C-sections

Not looking for a debate, but advice/opinions & exp.

Hey Ladies :) I can use some informed opinions/advice/experiences from women who have BTDT. Doctor's appointment yesterday was less than stellar. On the one hand, I FINALLY dilated to a 1 after 5 weeks of contracting (with no progress - no dilation and/or effacement) with a soft cervix. On the other, baby boy is still floating pretty high in there. Doc scheduled me for an appointment next week for a final weight estimate and growth scan, and gave me two options:

1) Schedule the induction for a vaginal birth.
2) Schedule an elective cesarean.

She advised that because of baby's position and how slow I've progressed on my own, the induction is *likely* to end with a cesarean anyway. However, she also mentioned that because my body has been contracting on it's own, an induction *may* work with a little help to get me kick started to dilate and efface. I do not have GD, and I am GBS neg. No other birth complications, other than my fluid retention, that causes some slight swelling (no high BP though). She isn't pushing for one method or the other, but she wants me to make a well-informed decision based on all medical facts involved. So if you had the choice what would you decide? Why?
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Re: Not looking for a debate, but advice/opinions & exp.

  • I went through the induction thing and ended with a c/s.  I dont' regret for one second trying it though.  It was a 28 hour labor and 3 hours of pushing, but up until the very end it was enjoyable, plesant and relaxing once I got the epi.  I was started slowly with pitocin over night while I slept and then they increased it every hour in the morning and broke my water.  I did make it to 10 cm and fully efaced, but I did have a little bit of an interior lip and I just couldn't get him down any further.

    That being said, I wouldn't do it again for my second one (I wouln't be allowed to be induced anyway) but if it were my first again I would do it all over again.

    At least you have a little more time to prepare yourself for the possibility of going into a c/s.  I really didnt' expect that would ever happen to me!

    I should mention too that I was also contracting like crazy for weeks before.  They would be regular for a few hours and then go back to being sporatic.

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  • I would much rather attempt a vaginal birth first, then only resort to a c-section if I needed to. My c-section was unscheduled, but I do wish I had tried harder to fight my doctor on needing a section so quickly. You are dilating and softening, which are good indicators. You can go from 1-10 very quickly, and may not even need to be induced. Good luck, and I hope everything goes well for you!
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  • Thank you ladies. I know this may seem like a stupid thing to ask, but I appreciate the input.
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  • I also went into labor with my first got to a 10 and he got stuck (coming out face first) and he was already so far down they couldn't get him back up and they said he would have broke every bone in his face if I would have delivered him naturally plus at the very end his heart rate dropped so low I was being pumped with drugs being wheeled down the hallway it all happened so quickly and I don't remember alot of his birth b/c it was an emergency they pumped me with so many drugs to make sure I was numb I was more or less knocked out and only remember a few mins here and there.  Luckily my husband and nurses took TONS of pics for me since they knew I was more or less drifting in and out of consciousness. 

    But that being said, he was def stuck, our dr is a BIG man, and my husband could hear him GRUNTING trying to get him out.  So I'm glad I went with a c/s.  This is number 3 and will have ANOTHER c/s.  I honestly like it, and if I knew what I knew now, I would have just went with a c/s it was alot of pain and waiting that could have been avoided.  When I just ended up with a c/s anyways.  Plus I feel if we wouldn't have waited until the very last minute I could have been pumped with less drugs and remembered more of his birth.

    Whatever you decide GL.  In the end, all it matters is you have a happy healthy baby. :) 

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  • imageLucyD1029:

    You're not full-term yet, so it's normal not to have any "progress".  I was 1/2cm dilated and 0% effaced when I went into labor with DS at 40w5d.  I did ultimately end up with a CS, but I don't regret laboring at all.  I had a RCS with DD and I'm still questioning whether I made the right decision. 

    Why do you need to pick induction or CS?  Can't you wait to go into labor on your own?

    I do agree with this. I should have added, though, that nothing will be done until 41 weeks. My EDD is Saturday, so she just wants me to think about what I *would* want to do moving forward.

    Scheduling is an issue at the hospital I'm delivering at because of all the traffic it gets. It's the district teaching hospital, the emergency NICU transfer point, the largest ER in the district. It's just a safety measure at this point, I'm assuming.

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  • Do you want a VBAC? I say go for it if you want one. I wasn't interested in attempting a VBAC, so I went with what would be the best and most stress-free for me and Z. It ended up turning out well. Some people will tell you that VBAC is the only way to go, some people will tell you c-sections are the best, but in the end you need to pick what will make you the happiest during/upon reflection.

    And yes, people will call you selfish for an elective c-section, but it's not their body or their baby, so who cares what they think.

