Any moms deliver both way?

CartersComing1212

Hi ladies,

 Sorry if this is a repeat post - I have never used this board before. I was just wondering if any moms out there have delivered both vaginally and via CS? And if so was one more painful? Would you perfer one way over the other? Sorry if this is a silly question.

JulesDiane

You might want to ask this on the VBAC board.

nosoup4u

VBAC board is here: https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/9841109/ShowForum.aspx

I had a c/s and a VBAC. They both took time to recover from, but my VBAC was a faster recovery, and I could move around a lot more right after birth. hth

aandg

I did. My son(1st baby) was delivered vaginally. My daughter was delivered by c section due to complete placenta previa.

I tore and had to be cut with my son-he had a huge head. I was definitly sore for a while, but I was up and moving very soon after his birth.

After my daughters birth I was in major pain for quite a while. I was not able to get up at all for 24hours after her birth (hospital policy) and I was extremely nauseous and couldn't eat for about a day and a half after she was born. My recovery took a lot longer after her birth.

I would 100% prefer a vaginal delivery over a c section if given the choice.

MAprincess

I had both.  While there is pain and recovery time for both, I preferred the vaginal delivery because the recovery was much quicker and the post- birth pain was minimal (even with a tear).

monksmama

I had a planned C with my first (breech) and a med-free VBAC with my second.

IMO, there really isn't a clear winner in which was easier for me. The C/S had the obvious faults and recovery BUT, I tore really badly with my second and that recovery was hell. I pulled a few stitches and sex wasn't pain free for more than a year.

With #1 I was scared to death and felt really detached from the birth. But, this was also 6 years ago and things were done a heck of a lot differently than they are now (at least at my hospital) DS was taken at 38 weeks as it was easier for the OB, he was taken to the nursery immediately and I didn't get to see him for more than an hour. (just standard practice - there was nothing wrong) Now my hospital does skin to skin during C/s and babies don't leave mom's side at all. (pending complications)

I was up and moving much, much sooner with #2 but sitting was awful. My PPA was also worse with #2, not sure if it had anything to do with delivery.

I was planning a birth center water VBAC with this kid, but now it is looking like another C/s in my future and while that is a bummer, I'm not heartbroken or anything.

IMHO, birthing sorta sucks no matter how you do it.

CartersComing1212

Thanks everyone!

BritanyV

MAprincess:

I had both.  While there is pain and recovery time for both, I preferred the vaginal delivery because the recovery was much quicker and the post- birth pain was minimal (even with a tear).

Ditto

annabelle.27

I have had both- a c-section with my first and a vbac with my second.

They were different, and hard to compare in some ways. I consider myself to have had an easy c-section recovery and a difficult vbac recovery (although in many ways my vbac recovery was very easy- I didn't even tear- and I wonder how much of my perceived poor vbac recovery was due to unrealistic expectations and/or poor emotional response to the birth, as it went well but not at all how I had planned).

Excluding the labour and birth itself (obviously an unmedicated vbac is more painful than a medicated c-section), the c-section was more painful. I had sharp pains when standing up for the first few days, and had a hard time doing various day-to-day activities immediately following my c-section. My vbac was less painful, but in some ways was a more "intense" recovery, if that makes sense at all. I wasn't as sore as the c-section, but the pain lasted longer (I was still tender 8 - 10 weeks later, when at that point with my c-section I felt totally recovered). I swelled up like crazy after my vbac, and it hurt even to wipe myself after using the washroom for weeks later (due to the swelling). I also felt some tenderness when walking for several weeks after the vbac. So even though the pain wasn't as intense as the c-section pain, it was longer in duration (for me), which presented a different set of challenges for me to cope with. (I do believe that my experience isn't usual, though- it doesn't seem that most women are sore months after vaginal birth.)

As I eluded to above, I also had a poor emotional recovery after my vbac. I didn't experience any of the feelings of "failure" that some moms feel after their unplanned c-sections, but I did feel sort of like that after my vbac. I felt damaged. I think so much of it was because everyone told me that a vbac recovery would be SOOOO easy, and I didn't feel that it was. The soreness, swelling, tenderness, bruising, etc, was hard for me to deal with, both because it took me a bit by surprise, and I found I was less emotionally able to handle pain in my genital region than I was post-surgical pain in my abdominal region. I had a fear that I would never recover, and I never felt that way after my c-section.

