scheduled c-sections

helloaustin123

Anyone else have a scheduled c-section? Mine is scheduled for May 30th. This will be my second one. I had a c-section the first time around due to failed induction (long story short - my body is incapable of dilating). I was wondering if you did anything differently with a scheduled c section. Did you go to the grocery store right before so you knew you had a good amount of food when you got home, get a hair blow out? (haha, kidding ... kind of). Any other tips, suggestions, your experience with a scheduled one?

michaela0704

I'm having a RCS and I plan to shower, blow dry my hair/straighten it, and have a huge meal the night before... as I know I won't be eating real food for a few days after!  To be honest, will probably do all those things after dropping my boys off at my folks house as I think mine will be super early in the morning.

My first C-section was after 48+ hours in L&D after a failed induction so I was so gross by the time I was in recovery.

helloaustin123

michaela0704. Mine was failed induction too after 36 hours. it will be so different being able to be more prepared this time around - haha! huge meal the night before! That's a great idea 

Mport90

My first was emergency due to the same circumstances as you, I am planning this one this time. It is looking like June 6th will be the scheduled date. I plan to have someone at the house with my ds or drop him night before. I will most definitely have a nice meal the night before, showered and fresh for sure. So nice to know I can plan a little bit for this. 

n0soup4u

I will be having a csection this time. I will be doing everything that @michaela0704 is doing. I will be getting a mani and pedi a few days prior. I will be taking the longest shower of my life the morning of.

kdanjou

The day before my scheduled c-section my husband and I went out to dinner and just tried to enjoy our last day alone!  FWIW we didn't go out to dinner again for a loooooong time so definitely live it up while you can.

JessyKV

I had a scheduled c section with my first.  It was on a Monday so that weekend we finished prepping for the baby and cleaned the house.  Definitely stock up on groceries, freezer meals, paper products and post partum supplies.

We went to dinner and a movie that weekend and since my c section wasn't until 4pm they said I couldn't eat so many hours before so we woke up super early and went out to breakfast then I napped and fully showered and got ready before we headed in. 

Xath

@helloaustin123 The night before my planned cesarean, we did a huge family-style dinner at Maggianos with all of our friends.  They sent us home with all of the leftovers, so when we got home from the hospital we had days of food.  I ate a ton that night, because I had to start fasting at midnight and knew I wouldn't really be able to eat the next day. 

The great thing about a planned date is that you can prearrange childcare for your older kids.  

danij0

Just out of curiosity what happens if you go in to labor naturally but you are planning for a c-section? Do they just take you straight to the OR?

Xath

danijo said:

Just out of curiosity what happens if you go in to labor naturally but you are planning for a c-section? Do they just take you straight to the OR?

Pretty much; it depends on how far along you are and how you go into labor.  If you're term by that point, they'll probably go ahead and do the operation.  If you're early, they can do some mitigating steps to slow/stop labor if your cervix is closed and your waters are still intact. 

Typically if you've had a previous cesarean and you're not a VBAC candidate, most doctors/hospitals don't want you to labor/contract for too long on your own.  So they'll do the cesarean before your planned date. 

LAMCH1980

I'm having one sometime in the last week of May.  My last one was scheduled too. I'm going to make some meals ahead, set up a place that is easily accessible for me and baby to sleep, clean the house, and pay bills about two weeks in advance (because I'm just not going to remember due dates the first week or two.) 

EmeraldNC

I will have a scheduled c section this time, like others I was induced last time and labored for 2.5 days, then ended up having to have a c section. 

Love this thread.. Hadn't thought about any of this! I'm definitely going to get a mani/pedi and blow out. After a blow out my hair looks good for like 4 days!!

mslynn2012

Scheduled CS for 6/27. Had an ER CS with my son due to heart decels, tried for a VBAC with my daughter, no progress after 12 hours, so it's aRCS for me. 

I plan on having an awesome dinner the night before and going in showered and hair straightened. MUCH different than my last 2 deliveries. 

KB00

I plan on having a repeat c-section as well. I was induced with my son at 37 weeks because I had hypertension/borderline preeclampsia and my son was showing distress. I was induced by didn't dialate or show any signs of labor after 24 hours. Because he was distress, they moved to c-section. Thankfully, everything went very well and recovery was very easy for me. Now I'm having a repeat on June 30, unless I show signs of labor before hand. 