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  • imagejoliebebe:

    Do you want a VBAC? I say go for it if you want one. I wasn't interested in attempting a VBAC, so I went with what would be the best and most stress-free for me and Z. It ended up turning out well. Some people will tell you that VBAC is the only way to go, some people will tell you c-sections are the best, but in the end you need to pick what will make you the happiest during/upon reflection.

    And yes, people will call you selfish for an elective c-section, but it's not their body or their baby, so who cares what they think.

    Yeah, I remember over on the BMB you mentioned this. I can understand both sides of the argument, you know? I applaud you for being so brave.

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  • I was induced at 39 weeks 5 days. After 21 hours of labor it ended in a c/s. It was a horrible recovery that included them finding 2 blood clots in my incision when they took my staples out. They had to re-open my incision and have home health come to the house for two weeks to irrigate it and re-pack it every day.

    I wish I could have delivered vaginally. But, i'm 5'00" and 110 before getting pregnant. I have very narrow hips, never progressed past a 4 and they said she never would have fit anyway since she was 8.8 at birth.

    If I ever do it again I will try for a VBAC. May end with the same results, but I would love to avoid the c/s if I could.

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  • Why do you have to induce or have a c/s? Why can't you wait until you go into labor on your own? You aren't supposed to make progress before labor and you aren't even 40 weeks yet. I am confused as to the rush.

    ETA: Nevermind, I should had read the responses first. I would personally try the induction first because I would want to VBAC.  

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  • With DD I went into labor but wasnt progressing;  the dr also said they could induce but she suspected I'd end up with a c-section.  I said let's just do the section.  Alot of women have expectations of giving birth vaginally.  I didn't.  I did not focus at all on the birth--I went thru a year's worth of fertility treatment to get her (which took a lot of focus)....my only goal was to be holding a healthy baby in my arms.  I didnt care how she got there.  Some people dont think like that though and you have to ask yourself if you will be disappointed if you don't try or does it not matter to you.  
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  • I progressed VERY slowly the weeks leading up to actual labor, and then once my water broke I went from 3-10 in 6 hours.  DD was not making ANY progress even though I was having contractions.  They called it "failure to descend."  Dr.  said he couldn't even use the vacuum/forceps or anythingto help- she wasn't far enough down.  So, I ended up with a C-section.  Personally, I would try a vaginal birth and labor first. 

    Even though a VBAC is a possibility, if for some reason you are always a C-section person, having a C-section limits the amount of kids you can have (according to my dr. anyway) and there are other risks associated with it.  If you have a choice- I'd at least try a vaginal birth.

     

  • Thank you all for the input. I know it's ultimately about having a safe, and healthy baby. It's just a lot to think about.
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  • imageMommyLuvsMe1210:
    imageLucyD1029:

    You're not full-term yet, so it's normal not to have any "progress".  I was 1/2cm dilated and 0% effaced when I went into labor with DS at 40w5d.  I did ultimately end up with a CS, but I don't regret laboring at all.  I had a RCS with DD and I'm still questioning whether I made the right decision. 

    Why do you need to pick induction or CS?  Can't you wait to go into labor on your own?

    I do agree with this. I should have added, though, that nothing will be done until 41 weeks. My EDD is Saturday, so she just wants me to think about what I *would* want to do moving forward.

    Scheduling is an issue at the hospital I'm delivering at because of all the traffic it gets. It's the district teaching hospital, the emergency NICU transfer point, the largest ER in the district. It's just a safety measure at this point, I'm assuming.

    I'm not flaming you,  but I think it's more of a convenience than a safety issue for them. I would hope that any hospital with an OR has the ability to do an unplanned c/s at any time.

    If only given the choice between the two, I would attempt an induction, but in all honesty I would push back and not do anything but wait for labor to start on its own. Is there a reason you have to choose by 41 weeks? Having NSTs every few days past 41 weeks is a viable option, too.

    Are you planning a VBAC? If so, you can still safely go past 41 weeks. I had a VBAC with my second son, and have no regrets. I also went past 41 weeks with him. One of the biggest factors in my decision to VBAC was the fact that we might want to have a third, and I'm personally not comfortable with having three c/s.

    hth and good luck!

    DS1 - Feb 2008

    DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

  • I was induced with DD and ended in c/s. Labor was not so pleasant and long....when the decision was made for c/s I was so out of it for a while I couldn't enjoy LO. However with this one, I am much more at ease with knowing exactly what will happen with the surprise....
  • Sounds a lot like my first. I didn't dilate at all and when I was finally in labor, she hung out so high they asked me to push a little to get her down before the broke my water (in hindsight, as labor was progressing, I wish they hadn't as it was unnecessary, but I didn't know any better at the time. They were in a hurry because they had a LOT of women in labor that night). I was 6cm and she was still at -2 position at the time.

