First delivery CS or VB?

pixiqueen79

So we are expecting baby #1 Sept 12th. The Dr said we won't make that date and will be induced early.  I'm Really on the fence between a c section and a vag birth. I think I have read every post about the two and still can't decide.  I see alot of posts by ladies who have had a CS for  their 2nd and 3rd births but not alot for the 1st.  How long was recovery for a 1st c section?  The thought of being in labor for 12+ hrs vs a planned time for a c section and being in and out in a short time is appealing.  Any advice would be appreciated!!

Mrs. Alice

I think you need to ask yourself, "do I have a medically neccessary reason to have surgery?".  If yes, then follow your Dr.'s advice.  Is there a reason why you have to be induced early?  I personally would not undergo major surgery unless it was absolutely neccesary.  My recovery wasn't that bad but I was really sore for the first week and then it took me several weeks to feel myself again.  I still get some minor pain around my incision when I exercise.

tawillers

My first delivery was a c/s after 17 hours of a med-free pitocin-filled labor.  My recovery was a breeze.

Does that mean yours will be?  No.

How many kids are you planning to have?  Are you ok with that number changing should you have a c/s and a failed vbac like I did?  I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a 3rd and 4th c/s, so we may not have the 4 kids we always thought we would.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for my 2 c/s because they were necessary for the health of both of my children.  However, it does affect more of your life other than not wanting to be in labor.

mben1119

If you need a c-section, get it. If you don't need it, I wouldn't. DS was an unplanned c-section, and after laboring and pushing for hours, getting cut open was awful. My recovery was terrible, and I still have incision pain 9 months PP. Also, there is no quick in and out. I was in the hospital for 4 days.

mlf625

I'm assuming your OB has a legitimate reason for wanting you to deliver early, so I'm not going to get judgey on that bit. 

I chose c/s with #1 over an induction.  I was 39w4d, had GD, and my OB didn't want me to go overdue (risks to GD babies go up after the due date).  I wasn't progressing and just didn't care to go through an induction that was likely to fail based on my Bishop score.  I liked the planned and controlled aspect and had a great recovery.

That said, some c-sections suck, just like some vaginal births suck.  You don't know how it will go until you get there, and neither way is the "easy" way. 

DisneyFan33

pixiqueen79:

So we are expecting baby #1 Sept 12th. The Dr said we won't make that date and will be induced early.  I'm Really on the fence between a c section and a vag birth. I think I have read every post about the two and still can't decide.  I see alot of posts by ladies who have had a CS for  their 2nd and 3rd births but not alot for the 1st.  How long was recovery for a 1st c section?  The thought of being in labor for 12+ hrs vs a planned time for a c section and being in and out in a short time is appealing.  Any advice would be appreciated!!

With me, my c-section was not planned, however I DO NOT regret it at all. I was in labor for 22 hours, and went through all the motions of a regular vaginal birth except for pushing. My labor started early Friday afternoon, August 4th. My bp was through the roof at my dr's appt that morning, so they sent me to the hospital to monitor me and the baby. I started getting contractions shortly after that, and they started me on Pictocin at 8:00 that night. It was a loooong night. I finally asked for the epidural around 4 am. Got no sleep (literally, I dozed for about a minute or two between contractions).

The next morning, my water had broken and I was dilated to 8 and pretty much stayed there---that was as far as I got. The next time my dr checked me to see if I could start pushing, I was dilated to 7--so I was going backwards. He opted to do the c-section. Honestly, at that point, I was too tired to push anyway and was kind of relieved. Really it was so easy to lie back and relax after all that time, while my dr did the c-section.

My recovery was not as awful as some make it out to be. AND let me add that I have never had surgery of any kind, I never even stayed in a hospital. Yes, the first day or two were kind of rough but still not terrible. I was foggy from the pain meds, and it was a bummer to not be able to hold my baby after she was delivered. But really they took great care of me. Here I am about 2 1/2 weeks later, and my incision looks great, and I feel really good.

Everyone recovers from a c-section differently, so it's hard to say what your recovery will be like. But bear in mind, that a c-section is not "the easy way out". For my own recovery, I was told to not go up and down the stairs, no driving for 2 weeks (or until I stopped taking the narcotics), no lifting anything heavier than the baby, restricted bending etc. There is really a laundry list of stuff you can't do. So if you don't have adequate help at home, it can be really rough. There is also soreness and pain once you get home, but again for me this was not unbearable. I stopped taking pain meds about 10 days post-op, I just did not need them. I'm also not sure if this makes a difference, but I was pretty active right up until the day I delivered--I was still doing 2-3 mile walks almost daily.

Sorry for the long post, there are pros and cons to CS and VB. But if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing and would have still had the c section.

aldarr

My first delivery was a planned c-section and I have only good things to say about it.  I never really wanted to have a vaginal birth but was planning on it because I didn't really think an elective c-section was an option.  I went over my due date and the baby was measuring on the larger side in the last ultrasound so the doctor gave me the option to wait it out and see about going into labor naturally (he did not want to induce) or if I wanted he would schedule a c-section.  I thought about it for a few days and opted for the c-section.  For me it was a great experience.  I didn't think the procedure was that bad and recovery was fine. Worst part was not being able to drive for 2 weeks.  I feel like you are going to be uncomfortable for a few days regardless which route you go but I was up walking around the very next day.  I asked the nurses about it because I had heard horror stories about c-sections and they did tell me that for women that labor first and then ultimately have a c-section recovery tends to be harder than those with a planned c-section. Everyone is different but just wanted to let you know all c-sections are not bad.  I am definitely having a c-section for future deliveries.  

payn0045

I will be having a c-section for my first in November, but only because it's medically necessary.  I definitely feel that the c-section has disadvantages and risks for both me and the baby.

pepomntpat

If given the choice I'd opt for the VB. I would not voluntarily be cut open. I would also put off an induction unless absolutely medically necessary.