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C-sections
AllieR22
member
Considering a scheduled C-Section
AllieR22
member
in C-sections
I need some advice, people i actually speak to about this, I get very black and white responses, who all has had a scheduled C-section and loved it or regretted it? To me it seems to be a smarter choice in that its less stressful and more controlled... I need help deciding... and who else to talk to than other bump mommies 
im a FTM
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Re: Considering a scheduled C-Section
I have a cervical septum, and had no choice but to have a c-section because of it. So, I had a scheduled c-section at 39w1d.
I had a very positive experience as a scared FTM, and my recovery has been far easier than I expected also. But every procedure is different.
I would never have a scheduled c-section if you don't have a medical reason for it though! Even though I can say now that my experience was a positive one, the first 24 hours are rough since you can't get out of bed and have to rely on a lot of help.
A+S | Met 8/24/06 | Married 9/27/08
Started TTC 12/2008 | dx PCOS 5/2009
6 failed clomid/femara/TI cycles, 1 failed clomid/ovidrel/IUI cycle
Successful Cycle: 5/12/11 - 1000mg Metformin + 100mg Clomid(late response) + TI = BFP
2/13/12 - We proudly welcomed our daughter, Hadley Teresa!
Lots of Luck to all of 3T/IF
I loved it and would happily make the same decision again if I planned to have more kids (but this will be the one and only for us). I was given the choice because my baby was measuring large in the ultrasounds and I'm very glad I made the decision that I did. Like you, I was much more comfortable with the idea of having everything planned and controlled, plus, for me, with a possible big baby, I didn't want to end up trying to have him vaginally and have him get stuck, injured or, worse yet, end up with a c-section anyway after all the pain and stress of labor. I also had a huge fear of just tearing like crazy, too. I did a lot of research and took some time to think before deciding to go ahead with it. My son only ended up being 8 pounds but I'm still very glad I made the decision that I did. He's healthy, happy and thriving and I feel great.
My recovery was a breeze. I was home from the hospital in just over 48 hours. I did a lot of research, read books and real life experiences of people who had experienced c-sections and I took all the advice to heart. I got up and moved as soon as I could and kept moving, I took my pain meds diligently so I could keep moving and I got plenty of help the first week home so I could rest and recover quickly. The pain was really quite minimal for me. The first few days there was a decent amount of soreness but nothing so bad that I couldn't easily deal with it as long as I moved cautiously. Moving around is a little slow at first but it gets better quickly. I'm now three weeks out and I haven't taken any pain meds for about a week and a half. I'm about 95% back to normal. I get a small amount of soreness if I overdo it and I still have a bit of puffiness that my doctor said would go down over the next few weeks. The only thing that I don't like is the limitations my doc put me on in terms of exercise and lifting.
However, I should point out that I had ZERO concern about what my birth "experience" would be like. From the get go, I've never cared at all how the baby got here, just that he came out healthy. My goal was always just baby, not experience! Quite frankly, I dont think there's an awesome way to get an 8+ pound baby out of a body short of teleportation so there's going to be pros and cons no matter what method of delivery that you end up with. I know a lot of women do care a lot about the birth experience and I think that definitely guides their views and advice because they would feel robbed of an experience that is very special to them. I think when you feel very strongly, it's definitely hard to see things from the perspective of someone who doesn't feel that way. What's right for one person may not be the right choice for someone else. My experience was great but yours could be horrible since you just never know how your body will react. I'm in good physical shape, healthy and tend to recover quickly from illnesses but I know there can be many risks and complications if you have existing health issues-- even obesity can make a difference in the length of the surgery, your risk of infection and just general recovery. I may not have made the same choice if I had those possibilities in front of me.
Ultimately, talk to your doctor about your concerns and see what he advises. It may not even be something that he/she would consider if there isn't a strong medical reason. Do your research and read and talk about people's real life c-section experiences (they're definitely not all like mine!) and then see where you stand.
Good luck in whatever you choose!
My c/s was scheduled for week 39. I could've gone for an induction, but had no dilation or effacement and quite honestly, didn't have any interest in laboring and ending up with a c/s anyway. I just preferred to go straight to the c/s. I did also have (mild) GD, which is why my OB offered up the c/s in the first place - they didn't want me to go overdue. I have no regrets. I had great c/s experiences both times, recovered just as quickly as my vaginally birthing friends, and gladly signed up for a c/s with #3 later this summer.
