- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
3rd Trimester
trojas
member
Starting to change my mind about a c-section
trojas
member
So on my last visit my doctor brought up the idea of a c-section b/c of baby's size. That's another issue on its own, but anyway...
Now that I've developed a hemorrhoid, I think I want a c-section. With all the pushing I'm sure those babies will pop up even more. This terifies me! I'm a fool, I know. But now I think I want a c-section because I don't want my hemorrhoids to worsen. Am I crazy for wanting this? I wanted a vaginal delivery this entire time until now.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Starting to change my mind about a c-section
The hemorrhoids aren't that bad post delivery. And I don't think even bad hemmies would make me want major abdominal surgery.
Good point!
IMHO- And I have a wicked case of them right now, hemorrhoids were the least of my concern during the healing process after I had DS. You feel like someone drove a train through you (especially if you tear). However, the recovery is still easier than a c-section. I feel like so many women are near sighted in this issue and only think about the day of delivery. In my experience, between sleep deprivation, breast feeding, sitz baths, healing etc. in the 6-8 weeks postpartum was definitely worse than delivery. I can't imagine having to recover from major surgery and deal with all the postpartum issues that come with having a new born. Think about your whole body before you make that kind of decision. Just my two cents.
I don't know maybe I don't know enough on the issue but do you really need a c-section for a large baby? I have read so many stories it seems of women in other countries particularly who have had large babies and no C-section and do just fine. I mean I know its not for everyone but I mean women have been having babies for centuries before C-Sections were standard and even a few have had 14lb babies naturally.
https://pregnancy.about.com/od/myths/ss/Pregnancy-Myths-Dispelled_3.htm
Agree. I had DD vaginally and tore pretty bad because they suctioned her out, by 2-3 weeks I was feeling great, by 4 weeks I was doing mild workouts and starting cardio! it was worth the risk of whatever happened with delivery to possibly have a faster bounce-back. With a CS you know you won't be bouncing back quickly. I'm crossing every finger & toe to avoid CS.
I find it interesting there are women commenting on how long it takes to recover from a c-section when they haven't had one. I just had my second c-section last Wednesday and I am almost completely off any pain meds and have been up and moving around since the day after the surgery. The only restriction I am looking at for the moment is a lifting restriction, other than that I will be fully functional two weeks post c-section...about the same as the recovery from my first c-section. Since I have not had a vaginal birth, I can't compare the recoveries but I do have one friend who had severe tearing with her first and a c/s with her second and she preferred the recovery from the c/s to the recovery from a vaginal birth with tearing. I'm not advocating c-sections but I have also had two and they aren't necessarily the "evil" they are often made out to be.
Anywhoo...to OP, you don't necessarily avoid hemmies by having a c-section. Since it is surgery and you end up on pain meds, your bowels stop for a period of time. The first bowel movement after a c/s is brutal and getting hemmies is definitely one of the unfortunate side effects. I suppose they are a risk no matter how you end up giving birth!
just curious if your c-sections were scheduled? I ask because all my friends who have had scheduled c-sections as well as emergency ones say that recovery from a scheduled one is much much easier.
So OP would be in a situation of a scheduled one which presumably would be an easier recovery too.
I have never had a c-section. I did have evil hemmies after delivering DD2. It was awful, but someone cutting my stomach open horrifies me.
So if I needed a c-section for the health of myself or my baby then so be it, but I wouldn't sign up for it to save the hemmies.
Elizabeth 5yrs old Jane 3yrs old
my initial reaction is heck no to a c-section!
Yes, my second c-section was scheduled and the recovery is even easier than my first which was not an "emergency" per se, but it was the result of 15 hours of induced labor and failure to progress due to a large fibroid which is sitting near my cervix. With my first c-section, I was still up and moving around within a day and totally off pain meds after a week and a half.
This - I am having a 2nd c-section tomorrow (not by choice) and I wish I was not. I'm pretty scared because of the complications of what happened last time but am hoping for the better since this one is scheduled. Since I have not had a vaginal birth I cannot compare but my recovery the first time was pretty hard.
