I'm interested in answers for your 2nd child, especially.
I had an emergency c-s w/ DD, I went into labor 4 days past my due date. Drs think I will likely need a c-s again b/c DD failed to progress and did not handle contractions well and we had to go in for an emergency when her HR dropped to 30! They say this is likely to happen again.
I am not one of those women who has to have a vaginal birth so a scheduled c-s is just fine with me. If I go into labor on my own before then, we'll see how things go. I was 8cm by the time I got to the hospital 4hrs after waking up w/ labor pains so it's possible I'll go very fast if I do go into labor on my own. (Unfortunately 6hrs later I was still 9-9.5cm).
Anyway...my c-s is scheduled 8 days before my due date which means DS will be cooking 12 days less than DD, so a whole pound less gained. DD was 7lbs 4oz. Sometimes that worries me. I feel like I should give him a chance to develop as much as possible in utero. I know plenty of babies are born much earlier than 8 days before their due date and are totally fine. I know I will be miserable those last few weeks and counting the hours till my scheduled c-s. But a little part of me worries that taking him out too early is not a good idea.
thoughts??
Re: how long before your due date was your scheduled c-s?
I had mine scheduled for 4 days after my due date, but my water broke on my due date!
My doctor and I decided on the C-section the day before my due date due to DS's size. I was due on a Saturday and we had it scheduled for the following Wednesday.
HTH's
My OB has already planned my c-section for DC2 even though we aren't planning on having another one for a couple of years. Given the nature of my first c-section I cannot have a VBAC, I had too many cuts because he was too big to come out and my uterus won't be able to handle it. The OB said they will schedule it at 38 weeks. I had DS at 36 weeks unexpectedly, went into labor and was dilated 10cm in less than two hours. They are hoping that this won't happen again but are going to schedule the c-section at 38 weeks to lessen the chance of me going into labor. This was the earliest they felt comfortable scheduling it. It's a tricky situation, but DS was born at 36 weeks completely healthy, 8.5 pounds and is ahead in every milestone so far. He apparently decided he was fully cooked.
I didn't have a C-section but was induced early due to pre-E. DD was born 12 days pre-due date and was fine. I would ask your docs why 8 days out - why not 3 days (or whatever days)? What's their rationale? Obviously size was not an issue.
(I should note that my docs were pushing me to schedule a C-section (around 39 weeks), but the idea was pre-empted by more immediate necessity.)
We scheduled DS2 for the day after his due date, and he was 10 lbs. when he was born (no GD for me or anything that would have indicated he would be so big). DS1 came 3 days after his due date and was 8.5 lbs. So for us there was no correlation of weights and due dates.
They would have scheduled it 39 weeks or later -- I opted to give him until his due date to come out VBAC before resorting to a c-section.
yes, they did put me on Pitocin w/ DD (but I felt nothing, thank you, epi!)
thanks for everyone's responses. It's something I'll bring up at my OB appt tomorrow. Maybe re-schedule it for 3 days before my due date or some closer date.
I was scheduled 10 days before my due date. I was not having complications. I didn't question it at the time, I had the impression they scheduled it that far before to help ensure the woman was not already in labor.
Now I'm all curious about how standard that sentiment is.