I plan to make the most of it now that it's planned. Take a nice long shower, fill up on dinner and dessert (last time I didn't eat for 30 hours because I wasn't expected to go into labor and couldn't eat once I went to the hospital. I was starving!!), make hubby clean the house one last time, and cuddle with my son on his last night as an only child. It was so unexpected when my son came early that his nursery wasn't done and the house was a mess lol glad I can plan around it this time. 

Spookster

I will be having a repeat, I will be having mine around May 23rd. 

alm52386

Spookster said:

I will be having a repeat, I will be having mine around May 23rd. 

That's my birthday!

onaed

Right now I'm still debating VBAC vs repeat c-section.  I think the vbac consent form scared the crap out of me so I am reconsidering the c-section route seriously. Last pregnancy I had fetal distress before I even got to the pushing stage (heart rate dropping with contractions), so who knows what my labor progression should look like.

My questions for the group are:
1- Has your doctor told you how long you have to wait before you can pick up your other kids? (My first will be 22 months). I am struggling with processing how I will tell him no when he reaches for me. I've heard anywhere from 2-6 weeks and I don't meet with my doc again for 2 weeks to ask.

2- If you've already had a repeat, was the recovery easier the second time?  And longer term - was it harder to get rid of the tummy pouch the second time?

A big factor for me is that I may want to have more kids, I know my doctor is comfortable with doing at least 3 c-sections, I just know risks increase. Crazy that I still haven't made my decision, but right now I am swaying towards the scheduled c.

doodleoodle

onaed said:

Right now I'm still debating VBAC vs repeat c-section.  I think the vbac consent form scared the crap out of me so I am reconsidering the c-section route seriously. Last pregnancy I had fetal distress before I even got to the pushing stage (heart rate dropping with contractions), so who knows what my labor progression should look like.

My questions for the group are:
1- Has your doctor told you how long you have to wait before you can pick up your other kids? (My first will be 22 months). I am struggling with processing how I will tell him no when he reaches for me. I've heard anywhere from 2-6 weeks and I don't meet with my doc again for 2 weeks to ask.

2- If you've already had a repeat, was the recovery easier the second time?  And longer term - was it harder to get rid of the tummy pouch the second time?

A big factor for me is that I may want to have more kids, I know my doctor is comfortable with doing at least 3 c-sections, I just know risks increase. Crazy that I still haven't made my decision, but right now I am swaying towards the scheduled c.

My doctor told me I couldn't pick up DD, who will be 19 months at the time, for 4-6 weeks. When she wants me to pick her up I'm planning on walking over to the couch, where I will have a step stool for her, and sitting down and asking her to sit with me. 

I have a c-section scheduled, but it's scheduled for 3 days before my due date and since DD was born a week early I feel like I'll go into labor on my own. My OB said that if I go into labor on my own then I can see how I'm feeling, how dilated I am when I arrive, the doctor on call, etc. and decide then if I want to try for a VBAC, that might be an option you could discuss with your OB. 

onaed

@doodleoodle is your DD still in her crib or is she already in toddler or regular bed?  Since my son hasn't attempted to crawl out (only attempts to climb in ha),  I'm still using the crib. I figure it'll be tough in the mornings to take him out when my husband isn't around.

Your gameplan makes total sense to me. Is it typical for your doctor to do schedule 3 days before due date (mine is a week before)? I'm not sure if my doctor is just risk adverse, she supports VBACs and has a high success rate with them, but she also made comments about trying to avoid a vbac turning into an emergency C-section because sometimes it goes from perfectly fine, to crazy quickly.  When I asked her personal opinion she said she would do c-section but that's just her personality as it relates to additional risk. She has also reminded me that my last baby was big  (not huge 8lb12oz a week early)  and that I never got to pushing. Super frustrating and discomforting, and doesn't align with anything any of the doulas have said (in terms of trying, monitoring and doing a C-section if no progression-- without making it sound alarming). 

Sorry for the long response, I'm just feeling really stuck and now more anxious and worried about the implications and risks of either route repeat C-Section or VBAC.  All pregnancies carry a risk regardless, but I am clearly indecisive worrier- it was nice not having to think or make an advance decision about this.

mezalune

I had a scheduled CS with my first due to frank breech presentation.  My OR time wasn't until 4ish either so I spent the morning showering and relaxing.  I was super excited and anxious so no nap, but I'd recommend it if you can!  Planning for a VBAC this time but a scheduled RCS sounds much better than an emergency to me!

silliegirlie143

For those of you who've been through this before: can you carry your older kid via piggy back? Or is it absolutely no picking up at all?

Should we have to go down this path I dont know how to get DD in and out of my SUV if I can't carry her at all... Do I just kneel on the floor and change her diapers on the couch since I cant pick her up to put her on the changing table? 