All that being said, I would prefer the vaginal birth, and if I were to have another baby, I would opt for that route. Not so much based on the recovery (both equally sucked, in my opinion, for different reasons) but based on health risks (for low-risk women, c-sections are statistically riskier than vbacs), the opportunity for bonding with baby (my hospital has a strict mom-to-recovery/baby-to-nursery policy after c-sections. I loved holding my baby immediately afte rmy vbac), and just a general feeling that, generally speaking, nature's way is best, and short of any medical complications that would necessitate another c-section, I should choose nature.

skio

annabelle.27:

I have had both- a c-section with my first and a vbac with my second.

They were different, and hard to compare in some ways. I consider myself to have had an easy c-section recovery and a difficult vbac recovery (although in many ways my vbac recovery was very easy- I didn't even tear- and I wonder how much of my perceived poor vbac recovery was due to unrealistic expectations and/or poor emotional response to the birth, as it went well but not at all how I had planned).

Excluding the labour and birth itself (obviously an unmedicated vbac is more painful than a medicated c-section), the c-section was more painful. I had sharp pains when standing up for the first few days, and had a hard time doing various day-to-day activities immediately following my c-section. My vbac was less painful, but in some ways was a more "intense" recovery, if that makes sense at all. I wasn't as sore as the c-section, but the pain lasted longer (I was still tender 8 - 10 weeks later, when at that point with my c-section I felt totally recovered). I swelled up like crazy after my vbac, and it hurt even to wipe myself after using the washroom for weeks later (due to the swelling). I also felt some tenderness when walking for several weeks after the vbac. So even though the pain wasn't as intense as the c-section pain, it was longer in duration (for me), which presented a different set of challenges for me to cope with. (I do believe that my experience isn't usual, though- it doesn't seem that most women are sore months after vaginal birth.)

As I eluded to above, I also had a poor emotional recovery after my vbac. I didn't experience any of the feelings of "failure" that some moms feel after their unplanned c-sections, but I did feel sort of like that after my vbac. I felt damaged. I think so much of it was because everyone told me that a vbac recovery would be SOOOO easy, and I didn't feel that it was. The soreness, swelling, tenderness, bruising, etc, was hard for me to deal with, both because it took me a bit by surprise, and I found I was less emotionally able to handle pain in my genital region than I was post-surgical pain in my abdominal region. I had a fear that I would never recover, and I never felt that way after my c-section.

All that being said, I would prefer the vaginal birth, and if I were to have another baby, I would opt for that route. Not so much based on the recovery (both equally sucked, in my opinion, for different reasons) but based on health risks (for low-risk women, c-sections are statistically riskier than vbacs), the opportunity for bonding with baby (my hospital has a strict mom-to-recovery/baby-to-nursery policy after c-sections. I loved holding my baby immediately afte rmy vbac), and just a general feeling that, generally speaking, nature's way is best, and short of any medical complications that would necessitate another c-section, I should choose nature.

Thanks for sharing this, very interesting and informative read. 

Mama-Bear

My first was born vaginally and my twins were a c/s (breech).  I personally would always opt for a vaginal delivery, a c/s while being a routine surgery is still a major surgery.  Honestly, one wasn't worse than the other, just different.  With my vaginal delivery, I was terrified to use the bathroom for a while, terrified to have sex, and it was kind of uncomfortable to sit on any hard surface (the LDRP's had rocking chairs that were useless to me).  With my c/s it hurt to laugh/sneeze/blow my nose/cough, but the "bad" parts with the vaginal delivery were non-existant.  Once I got home from my c/s, I had to remind myself to slow down, I was zipping up the steps like normal.  All in all, I wouldn't be upset if I need another c/s but I will try for a VBAC.

valkyriemama

I had a 20 hour induced labor with a failed epidural for my first and c sections for the rest since #2 was breech.  I'd take an unmedicated vaginal birth hands down over a c section.  Even though I was more tired at first with the c section recoveries are much harder.

emberlee3

I had a CBAV DS was born med-free.  I had a bad 3rd degree tear that took months to heal.

DD was breech.  The first day post-c/s was a little rough because I didn't keep up with the pain meds.  After that, I felt great.  Way better than after my vaginal delivery.

teacherjess

I am having a c-section this time after delivering DD vaginally 4 years ago. I had a traumatic vaginal delivery with her and recovery was miserable. In my mind, no matter how hard the c-section recovery is or how painful it is, it would be hard for it to be worse than my vaginal delivery and recovery. It took me months to really recover last time.

rbytsdy

I've had both. I had a fairly straightforward c-section and a long tough vaginal birth but the day after my vaginal birth, I felt great.  I had to use sitz baths and ice diapers for a while to help heal my tear but it was definitely better than the c-section.  I remember being about 6-8 weeks post c-section and crying on my dh that I just wanted to feel normal again.For almost a year, it hurt to have anything press against my incision.