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C-sections
jesusita2002
member
limit to c-sections?
jesusita2002
member
in C-sections
I, like so many others, had an unexpected c-section after 4 hrs of pushing and our little guy not progressing past the pelvic bone due to his head positioning. After closing me up, the Dr. informed me that she would not recommend attempting a VBAC in the future due to my pelvic structure and the size of our son (8lbs 10oz) since "they only get bigger". She even wrote her recommendations in my chart which my Dr brought up in my 6wk PP check up saying that "she usually doesn't write things like that unless she really means it".
It wasn't until speaking with another pregnant friend that she told me that she was scared that she would have to end up with a c-section because I guess you can only have 3 and she and her husband would like to have more than that.
I had never heard of this nor did my doctor say anything during my pp visit. Does anyone know if there is truth to this statement? I know it's not the end of the world but my husband and I are "planning" on 4 and since I "can't" have a VBAC I'm wondering if it's true.
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Re: limit to c-sections?
My blog
There isn't a real 'limit' - it just depends on how things look when they go inside each time (scar tissue, etc). When I was pg with my first and discussed wanting 4 kids, my ob didn't even flinch.
And remember.... Ethel Kennedy had something like 11 c-sections
Mama Jan's Kitchen... a food blog
I asked two OBs at my Drs office and both said they would probably tell me to stop after 5. I know someone at church who had 4 and I just had my third 5 months ago. I talked to my Dr about having another one and he said it shouldn't be a problem.
I am not sure about this but I think I heard that Drs used to tell people to stop after 3 when they used to do vertical incisions.
I think it is a doctors decision on how many they will do. I have a friend who has had 4 and her doctor said he wouldn't do anymore. She wanted a VBAC but had breech babies 2x's and then the 4th time they said not to even attempt to have a VBAC.
So I would say ask your doctor how many CS he feels comfortable with, and find out if that is just his personal opinion or is it based on you. Also, just because he wouldn't "reccomend" a VBAC doesn't mean you can't still try to have one. My doctor said it wasn't his first choice but he supported my decision to try if I wanted, but wanted me to be aware there was a significant chance I'd end up with a CS again anyway. (mine was because of pre-e with DD1 and a failed induction and a mulitude of other problems.)
Just be your own advocate and ask questions!
The facts are that the more c-sections you have, the more your risk of complications increase. VBAC vs a second c-section are pretty much the same risk-wise. But more than three c-sections do have actual, serious risks.
Some of the risks of having a lot of c-sections come with subsequent pregnancies - the possibility of placenta areccta (which is when the placenta implants in the c-section scar) rises with each c-section and pregnancy.
These are some good links (warning, the first two talk about placenta accreta in detail!):
https://articles.philly.com/2010-05-31/news/25216929_1_cesarean-c-section-vaginal-births
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/caesarian-rates-placenta-accreta-contributing-rise-maternal-death/story?id=13399308
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-sections/AN02070
OP - if you and your DH want to have four kids, it may be worth your time to get a second opinion about whether you are a good candidate for VBAC or not. I personally wanted a VBAC, mainly bc I wasn't sure if I was done having kids, and I wasn't comfortable with the risks that come with having three or more c-sections (And FWIW, I pushed for 4+ hours with my first son bc of his position and had a c-section, but had a straightforward vaginal birth with my second). Good luck!
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
It's up to each individual person and doctor really.
I just had my 4th c/s and the doc told us that my uterus is in good enough shape that we can have another. He has actually performed up to 10 c/s's on one person.
There are definitely risks with more c/s's. My fear with the last two were that I would go into labor before my c/s date. If that happens, that can be rather scary.
We will probably have one more, or we'd like to anyway.
I think the 3 c/s's is kind of old school thinking and most people have heard that at some point.
When I had my 3rd baby someone very rudely said to me "Well that's it then, you can't have anymore" and I snapped back at her "I'll have as many as my doctor tells me I can have".
I had the same thing happen as you did, my DS was 8lb 14oz and my doctor advised against VBAC because of incompatible anatomy. He would still let me try if I wanted to though. If I had failure to progress or something I would try it, but this type of birth experience tends to run in my family. We have big babies with really large heads and my mom and aunt both had very difficult births for the same reason. We only want a max of 3 kids so I am not too worried, but my OB assured me that in most cases 4 c-sections is fine if we decided to do that many. I didn't ask beyond that because I would never want more kids than that.
First- they (subsequent) babies are not always bigger. I was my mom's first- 9 lber, my 3 younger sibs were all smaller than me.
My second was over a lb smaller than his older brother.
Next- like people have prev. posted it all depends on how well your uterus/body heals after each surgery. I had always heard 4- but after talking to my OB (which I love by the way) I learned it could be 3- to greater than 5.
I was told not to go past 3 because your chance of placenta accreta increases drastically.
You can do whatever you want but there are recommendations and they can vary from OB to OB.
It's common to hear that Ethel Kennedy had 11 c-sections, but actually, I think she only had 5. BUT, still impressive, because they must have all been with the classical vertical incision.
And I have heard of women having 8 or 9 without any and or many problems.
I think it really does depend on your body and your experiences. Just like any birth, though, I guess. It is a higher likelihood to limit your children somewhat, but not necessarily.
This is a really short article from the Mayo but it gives an idea of complications after 3 c-sections. It is from April 17, 2010 so it is not overly outdated. I thought I would throw this out there for anyone who wants to do more research for themselves.
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-sections/AN02070