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Birth Stories
Mrs.S9102005
member
C-section research
Mrs.S9102005
member
Hello,
I'm a newbie at this board, first baby.
Long story short, I was born with a dislocated hip, after several surgeries as a child it was never fixed, in fact I remember feeling better before the surgeries then after, but this was 1983 so who knows what really happened.
Anyway, at this point, I have very little range of motion, it locks up and I have arthritis. My OB has mentioned a C-section, we talked about it more today. My concern and why I feel I should maybe have one is the pain I will be in after the birth. I mean my hip freakin kills for the 1 minute I'm in the stirrup for a Pap. I can't imagine how I'll feel after pushing.
His concern is that he would probably give me an Epi and I won't be able to feel anything. Then they will be able to put my hip in positions without it hurting then,but may injur it and cause more problems. Hip surgery after giving birth isn't something I'm really all that thrilled about. I need to walk.
I can see this from so many points of view, he told me to think about and we'll talk again in 2 weeks at my next vist.
Does anyone have any experience with any of this? I've always been the only one in my life who has this hip problem and I have no point of reference. I'm not sure how to think about making this decision. In the end he has the final word, medically, but he does want to know what I think and how I feel.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: C-section research
Get the book Enjoy your labor by Gilbert Grant. He's chief anesthesiologist at the hospital I had DS in. He is a GOD. He also does free seminars in NYC about all the pain relief options and risks and benefits.
Your OB is out of touch. With the right anesthesiologist the epi will not numb you but just stop the pain. It will allow you to feel pressure and know when to push. Its called a walking epidural though most people don't bother to walk, it is too comfy lying down.
You may still want a c section if you feel being in the stirrups will hurt you afterwards, but you will not be completely numb by any means if you get a halfway decent anesthesiologist. I'd recommend getting your OB to refer you to talk to one at your hospital in advance. That way they can write up your chart with your condition details long before and if you go into labor they won't have to ask for a medical history again.
I have a pre-existing condition too and that's what I did. The nurses did actually try to ask me again and again but I was able to tell them to rack off and read the file.
BTW the pain you expect to feel afterwards, will that last long? Because you can leave the epi in for up to 2 days after birth (and still walk around and go to the bathroom etc etc). So if you think it will hurt you (but not be injuried) you could talk to the anesthesiologist about leaving it in for a while after the birth. And no it doesn't hinder BFing or make the baby sleepy or any of that rot you hear on this board. They've proven they don't cause c sections or other interventions.
Feel free to ask any questions from me. I don't have the same condition but I had a similar choice to make.?
Thank you so much for your info and suggestions.
That is such a great idea to talk to an anesthesiologist at the hosptial I'll deliver at. I was thinking there has to be more then one way to help with the pain.
My OB has put me through the ringer with specialists, ultrasounds and going into the office everyother week, but hasn't even mentioned any of this to me.
He's cautious, but sometimes he's way too black and white.
Thank you again for your insight, I really appreciate it.
You're welcome! I see you're in MA but if you are able to go and meet the guy (Grant) I totally recommend it. I just walked up to him after the seminar and said why I wanted to consult an anesthesiologist and would he recommend a referral to him. He said just email me the details and he got back to me with a "yes you can have one, I've noted the Rx for you on your pre-reg file"... so helpful and didn't even need to see him privately.
https://www.med.nyu.edu/people/grantg01.html
https://www.med.nyu.edu/anes/divisions/Obseminar.html
They haven't put up the 2009 dates yet but they probably know them if you call. They're really slow, they didn't have them up until a few days before I went to one in March 2006.
If you do meet him you can tell him there's an Australian who won't have another baby unless he can come out and do the epi for her. I'll pay for his 2 week holiday here if he comes!?
I just read the book "Pushed" by Jennifer Block, and also The Thinking Women's Guide to Childbirth by Henci Goer is very helpful. You might consider talking with a Nurse-Midwife and a doula about how they can help you manage the pain if you decide you'd like to avoid surgery. They will help you choose the right time to push - you'll know because you'll have the urge - so that you only have to spread your hips apart for a minimal amount of time. If you have an epidural, you will have to deliver lying on your back. This might not be the best option for you if you want a vaginal delivery. Many women prefer delivering standing up, squatting, or in the water. All of these might be the best way for you to manage your hip pain, but your doula can help you manage your own labor pains while helping suggest positions that will be more comfortable for your hip.
C-sections are an option for many women, but they do come with some major risks, and they present many challenges to bonding and being with your baby right away after birth unless you have someone there to advocate for you two to be together right away. You might consider reading some books on alternative options if you aren't sold on the idea of surgery and/or epi. I hope that helps...
Sorry but I think women who didn't have (or hate the idea of) epidurals don't have a clue what it is like. There is no preference for standing up or squatting once you have an epi. The only reason you crave these things is that you're in agony and they make it slightly less agonizing (slightly!). Once you are in no pain you are perfectly fine delivering on your back...and have no desire to move around. Nor do you run the risk of higher rates of c sections as was peddled by midwives (and doulas). That was disproven by Northwestern University's study a few years ago.
Let's not get dramatic about "major" risks of a c section. There are some MINOR risks. Infection is the main one. And its the mothers risk not hte baby's. Many women have caesars because it is safest for the baby even if slightly higher risk for them. To me that's what parenthood is about, taking risks yourself instead of foisting them on your child so you can have your "birth experience".
