something will go terribly wrong if she tries vag. She may need a cs, but likely an unplanned one rather than an emergency.

OP I wouldn't do it for size estimates alone.

GeminiJordan

I would definitely attempt to go naturally. A lot of times estimates are wrong! Worse case you try to go naturally and end up having to have a C-section, at least you can say that you tried!

CubanPinky

with my  first i had a emergency csection at 28 weeks due to her coming so early  so there was no choice in that. the recovery was actually good n fast. i was back up and on my feet within a week. my second was a optional csection due to my first. and this one is a csection due to my previous. but if i had a choice...csection all the way. im terrified of tearing believe me the recovery isnt that bad

lissbright

It's so hard...a c section is appealing because I know exactly what/when things will happen, it seems it can be safer for the baby (less chance of shoulders getting stuck lol), but I know it's a tough recovery. I am so afraid of going natural and having tears/stitches...at least with a c section stitches aren't in such a delicate area lol. I have a list of a few questions to ask the dr tomorrow before I make my decision. Either way, I'm scared. I'm a first time mom. The closer the due date comes, the higher my anxiety gets and I'm so scared.

megs2011

Sections aren't a walk in the park. I had to have one with my twins and recovery sucked. It took forever for me to feel back to normal. I wouldn't opt for major abdominal surgery. I know a tiny girl that delivered at 10lb baby with a little tiny tear that didn't need stitches. Also, I'm telling you, just because the stitches are in a more appealing area, doesn't mean they are better. My scar still hurts from time to time and I had my section almost 2 years ago. Like others have said, US measurements at this point aren't accurate and can be off by 2 lbs. I'm getting nervous too as I'm trying for a vbac but I'm still going to try.

NatureLovers

::lurking from 24 weeks::
The thing that would scare me is the unknown. You can be one of the lucky ones who birth a 10lb baby vaginally, without issue. Or you can wind up having a baby with shoulder distocia and a 4th degree tear, which takes months to heal from and can permanently damage your pelvic floor. There's just no way to know how it will go.

Same goes for a c-section. Your recovery can be a breeze, or you can have a bad wound infection with adhesions.

I'd be honest with yourself and decide which risks you can live with. Personally, I'd choose the c-section, as I could stomach (ha ha) those risks more easily than the (small) risk of having an injured baby due to shoulder distocia. The choice is yours and please don't let anyone guilt you either way. Good luck.

Justabean3

I didn't have any issues with recovery from my RCS

I Didn't have a hard time just a much harder time with my emergency-c after induction. I was over due and told
I would probably end up in an emergency-c but could try anyway if I wanted first which I did. I ended up in the OR after 12 hrs

lissbright

thank you for all the replies after talking to the doctor today i decided to cancel the c section and wait to go naturally...if things get rough we can always do an emergency c section but hopefully that wont happen! 

CubanPinky

somerandomchick said:

'Big baby' is generally not a good reason for a scheduled CS. The size estimates can be WAY off and they simply don't know if that baby can fit through this pelvis until you try it. (And the next pregnancy could be the same size baby positioned differently and have a different outcome!) You just don't know until you try.

I successfully gave birth to a 10 lb 13 oz baby after being induced for going post-term at 42wks. It's definitely doable.

 @somerandomchick SHOUT OUT TO YOU! seriously! you sound like my dh's mom. she has 4 kids...all of them werent under 12lbs . they were 12.2oz, 14lbs, 13lbs and 14.5lbs. wow kudos mom! I dont know if i could have

megs2011

Oh I forgot about what the drugs can do to you. The IV drugs I was on made me so itchy. Like I couldn't stop itching my skin. It was crazy!

MrsKasel10

I would let your body go into labor on its own instead of consenting to major surgery. I have had 2 sections and hopefully will be birthing this baby med free vaginally.

sdtchica13

I would never, in a million years, schedule a c-section based off an estimate. With my second, I was trying for a VBAC and for the last four weeks of pregnancy, my docs tried to talk me into just having the section because they estimated Gavin would be close to 10lbs. I ended up with an RCS at 40 weeks simply because my body never went into labor (and with my past history they wouldn't let me go past 40 weeks)...Gavin ended up being 8lb, 5oz; I totally could have pushed that sucker out, lol! 

As for recovery, my first c-section recovery was HORRENDOUS, I didn't feel close to human for 5-6 weeks and basicallt felt like a truck hit me for the first two weeks, and that was with a kid in the NICU and being able to recover without middle of the night wakings. 

My second c-section recovery was a ton better; I was sleeping and feeling pretty normal at the 2 week mark even with caring for a newb at home right away, and my body bounced back faster too. That being said, I still wish with everything I have that I could have had the VBAC instead and avoided being cut open a second time, abdominal surgery is no joke!