LAMCH1980

You can't carry them at all. I think I was told 6 weeks last time. I plan to have a little stool that DS can climb to get up and over things. I'm nervous about it too, but it isn't forever. 

kdanjou

@onaed Just to put in my experience here in case it is helpful, I think that if you are planning on having more kids, you should seriously consider trying for a vbac.  It sounds like the only concern your doctor had was for a bigger baby, and no one can really predict that.  Obviously it is a choice you have to make, but the 3rd or 4th c-sections carry a much higher risk than the first couple.  I met with an OB specialist and she advised me that I was an excellent candidate for vbac, so even though I am not planning any more kids, I am going to try for a vbac.  I just want to try to avoid that major surgery again if I can, and I would also like to have the experience of a vaginal birth.  Could you get a second opinion if your doctor isn't being clear with you on her reason for recommending an RCS?

onaed

@kdanjou thanks so much for your input!  i know some women vbac a 9lber so I'm surprised that she's so concerned about size. I made my next appt with the other doctor in her practice (in 2 weeks) just to make sure I know both of them well and I'm going to pick her brain. Next week I have a growth scan st the hospital (had low beta hcg which could cause growth restriction) so maybe I'll have a better sense for size then and maybe that will signal that this baby will be smaller. I just hate that all these concerns are coming up now that I requested the consent form. 

jesselayne8

Not picking up your other kid for 6wks is just not reasonable for many people.  When I had my second child, my first was 17 months old.  She had to be lifted in and out of the crib, highchair, car seat etc.  I was on my own after 10 days so I had no choice but to pick her up.  

LAMCH1980

jesselayne8 said:

Not picking up your other kid for 6wks is just not reasonable for many people.  When I had my second child, my first was 17 months old.  She had to be lifted in and out of the crib, highchair, car seat etc.  I was on my own after 10 days so I had no choice but to pick her up.  

True story. We probably technically shouldn't be picking them up and carrying them around now either! I'm sure these kids are over the weight limits that we should carry in 3rd tri but you do what you have to do. With the csection, I honestly felt like I couldn't physically do it... but there are creative things you can do to get around some of the lifting. 

doodleoodle

onaed said:

@doodleoodle is your DD still in her crib or is she already in toddler or regular bed?  Since my son hasn't attempted to crawl out (only attempts to climb in ha),  I'm still using the crib. I figure it'll be tough in the mornings to take him out when my husband isn't around.

Your gameplan makes total sense to me. Is it typical for your doctor to do schedule 3 days before due date (mine is a week before)? I'm not sure if my doctor is just risk adverse, she supports VBACs and has a high success rate with them, but she also made comments about trying to avoid a vbac turning into an emergency C-section because sometimes it goes from perfectly fine, to crazy quickly.  When I asked her personal opinion she said she would do c-section but that's just her personality as it relates to additional risk. She has also reminded me that my last baby was big  (not huge 8lb12oz a week early)  and that I never got to pushing. Super frustrating and discomforting, and doesn't align with anything any of the doulas have said (in terms of trying, monitoring and doing a C-section if no progression-- without making it sound alarming). 

Sorry for the long response, I'm just feeling really stuck and now more anxious and worried about the implications and risks of either route repeat C-Section or VBAC.  All pregnancies carry a risk regardless, but I am clearly indecisive worrier- it was nice not having to think or make an advance decision about this.

She's still sleeping in her crib and doesn't seem ready for a toddler bed at all. I'll probably need to stay at my MIL's once DH goes back to work. 

My doctor won't schedule a RCS before 39 weeks and there are several doctors in the practice and they rotate the days they are on call. I think that the date I was scheduled for was the first day she was working outside the office in my 39th week. I could have scheduled sooner, but I prefer for her to be my delivering doctor. My doctor is okay with a VBAC, but she also said if it were her she would do a RCS. I think it's a really personal decision and you need to trust your gut. I'm hoping for a VBAC, honestly, just so that I don't have to recover from major surgery with a toddler, but if it doesn't feel right when the time comes then that's that. 

helloaustin123

I'm with the previous poster on you having to do what you have to do ... my daughter will be 18 months when this new baby comes.
i only have help for a week or so and then im on my own for the most part. I can't ask my mom or husband to come over or from work everytime I need to put my daughter in her crib high chair or car seat. I'll just make sure to take precautions when lifting. Maybe bending at the legs in a squat to get her versus bending over. I am nervous about the recovery though. I was in so much pain the first time around (cs after laboring 36 hrs) so I hope the fact I am going in for surgery more rested will help. 

