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C-sections
keleknoff
member
To opt for C/S or not....advice
keleknoff
member
in C-sections
Hi. I'm going to be a FTM and just hit my 39th week of pregnancy. I'm having a big boy and we knew this but at my Dr.'s visit today, she raised a new concern with vaginal delivery based on some u/s measurements taken last week. I don't have GD and have had zero complication up until this point.
Apparently my baby is measuring in the 96th percentile and THAT alone is not the issue.. but his head isn't measuring bigger than his shoulders/body and therein lays the problem. My Dr. is concerned that I'll be able to deliver the head but the shoulders have a good chance of getting stuck... at that point (once the head is out) you can't have an emergency c/s and they have to get that baby out vaginally. Which means possible clavicle/arm breaks, nerve and tissue damage to baby and major tearing/cutting/trauma to me. I wanted to try to deliver this baby as natural as possible, but it just doesn't seem worth the risk. Have any of you had to make this kind of decision in your experience and if so, how'd it go? I'm ready to schedule the c/s I just wanted some other opinions first. I also have a midwife and I'm waiting for her to call me back for her opinion.
thanks in advance!
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Re: To opt for C/S or not....advice
Only you can make this decision. There is no right or wrong answer. A c-section has risks. It is major surgery, after all. But if you are concerned about your ability to safely vaginally deliver, by all means have a c-section. Having a c-section does not in any way lessen the fact you are going to be a mother. End result is the same.
I will tell you though, I was told my daugher was going to be a big baby. Estimated to be 10 pounds by my EDD. My water broke at 37w. I had a u/s in L&D to estimate size. I was told she was 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 pounds, "but she won't be 6 1/2. She's at least 7." This was a perinatologist with 20+ years of experience. My daughter came out at 6 pounds 9 oz. So u/s estimations are often pretty far off.
Good luck!
After 7 years of no ovulation...
BFP#1 10/24/11 ~ EDD 6/29/12 ~ Natural m/c 11/2/11
BFP#2 2/3/12 ~ Alice born 9/26/12
DD1 was measuring big so they scheduled an induction on her due date, I ended up going into labor a few hours before the scheduled induction. I pushed for 2 hours and it got a little hairy with her shoulders but she came out healthy and 9lbs2oz. Recovery did not go well, I didn't heal correctly and had to have surgey about 3 months later.
Then with DD2 I was given the option of a csection from the very beginning. I had a hard time deciding what to do. DD2 ended up being breech so there was my answer.
I guess my point is, even knowing what happened first time around I still had a hard time deciding. I don't regret either birth, both resulted in healthy and beautifulIMO little girls. Good luck!
DS measured big from 10 weeks on, so I had a couple of extra growth ultrasounds. At 33w6d, DS's estimated weight via ultrasound was 6 lb. 14 oz. At 38w4d it was 9 lb. 15 oz. I met with my OB after that ultrasound. She told me that I could wait for labor (my body didn't show any signs) to start or I could schedule the c-section .She wouldn't induce because the abdomen was measuring bigger than the head, and she was afraid that LO would get stuck. She was willing to let me go into labor on my own because she thought that I would have a better chance of delivering vaginally if my body prepared itself. I had to be at least 39 weeks to have a c-section. Based on my OB's schedule, I could have picked 39w2d (Monday), 39w6d (Friday), or a couple of days the following week. I decided to pick the earlier date. I had no interest in setting any weight records at the hospital. DS was 10 lb 6 oz and 22" when he was born, so the ultrasounds were very accurate in my case.
Although I scheduled the c-section at my 38w4d appointment, I did ask my family practitioner (who accepted obstetrics patients until last year) what she would do in my situation. She said that she would probably opt for the c-section, especially if I didn't go into labor by 40 weeks. In her words, "An induction with no engagement, no dilation and a big baby is very likely to wind up in a C-section. It is no fun to spend a long time laboring only to end up with a C-section any way."
My OB said that I was the first patient she had ever encouraged to have a c-section due to the size of the baby. I don't regret having the c-section. I had a fairly easy recovery.
I was told my LO was going to be 10lbs, 7oz--- they were RIGHT on the money. To the ounce.
My doctor suggested a c-section for the same reasons (I'm not sure if LO's head actually measured smaller than the shoulders, but doc was super afraid of the head being delivered and not the shoulders.)
I went with the c-section even though I really did not want to have one. I never would have forgiven myself if I had gone with a vaginal delivery and it had ended badly when the doctor was telling me to opt for the surgery.
I do wonder if my body could have done it but I don't regret my decision.
2 Angel Babies 9/11, 2/12
My ultrasound was rediculously off! At 38 weeks, they estimated DS would weigh 13 lbs 7 oz. My OB would not allow me to labor and would only deliver by c-section. He ended up being 9 lbs. 12 oz and 22". I had already delivered my DD who was 8 lbs 5 oz 19 1/2" vaginally....so after the fact I was disappointed, because I really don't think he was that much wider than her (just longer).