Once again, good luck!?
I can understand the fear about going into surgery to have the c-section, but seriously the procedure/recovery is not that bad. I know people have different experiences but reading your original post, to me this seems like the logical answer. I had one w/ my DD and I'll be having another one in Feb. The person who said it affects your bonding w/ the baby is full of sh*t. I just hate when people who have not gone thru something have such strong opinions about it. I had a great birth w/ DD and would not change a thing.
The best of luck to you!! I wish you the best!
Ashley and Bryan - I'm definitely not saying it affected your own bonding with your daughter, I would never imply such a thing, or even that it affects everyone's bonding. But it can affect some. And I do know several people who feel that it interrupted the natural flow of mother being with baby right away since usually they take the baby away from the mom/dad after they are born for up to a couple hours before they can be with mom depending on the situation.
Anyways, I find it all interesting. Your opinion is valuable. Glad you had a great experience with your c-section, and your upcoming one will be just as easy, surely! Good luck to all.
patronizing much Mrs B? Oh how nice of you to acknowledge others' experienes. Sorry but we don't need your validation.
IT may have passed you by but there is a world of difference between an emergency c section and a planned one. I would wager that 99% of women who complain about their c sections had emergency ones. And you might even find (oh the shock) that their claimed "interruption" (if it was not just their being pissed off they didn't get their fabled birth experience) ? had more to do with the emergency than with the c section.
Just try to think about it for a second. There is no reason a c section per se means you don't see the baby for hours, or even more than a few minutes. If however the reason for the c section was an emergency the baby might actually need medical care in that immediate period. Nothing to do with the fact they were born by c section.
God, people talking out of their arses are irritating.
?I will make a statement I think can be proven... it may, on RARE occasions, cause the mother to think bonding is impaired (and most of the time that's just in her head). Even more rarely it may actually impair bonding IF for reasons that are unclear there is UNNECESSARY extra time taken to examine the baby after birth. This should affect about 1 out of every 3000 c sections by my calculation. The rest are just a bunch of whingers.
Thank you so much to all of you for your suggestions, information and stories. It?s all been so helpful.
Marry me Love, not sure if I can get to NY before the baby is born, money and time off are really tight, but I will defiantly do my best to take some of the information Dr. Grant has out there and look at his book.
Mrs. Bellarosa, that is a great idea about asking a doula or mid-wife. I think that?s part of my hesitation on going straight to C-section. Perhaps the other ways of delivery won?t be an option for me if my OB won?t go with them medically, but I?m really appreciate the points of reference so I can present the information to him and discuss it. The one thing about him is that he doesn?t take risks, he doesn?t guess or leave things to chance. I will also check out the book you suggested.
As well as the book that I-thee-Wed suggested. (Looks like I need to spend some time at Barnes and Noble, Borders or the library) J
I have no point of experience on what is best for either of us. My confusion and hesitation on my choice of vaginal or C-section birth isn?t really about missing out on something. I never really thought of a C-section as not giving birth. Bringing that little life into the world is what matters, so either way, we give birth. It doesn?t matter how it happens, just as long as everyone is healthy in the end. My thoughts revolve around what is best for both for me and for the baby. I only have 8 weeks off before I go back to work and that?s the boding time with him I want to experience to the fullest, hopefully without surgery complications or an injury.
Thanks again to everyone and best of luck to you all.I think it's only a decision you can make for yourself. I would talk to as many doctors as you can to get to the bottom of it. Go to the hospital and ask them what their procedures are for csecs. At my hospital, I recovered in my room with my kids. So, it didn't interfere with bonding at all. They weren't taken to the nursery, they did everything in my room after I had time to hold my DC and BF.
A planned c-sec is actually not that risky, the risks increase if it isn't planned. It is easier to recover from than going into labor and ending up with a c-sec. But, the pain from the c-sec and the pain from your hip might end up lasting for the same amount of time. It's really hard for anyone else to decide which is the right choice for you.
First, good luck to you with whatever you decide. Secondly, I have had two c/s, both 'planned' but both times my water broke early so I went straight to the hospital and had the c/s. And both times I didn't see my daughters for a few hours after the birth but that was unrelated to the c/s entirely. My older daughter had both issues with her body temp as well as her blood sugar levels so she was back in the NICU for several hours. My youngest had serious issues with her body temp and they could not get or keep her warm so she was under a heat lamp in the nursery being monitored for the first few hours. That is ok with me because that is what they needed.
As for recovery, you really can't tell which way will be worse. I know a few people who delivered vaginally that had longer recovery times than I did. I recovered very quickly from both c/s and this time I had to do even more physically than last time. A week and a half after this procedure I had to start picking up my 26lb toddler and taking care of both girls and I was fine. Other than a little numbness at incision site, I feel like I'm fully recovered. I still don't overdo it and try to remember that I need to take it easy but my recovered has not stopped me from doing anything - laundry, taking trash out, buying a 50lb bag of dog food and putting it in my car. I am just careful with my movements and try to remember that my abdomen is still healing even if I don't feel like it is. My DD1's birth story is in my bio if you care to read it.
Good luck!
J2 11.17.08