I did find it less stressful and more controlled, particularly with #2 - we were able to arrange care for DS far ahead of time and eliminate the middle of the night "what do we do with DS?!" drama.
Quite honestly, I think a woman should be able to schedule one for any reason without judgement. Your body, your baby, your decision.
My only hesitation would be if you hope to eventually have more than 3 or 4 kids. Many OBs get hesitant about c/s at that point, so if you want a large family, the c/s might not be ideal. We knew we'd never want more than 3, so this didn't affect my choice at all.
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
See, but that's not always the case. In fact, most OBs and nurses encourage you to get up and walk as soon as you possibly can. DD was born at 7:30am and I was up and walking (slowly) by early afternoon. DH went home a few times to help out with/visit DS and I was totally fine on my own with the baby in my room.
(read it. you know you want to.)
anderson . september 2008
vivian . february 2010
mabel . august 2012
I would never schedule one if I didn't have a medical reason. I was visiting a friend in the hospital and I saw another mom who had given birth the day before and while my recoveries were easy, they were no where near as easy as hers was.
I loved my scheduled, but that's only because I can only have rcs because my first c/s was at 28w4d so I can't try for a VBAC.
Around here, you have the catheter for 24hrs, so getting out of bed and walking around is pretty much impossible! You're so lucky, because once they took it out, I was able to move around fine!
A+S | Met 8/24/06 | Married 9/27/08
Started TTC 12/2008 | dx PCOS 5/2009
6 failed clomid/femara/TI cycles, 1 failed clomid/ovidrel/IUI cycle
Successful Cycle: 5/12/11 - 1000mg Metformin + 100mg Clomid(late response) + TI = BFP
2/13/12 - We proudly welcomed our daughter, Hadley Teresa!
Lots of Luck to all of 3T/IF
Ditto to all the PP that said they would never schedule one if it is not medically necessary.
Keep in mind that a c-section is major abdominal surgery. While you may feel it is more controlled and less stressful, there are a lot more risks involved with a c-section than with a vaginal delivery.
Do your research before making a final decision.
I would never schedule a c-section without a good medical reason for one. My first birth was a non-scheduled c-section; my second was a VBAC. I had a vacuum assist and quit a bit of tearing during my VBAC, but my recovery was still easier than recovering from abdominal surgery.
I don't think you can just choose to have a c-section just because you want one - there has to be a medical defense for the action, or your OB can get in big trouble if anything goes wrong.
I walked around with a catheter and IV and the bags hanging on a pole.
OP, I would never choose to have one without any medical reason. That being said, I think if you had to choose between a scheduled c/s and an unscheduled c/s, a scheduled one would be much easier.
bfp#4 3/19/2014 edd 12/1/2014 please let this be the one!
beta @ 5w0d = 12,026! u/s 4/22/14 @ 8w1d it's twins!
I've had 2 vaginal and 1 C/S
I would NEVER choose to have a Csection again over the vaginal. The recovery compared to my vaginals has been rough.
In the absence of a medical reason, I would say educate yourself AND your support person so that if a c/s does become necessary you will still understand what is going on and be able to handle any stress as well as maintain some feeling of autonomy and control. Everybody recovers differently, but in general there are more risks with an unindicated c/s than with a vaginal delivery.
As a FTM I did not think I cared so much about my birth experience, but I realized later that it wasn't that I didn't care, it was that I thought I would just breeze through so I didn't believe I had anything to be worried about.
Knowledge is power, and I highly recommend being brutally honest with yourself about that you want to happen. Best of luck. Either way you are going to make the right decision, as other posters mentioned, there are pros and cons to ever choice we make as a parent, from what we eat, to how we deliver, to how we raise our child....
I was up walking by 7pm after an early afternoon section. I wanted a snack and they told me that was the only way I would get it!
I lean more towards only scheduling for medical reasons. It's definetly a major surgery and I don't want that unless I have to have it.
My c-section was because my DD wouldn't come down. I dialated but she was too large to make her way down and when they allowed me to push and see if she would come down any, her heart rate showed some fluctuations and she didn't budge. So, the decision made was a c-sec.