However, hindsight is 20/20. You need to weigh the odds of how you would feel if there were complications, versus how you would feel if the estimates were way off like in my case. GL regardless of how the baby comes out!
**DD1 - 7/9/98**
**DS - 11/9/00**
**DD2 - 4/30/13**
Major lurker here but my DS is engaged in a book so I thought I would take advantage and offer my two cents....I was delivered at 36 weeks which was a total shocker a happened, literally, in less than 24 hours from a regular check up. Point is, I never wanted nor planned or even thought about a c/s. I was totally unprepared...and thank god I was because, like you, I would have been consumed with indecision and worry.
A c/s is a major surgery and there are certainly things that can go terribly wrong. I don't tell people this very often because it seems to be very unpopular not to go "all natural" now but my c/s was an absolute breeze. I delivered at 11am and by 10 am the next day, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I shuffled around my room for 5 minutes, then back to bed. It sucked, the pain meds made me super barfy, and I'm pretty sure I cried. I rested for two more hours, then back up for walking. I tried to walk for 10 minutes every two hours. Within 48 hours of delivering, I was fine. I had a huge scar and some pain, but I was walking, showering and caring for my LO. I spent 6 or 7 days in the hospital (I had complications with my liver so I was being monitored...the extended stay had nothing to do with the c/s) and the day I came home, I put my parka on and took the dog for a walk. Slowly, and far short of a mile but I was walking! I was completely off pain meds by my 3rd day home...I did take some Tylenol every so often though.
I'm not bragging. Really. And I'm not some tough lady who won't admit that I need help. My point in telling you this is that c/s don't have to be scary. Just like vaginal birth stories, you seem to only hear the absolute worst of the worst. There are tons of stories like mine....
I wish you the best of luck with your decision...it can't be an easy one.
~TTC since 01/09~
~SA & B/W - 06/09 - Normal~
~Encouraged by OB to "just keep trying" 06/09 - 06/10 (oh, the wasted time)~
~HSG - 08/10 - Clear/Normal~
~Lapo - 01/11 - Normal~
~Clomid 50mg, Trigger shot, Prometrium - 01/11, 02/11, 03/11~
~BFN - 02/11~
~IUI #1 03/15/11~
BFP 3/28/2011
Diagnosed with GD at 28 weeks. Controlled through diet and exercise. No insulin.
Diagnosed with Cholestasis of pregnancy @ 36 weeks.
Delivered via C-section @ 36 weeks on 11/9/11.
If it were me, I would opt for the c/s. As everyone stated u/s can be off by up to a pound or even two, but they can be off in either direction. Your baby could be smaller than the estimates and you could have a vaginal delivery with no complications, BUT your baby could also be bigger than they are estimating and could cause a ton of complications for both you and baby. I know it's disappointing when you don't get the birth/delivery you have always envisioned, but IMO when it comes to having a baby I think it's always best to err on the side of caution.
For what it's worth, my 2nd c/s was scheduled and scheduled c/s are usually pretty easy and complication free. I had a great experience.
All that said, no one can decide this for you. You need to weigh all of the pros and cons and make the decision that you are most comfortable with.
I am going for my third c/s, and even though it is not because of big babies, I wanted to reiterate that you should not feel like it is any less of a birth because of that. Mother's guilt is a powerful thing, and while a c/s is major surgery, it is also routine surgery, and things can go wrong with anything. If your doctor is concerned about a vaginal delivery, than I would probably go with that. It's totally up to you, of course, but I think pp is right that you need to weigh how you would feel if something DID go wrong vs how you would feel if you had a c-section and it turned out the estimates were wrong. I'm guessing the latter would be annoying, but much easier emotionally to deal with!
Go with your gut.
Pre-e w/DD #1 -- now age four! GD and PIH w/DD#2 -- now age two! GD and unexplained third trimester bleeding with baby # 3 -- due Feb 27!
Yes....I agree! Like I said in my PP, in my case, there was a chance that maybe I could have delivered vaginally, but if anything had gone wrong, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. For me, the scheduled c-section and my vaginal birth were about the same in my mind. Some parts were easier vaginally, but some parts were easier with the c-section. A healthy baby AND mom are what's most important! GL!
**DD1 - 7/9/98**
**DS - 11/9/00**
**DD2 - 4/30/13**
Late term u/s size estimates can be so off. Would you feel at peace with electing a c-section if the baby comes out only 7-8 lbs? If you're 100% at peace with having a c-section regardless of how big your baby is (because the truth is no one knows right now), then maybe it's the right choice for you. Personally, I'd want another opinion on whether the size alone warrants a c-section because the "big baby" card gets overplayed and I'd be immediately suspicious of a Dr giving undue credence to a late term ultrasound.
Some other things to think about: do you want more children after this? Do you have other health issues? Do you live in an area with vbac-supportive providers?
btw - u/s at 40 weeks estimated a 10 pounder and mine was 8 lb 4oz at 41weeks&2days, so they were more than 2 pounds off when they gave me that estimate.