    I didn't contract at all until the night I was in labor. At least, not that I felt. I felt my first contraction ever 8pm. My daughter was born, complication free (other than coming out sunny side up), at 8am.

    I personally, would schedule an induction with the understanding that it may end in a cesarean and prepare yourself to be okay with that.

    In the meantime, lots of walks, lots of sex, and maybe climb a few flights of stairs just in case. ;-) There are lots of ways to encourage labor, though your body won't do it until it's ready without actual medical intervention.

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  • After having 30 hours of induced labor that ended in a c-section due to a stalled labor, I would TOTALLY schedule an elective C-Section if I had to do it again.

    For me, the c-section was cake and recovery wasn't too bad either. The 30 hours of labor, on the other hand, was awful. 

    image







  • As you know it's a very personal choice. There is no right way to go in my opinion. Everyone has their own opinion and preference. You have to do what you and your dh are comfortable with. 

     With that said, even though ds1 was measuring big and I had PTL from 24 wks on I never made it past 1cm. My ob practice lets you go to the day you turn 41 wks then will schedule an induction unless there is a big medical reason to do a c/s they will not do them.  My water broke with major meconium at 40w5d. Even with pitocin I couldn't get past 1cm and he refused to drop at all. I opted for a c/s at the 9 hours mark and I never have regretted it. He was 9bs 12oz with a huge head. My pelvic area just wasn't wide enough for him. I've had two more c/s since then with no regrets either. I had easy recoveries with all and no complications. Good luck!

     Oh and my office makes you schedule the induction at your 40wk appt too. It's just a date mainy for the hospital. Plus for me it was a way that I could get the ob in my practice that I wanted.  

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  • imageWorcbride:
    A lot of women have expectations of giving birth vaginally.  I didn't.  I did not focus at all on the birth....my only goal was to be holding a healthy baby in my arms.  I didn't care how he got here.  Some people don't think like that though and you have to ask yourself if you will be disappointed if you don't try or does it not matter to you.  

    This for me too. I never made a "birth plan" because really, you don't know what will happen (unless you schedule a C). When people would ask, I would say my plan is to "go with the flow" and have a baby. I ended up having an emergency c-section because of DS' head compressing the cord (it was over the top of his head) and dropping his heart rate way down. This was discovered at a NST at 39w 3days and they sent me to the hospital via ambulance. If I had gone into labor naturally, it would have ended in an emergency c-section anyway and DS could've been worse off. 

    We plan on having 1-2 more. I am going to schedule c-sections. I don't even care to try for a vbac. I am not at all hung up on having a vaginal birth and would feel zero disappointment. My c-section recovery overall was pretty good, no complications, and my scar healed great.  

  • I wasn't dilated at all at my 40 week appt, either. My doctor didn't discuss effacement or anything like that.

    My labor started on it's own at 40w6d. I would never just opt for a c section, you never know what will happen.

    Good luck!

    b/w=FSH 15.6, AMH 0.4 surprise natural BFP on 3/12/11
    DS born via unplanned C-section at 40w6d

    image

  • imagehopefulmom81:

    After having 30 hours of induced labor that ended in a c-section due to a stalled labor, I would TOTALLY schedule an elective C-Section if I had to do it again.

    For me, the c-section was cake and recovery wasn't too bad either. The 30 hours of labor, on the other hand, was awful. 

    this exactly but 36 hours
    image
  • I also went through an induction and ended, after 30 hours, in c-section. I can't tell you what to do; I think it's different for everyone. For me, my c-section was incredibly painful due to crappy anesthesia and the recovery was really difficult. Also, my boys were in the NICU for a short duration of time and because I had a csection and catheter, I wasn't able to see them for almost 36 hours. Since I didn't really have a choice about the c-section, I didn't feel as guilty or bad about it as I might have had I chosen it. Given how poorly it went, if I had elected to do it I think I might always have a "if only I'd just delivered vaginally" thought in my head. Keep in mind, I'm not one of those granola "vaginal is the REAL way" people; before delivering, I was totally equal either way.

    All that being said, my induction was obviously also a tremendous waste of time, energy, and resources. Because my water was broken for 17-18 hours, I developed an infection and both my boys and I had to be on antibiotics. By the time I got the c-section I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that I'm sure it didn't help make my recovery any easier. 

    So...I'm sure this is totally not helpful. I guess I just think that c-section recovery is hard and if you can avoid it you might as well. But I feel you on not wanting to go through the 30 hours of induction I went through. It was stressful and anxiety-inducing not only for me, but also for my family and friends.

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