ladylolly89

If I end up having a C-section I can't imagine how to function without picking up DS! He'll only be 14 months. At 12 months he's not even walking yet, let alone able to climb up onto the couch. That would be kind of a nightmare to deal with at this age. 

doodleoodle

I'm super lucky that my MIL doesn't work and is willing to basically let us live over there for 6 weeks if need be, but even with help, going for 4-6 weeks without picking up my toddler just seems sad. I have a feeling I'm going to be a rule breaker too.

ama7165

I am hoping for a vbac but it very well could end up in a c section. I have been training my son to climb into the suv and get in his own car seat since September when he was 2.5 in preparation. 

My plan is go for vbac if I go into labor prior to 39 weeks otherwise my c section will be scheduled for 39+1 as due to previous complications they will not induce me. But currently this baby is breech so we will see what happens in the next 7 weeks!

soontobemrsdavis

I didn't know I was having a csection with my first until the day before. We went out to eat and just enjoyed each other as a couple before the big day. I thought I would be up all night, but I actually went to sleep early and slept so well that night. 

This is time I have the date set well in advance (June 1st.). My goal is to be prepared at least two weeks in advance, so that I can just chill out and enjoy my current family of 3. I'll probably have a date night again the night before and get as much rest as possible.

Yailani23

I found out last week that my baby is currently breeched. I am 33 weeks along and was hoping to go for a VBAC. However, I don't know if the Dr. might change that to a scheduled c-section at my next appointment or if they wait until I'm further along to decide.

Does anyone know if the baby can turn on its own after 33 weeks?

mrt

@Yailani23 the baby definitely can turn at any time, I think it just becomes less likely the bigger the baby gets. But I have known people at full term who had a baby turn between appointments that were a couple days apart. Good luck!

ladylolly89

@Yailani23 My OB doesn't even start checking baby's position until 36 weeks because up until then they can still change positions pretty easily. But as @mrt said, they can still turn at full term. My younger brother turned head down at the hospital while my mom was in labor! 

doodleoodle

Yailani23 said:

I found out last week that my baby is currently breeched. I am 33 weeks along and was hoping to go for a VBAC. However, I don't know if the Dr. might change that to a scheduled c-section at my next appointment or if they wait until I'm further along to decide.

Does anyone know if the baby can turn on its own after 33 weeks?

One of the OBs at my office told me that he's performed c-sections due to baby being breech, where he checked via ultrasound that baby was breech the morning of the section and then when he performed the surgery later that day the baby was head down. 

merrylea

doodleoodle said:

Yailani23 said:

I found out last week that my baby is currently breeched. I am 33 weeks along and was hoping to go for a VBAC. However, I don't know if the Dr. might change that to a scheduled c-section at my next appointment or if they wait until I'm further along to decide.

Does anyone know if the baby can turn on its own after 33 weeks?

One of the OBs at my office told me that he's performed c-sections due to baby being breech, where he checked via ultrasound that baby was breech the morning of the section and then when he performed the surgery later that day the baby was head down. 

^^^^ actually happened to my friend.  She was checked the night before, still breech, had the surgery first thing in the morning, baby was head down. My friend did not feel the baby turn. I was so surprised they didn't do a check right before the surgery!

kdanjou

They checked me right before my surgery with DD and she was still breech.  I was scheduled for a c-section at 39 weeks +5 days.  I would have requested a check immediately before if they hadn't done it.

lovesclimbing

Yailani23 said:

I found out last week that my baby is currently breeched. I am 33 weeks along and was hoping to go for a VBAC. However, I don't know if the Dr. might change that to a scheduled c-section at my next appointment or if they wait until I'm further along to decide.

Does anyone know if the baby can turn on its own after 33 weeks?

Definitely possible.

Additionally, there are various things you can do to encourage the baby to turn. What to Expect has a section on it, and there's also the website spinningbabies.com. Also, you can have the baby turned by a doctor (external cephalic version) and that has a fairly high success rate. 

n0soup4u

There is a good thread on the May BMB in regards to csections. 

MotherofDragons

I had a friend go in for an external cephalic version three weeks ago. First ultrasound check showed baby was breech. They got the IV in and got her fully prepped for the procedure. The OB grabbed the ultrasound to find the baby's head and butt for hand placement, he had flipped down during the prep. 

She jokes he just needed to be scared into it. She went on to have him naturally with a quick labor on her due date two weeks later.