Emily 8.8.08
Madeline 1.2.11
William 8.5.12
Crashing the board.
My DD was an emergancy c/s. I still get sad about it. I have witnessed vaginal births through my photography, and I can tell you this, no matter which hurts worse I can't imagine picking a c/s over vaginal. The setting, feel, and pretty much everything is so different the pain shouldn't even be a factor.
Butting out.
The hemorrhoids aren't that bad post delivery. And I don't think even bad hemmies would make me want major abdominal surgery.
This, I had a c-section, and have to have one again, and this is my opinion here too. I wouldnt do it unless I had to.
The ladies who are talking about recovering from a C-section... you ladies are talking about taking pain medication for 5 days and not being able to walk for at least 12 hours. I was up and out of bed an hour after my vaginal delivery. (I had an epi, so I had to wait until it completely wore off.) I never took pain medication... I never needed to! The most uncomfortable thing about my recovery was the fact that I was also recovering from PUPPs (shudder!!!!). My son was 8lbs 12 oz, so he was not tiny.
I know that it's possible for a woman to tear badly and for that to impact recovery. But you're talking about a guaranteed need for limited mobility and pain medication vs the possibility of it. I have a good friend who has had both a C-section and an unintentional V-BAC (that's a story!). She said she hands down preferred the recovery from her vaginal birth.
Size on its own is not currently considered a valid reason (by major medical associations) to induce. So it absolutely would not be a valid reason for a C-section. Size estimates before birth are exactly that - estimates. I know several women who were told they were having very large babies (8-10 lb range) who wound up with very small or small babies. (5-6 lb range.) I vote no on C-section due to size.
I totally agree. That time will last maybe 2 days at most? Everything that comes after lasts weeks! That's why I tell my friends to read more BFing books vs. L&D books if they're planning on BFing.
I think this is a really good point that doesn't get brought up enough for those considering c/s. I had an unplanned one with DS after 12 hours of labor, and the main thing that bothered me about it wasn't the recovery but the setting of the birth. You don't get to hold your child immediately, in fact I was really out of it and had lost a lot of blood. You just don't get that joyous "it's a boy/girl!" moment at all.
Plus I was just really "off" for about 3-4 days. More to do with the drugs I think than the pain. I just didn't snap back very easily and was kinda out of it for a while.
Oh and I agree with the pp about the "big baby" myth. I have friends that have delivered 10 lb babies without even tearing. It's ridiculous to think if your baby is measuring more than 9 lbs that a c/s is necessary and I'd side eye and doctor that told me that.
I had a c-section and I'm planning a VBAC this time. Hemorrhoids certainly wouldn't make me change my mind (and as I've had not only lots of hemmies in my life but also two surgeries on my butt [not for hemmies], I'm no stranger to butt discomfort).
One thing to keep in mind while you make your decision is that there are a lot of things that aren't really discussed much in the decision-making process. Not only do you have to consider that it *IS* major surgery (regardless of the fact that some people recover swiftly...some don't), but if you are planning to have more kids, you have to remember that if you decide c-sections aren't for you, it is always more complicated to plan/have a VBAC than a 2nd vaginal birth. Risks such as placenta previa, abrupta, and accreta increase a LOT after a 1st c-section. Miscarriage risk goes up. There is just a lot to consider.
I'm glad that c-sections exist for women who truly need them, but it isn't a decision to be taken lightly. I would give anything to change the way I delivered my son.
Oh, my son also has asthma (neither parent has it), and long-term lung issues is another risk of c-section.
Yes. I had a c-section because my baby's head was too big to fit through my pelvis. She was pretty solidly stuck in there. I was in labor for 16 hours and she wasn't budging.
And just playing devil's advocate here, but the recovery from a c-section is not always that bad. If I had been successfully able to deliver my daughter vaginally, she would have ruined me on the way out. I was off painkillers 1 week after my c-section and back to my regular yoga classes at 3 weeks pp. I know it's not the case for everyone, but c-section recovery is not always all that big a deal.
If I were having any more children, (which I'm not) my experience was so good that I wouldn't even care to attempt a VBAC.