Though it wasn't a bad experience it was a pretty rough recovery that first week, as with any surgery. Then again, I had also labored before having it and that makes a difference too.
My first was a vaginal birth with no epi and I loved the experience and recovery. I wanted that with DD2 but I had to be induced for medical issues and then the c-sec for medical issues. This LO will be a repeat c-sec and i'm sure it will be different as well. : )
This is incorrect. You can choose to have an " Elective C-section" if your provider is willing. And the OB will not get in any trouble for doing an elective c-section and they are not a bad MD for doing so either.
I had to have a c-section due to lo's position, but would have had an elective c-section anyway. I am a nurse practitioner and know the risks involved with both choices. I'm glad I had a c-section and will have another if I have any more children.
Do your research and do what is best for you and your baby. Good Luck!
DS born via unplanned C-section at 40w6d
I did not want a c-section. However, I suffered horribly from sever edema and pre-eclampsia and my baby was transverse. The doc did a version to try to flip her and it did not work, so I had scheduled a c-section. I then had to be "okay" with a schedule c-section, and I was like okay, well atleast I have a date to and can be prepared for it. Well then 4 days before my scheduled c-section I had cord prolapse and had to have an emergency c-section, which was definetely not what I wanted. I would have rether had my DH be in the room when is daughter was born, but in the end I got my healthy baby girl and that is all that matter.
As for my recovery, I had to have a cathear in for 24 hours so I could not move until the next day. I did get up and move as much as I could and that seemed to help. I have days that are good and days that are bad. I am one that will push myself and I need to learn to take it easier! I have not taken pain meds today (my baby is 12 days old) but I have 800mg motrin that I have been taking to help with the pain. When I got home it was a rough few days, just getting up off the couch.
I've done it both ways: My first birth was via a vaginal delivery, and my second via scheduled c-section for medical reasons at 39 weeks. Both were fairly standard and very positive experiences. However having experienced both I can truly say I would never chose a c-section over a vaginal delivery if I had the option. The recovery from my c-section was far more challenging. I feel like people forget, and DH had to be reminded of this several times during the course of my recovery too, that a c-section is major, invasive abdominal surgery. Not to mention the birth experience itself is absolutely different with each one. Yes, at the end of the day all that really matters is that mom and baby are safe and healthy, but there is definitely something more....I don't know, special and momentous I guess you could say, about a vaginal birth, and I definitely missed experiencing that again the 2nd time around.
As far as a scheduled c-section being less stressful and more controlled, that's true a lot of the time, but certainly not all the time. My section was scheduled for 6:30 AM, but my water broke and I went into full blown labor just 5 hours before that at 1:30 AM (I still can't believe it!). DS ended up being born at 4:00 AM, and the surgery done by the on-call OB, not my own as was the plan. So that was definitely not the stress-free or controlled situation it was supposed to be. Point is, even with a scheduled c-section birth, you can only control things to an extent.
Just keep doing your research - information in this case is your best friend!
Mine wasn't scheduled, it was an emergecy c/s due to fetal distress. But I will say I had NO problems with it. I was up and walking around by the next day. I was relesed a day earlier than most c/s moms. And recovery wasn't bad at all. Going into another pregnancy I will however try to do a VBAC. I hated not being the first to hold Nathan. I think it took 45 to an hour before I was able to hold my baby.
Three weeks since my c-section and it still hurts to holy he11 when I sneeze. I didn't have a terrible recovery but I did have a good amount of pain and I was in the hospital for four days and moving around, but very very slowly and again, with a lot of pain. I'm envious of everyone who said they bounced back and it was no big deal. Mine was after 21 hours of labor because DS was sunny side up and had the cord on his shoulder. I was also freezing cold during the procedure and for a couple hours after, which was not pleasant.
Once home I had painkillers to take but they left me both constipated and with horrible stomach pains so I went without. I generally feel fine now but I have to think a vaginal birth would have been better. I still can't really get down and up from the floor and avoid it when possible, which is sad because I can't really do on the floor tummy time with DS and I want to.
I am undecided if next time around we will try a VBAC or not. I would rather do that than go through a c-section again but we'll see what happens.