TaraGoldenCO

I don't have any advice on which to do, but  if you decide to do a C-section, I would demand one last growth ultrasound to confirm the size since u/s are so inaccurate. 

jessacrea

Butting in from lurking - 

No doubt there are a hundred different opinions on the answer to this question complete with anecdotal reasons for that choice. All the same, I would like to share my opinion and anecdotal reasons for it.

I am in the same place in terms of deciding whether or not to have a c-section this time based on baby size. I am choosing to have the surgery and this is why: 

My first child was born at 39 weeks, 5 days. She was close to 9 pounds, delivered face-up, vaginally after 33 hours of labor, second degree tearing, recovery was not the most awesome thing, but it was fine. 

My second child was born at 39 weeks, 2 days - also face up, vaginally after 14 hours of labor. He was estimated to be close to the same size as the first via late term ultrasound, and I was completely anti- surgical intervention. Unknown to me at the time, the ultrasound weight was indeed off, in that he was nearly two pounds heavier than his sister. In the middle of a few hours of pushing, my OB asked if I wanted to continue or if I wanted to have a c-section. I opted to continue pushing because I was completely against surgery unless either of our lives were in danger. 

The outcome of that delivery - fourth degree tear for me, a completely bruised face, torticollis, a brachial plexus injury, and severe shoulder dystocia for him - he had absolutely no use of his left arm whatsoever and could not turn his head past center to the left. That postpartum recovery was brutal. I had to have reconstructive surgery, I still have issues with my pelvic floor, and sex is still very uncomfortable at times (nearly three years later). My son ended up in physical and occupational therapy multiple times a week for months, then we stepped down to once a week, once every two weeks, once a month, once every few months, now as needed...  He can now turn his head and has use of his left arm, but not like the uninjured right one. I believe that we will eventually get to the place where he uses both arms the same, but the sad truth is, it may never happen.

I wish my physician would have been more proactive in encouraging me to go ahead with the section during my second delivery - part of me feels like he held back strongly suggesting that I do it because he knew I was so opposed to it. I would say that if your doctor stops you from pushing in the middle of the process and asks you if you would like to have surgery, perhaps you would be better served to ask why he thinks it's an option you should consider instead of saying "ABSOLUTELY NOT, NO WAY, NO HOW" like I did. 

I would not wish that kind of mommy-guilt on my worst enemy. Knowing that I willfully chose a path that momentarily saved me from the discomfort of a surgery recovery but permanently injured my son is something that weighs heavily on my mind even now. Then I ended up having to recover from surgery anyway. The only way I can live with the choice I made is I finally had to convince myself that there was no way to know that he had 15" shoulders which would cause him to be lodged in the birth canal for a while, that based on the information I had available to me at the time, I made the best choice for me.

This third time, I am 9 days away from my scheduled c-section. I am extremely nervous about the surgery because it isn't without risk and I know recovery is going to suck. But personally, I am much more able to stomach the choice of only doing damage to the my body versus mine and and my baby's.  

I wish you the absolute best delivery and recovery possible, no matter what your choice is. 

lissbright

The birth will start as natural but since we know he's a big boy, we might end up just doing a c section anyway to avoid injury to the baby. baby boy still isn't here....any day now haha i'll keep you guys posted  

coromble

I would try to deliver vaginally.  With my first, I knew a c-section was possible because she was sunny side up and because my pelvic bones are super close together and didn't really spread even after I went all the way through labor.  My biggest fear is that I would go all the way through labor, push for three hours and end up with a c-section anyway.  Well, that's EXACTLY what happened and you know what?  It was fine!  Baby was never in distress, we could all just see the writing on the wall that she wasn't going to fit (she also had 99% head circumference!)  It wasn't how I envisioned it happening, but in the end, I was glad that I went ahead and tried.  I didn't have any guilt about how it went down, or feelings of being cheated out of the birth experience.  I did as much as I could and at the end of the day, we were both healthy.  I'm having a RCS with this baby and I had no doubt in my mind that that's what needed to be done this time around!

imakeeff0rts

Others have said so many things beautifully. 

First, US are notorious for being wrong when it comes to weight. So, I'd definitely consider that and ask for a second opinion. 

That being said, I did have a CS with DS. I was induced at 38w6d due to pre-e and cholestasis. I had the option to go ahead with a CS, but a vaginal birth was important to me and my doctor isn't one to just do a CS when it isn't necessary. 

Long story short, 12 unmedicated hours of labor later, I ended up having to have the CS because my BP skyrocketed, and my bile salts did the same. It just wasn't safe for either of us to keep laboring any longer. Not only that, but I'd only dilated to a 1.5, and he hadn't dropped. He was 7lb11oz at birth. 

This time around, I'm really hoping for a VBAC. My recovery was pretty rough. Every time I took a shower, I felt like someone was pouring alcohol straight onto my incision sight, and it was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced in my life. I went on like that for a month. I feel like I missed out on a lot of things, and I really did have a lot of guilt afterward. 

However, do what your gut tells you to do. I've heard that CS recovery is easier if you don't experience labor, but I can't tell you that first hand. It's a tough call.