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Upstate NY Babies
37 wk ckup-Update
So I had my 37 wk ckup and another ultrasound yesterday. The good news is I found out my 3 hour GD test was negative, bad new is my fluid level has risen so now I definitely am classified as having polyhydramnios. They said now that they have ruled out the GD their main concern is the size of the baby. Teagan was below the average for size when she was born...only being 6 lbs 4 oz and I had a 2nd degree tear. Now DH thinks the only reason I tore with her was because when her head came out the cord was around her neck so tight that Dr. could barely get his two fingers under it to cut it and her apgar score was only a 4....they had trouble getting her to breathe so the Dr. pulled her out quickly on my next push instead of letting me take my time. Anyway they are worried that because I had trouble delivering that size baby that I will have trouble this time possibly running into shoulder dystocia and having a 4th degree tear from that or just purely due to the larger size of this baby. He said he's had one case of shoulder dystocia in his career and that once that happens you've basically reached a point of no return because at that point it's more dangerous to try and push the baby back in and try to do an emergency c-sec so they had to use the vacuum on her. Due to that she had a 4th degree tear and needed reconstructive surgery. I remember how painful it was just healing from a 2nd degree tear so the thought of healing from a 4th, makes me think healing from a c-sec would be easier. They are going to continue to do weekly ckups and ultrasounds to monitor things. So he said I have 3 things I could do; a c-sec, an early induction, or just do nothing and take the chance at the risks that may be involved in a vaginal delivery. It's just a tough decision to make and I don't know what to do. What would you do?
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Re: 37 wk ckup-Update
meh.. IMO, a tears a tear.. and the size of the baby doesn't have that much to do with it.. I had a 4th degree tear with Eve, and a 3rd with Natalie (although the dr also did an episiotomy with Natalie.. so I think maybe that was technically worse, since it was both). Natalie was a pound bigger than Eve.. and I think the recovery was harder with her as far as the tear goes.. (although Eve jacked up my tailbone so bad, I say that I didn't have time to pay attention to my stitches hurting because i was too distracted by my tailbone).
If it were me, I think I would attempt a vag delivery as long as your Dr honestly doesn't think that there are huge risks to the baby.
m/c 1/2/08 and 3/12/08
Eve Amelia- Born 2/24/09. 6lb 9.9oz
Natalie Ruth - Born 6/13/11 7lb 6.6oz
I would definitely take the c-section...but that's coming from someone who's had two, and no vag deliveries. It's just not that important to me to deliver vaginally to risk having something go wrong that could impact you and your babies life forever if, god forbid, the worst were to happen.
Healthy baby = happy mommy that is better able to care for it because she wasn't all beat up from a traumatic delivery.
I had a 4th degree tear and it was bad, like I couldn't really sit, and it hurt to stand too.. I spent a lot of time laying down. I remember hobbling to my 6 week checkup.
THat being said - when I was preg with #2, I spent 9 months battling over what to do . And the estimate of baby's weight through an u/s is pretty inaccurate. However, I opted for the c-section and was happy with it - a c-section was like a walk in the park compared to the 4th degree tear. I could barely stand long enough to wait 5 minutes for a wheelchair when I had my tear - and when I had my c-section, I booked it out of the hospital because I wanted to get home, and it was a VERY long walk and I was fine!
Ultimately, I liked the 'control' of the c-section - really no worries, I had things scheduled with my older DD, I knew when I was having the baby, and I knew that I could watch two kids on my own recovering from the c-section. With the 4th degree tear I was basically bedridden in pain for weeks.
But - not to make it a horror story for you - the 4th degree tear I had was rare. I had a lot of damage from 2 attempts with the vac and then the Dr used forceps. That is not normal and my ob should have gone with a c-section.
Nest Bio ~ ~ Baby Food Blog
Coming from someone who had a scheduled c section and a big baby, I would go with the cs based on what you wrote. I would have said yes due to size, but adding everything else you mentioned would make that decision easier (for me).
Good luck!
I'm sorry you have to struggle with this decision, K. Coming from someone who was told that my baby was large and breech and scheduled the cs, only to find that the baby was small and faced the perfect direction for delivery, I know what you're dealing with. Given the same info I had been given I probably would do the same as I did (if I knew that E wouldn't be in the NICU after surgery because of a cs). But having said that, I was all about pain meds, etc. for my delivery and I know you would much prefer a more natural, drug free experience.
I agree with Melissa that I don't know if the size of the baby has much to do with tearing. I had a small tear that needed a few stitches with Rosie. Thomas was 10 ounces larger than Rosie and came out sunny side up which my OB said is like adding a pound to the baby, and I had no tearing at all. And recovering from birth is rough no matter how much you tear. Even with no tear, I couldn't really stand up without being in pain for 3 weeks after I had Thomas.
I don't think that because you had trouble getting her out you will automatically have trouble getting this baby out. Labors can be so different- I'm a perfect example, Rosie was 30+ hours of labor and 4 hours of pushing, Thomas was 8 hours and less than an hour of pushing.
If it were me, I would try a vaginal delivery, but I'm also really scared of inductions and c-sections, so that's a big part of it!
This, exactly
TTC since 6/2003. m/c 9/14/03 8 weeks, 5 chemical pregnancies, mmc 6/04 12 weeks, Michael born sleeping 5/25/05 at 22weeks always our angel, fought ovarian cancer and won, m/c 4/06 5.2 weeks and 7/07 6.6 weeks,Our Miracle baby girl born 4/8/10,mc 12/18/11 at 5.3 weeks, BFP 10/26/12 dating u/s on 11/8/12 showing a strong heartbeat!EDD July 4,2013. RCS on 6/27. Baby boy in NICU for 8 long and scary days before he was able to come home. We are now a happy family of 4
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I'm sorry you are struggling with this. I would try a vag delivery. I had a csection and was miserable for weeks(in pain, limited mobility, etc). Check out the VBAC board and read stories of women who had tears as a VBAC and still felt a million times better than after their c-section.
However, do what you think you can handle! Good luck with your decision.
That is a tough decision. I wouldn't choose cs simply because of the size, bc if your body progresses on it's own that may not matter. But the shoulder and fluid thing would make me lean towards cs bc of the higher risk involved.
FWIW - my friend's second son had the shoulder dystocia (they didn't know ahead of time or anything). She said it was very scary, but the actual delivery physically was easier than her 1st son who weighed less. She tore with both babies (2nd degree) and said that the second baby was the easier recovery.
And I know some people heal better than others on the tearing. I think it just depends. Mine with dd were 2nd degree, but I also tore upwards and that was what was horrible for me. The one going down healed pretty good and compared to the upwards it didn't bother me as long as I kept iceing it.