Birth Stories
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planned scheduled C-section delivers?
How was your OB when you discussed this topic and made this decision? I want some feedback. I am going to ask about this option at my next appointment.
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Re: planned scheduled C-section delivers?
When I went in for my 40 week appointment, Trace still had not dropped. Every week since 36 weeks, my doctor's comments went from something like, "Huh, you haven't dropped at all. I expect that you will by 37 weeks for a first pregnancy." to "Hmm...The baby's head is still not engaged at all. Well, we'll wait and see what happens next week." to "Well, this really doesn't look good for a first baby."
He didn't want me to go past 41 weeks, but at 40 weeks I was no where NEAR inducable. The doctor was going out of town for a wedding overnight, but would schedule an appointment when he got back (I'd have been almost 41 weeks by then). My husband was with me at that 40 week appointment, and after a few days of crying because it "wasn't looking good" for a vaginal delivery, we had accepted the possibility that we were looking at an inevitable c-section. We asked the Dr if he would just do the c-section rather than waiting another week, going through a long and painful induction, and still needing the surgery in the end. He doesn't normally do that for patients, but in my case he thought it was probably not a bad idea. He asked when I had eaten last and called the hospital to schedule the c-section for that evening. About 6 hours later, Trace was born!
I wouldn't have had it any other way! There were NO complications (admittedly, I may have just lucked out on this account). The incision is only about 4 inches across. I was up and moving the next day with no pain meds. Trace is very alert and very strong according to the pediatrician, so obviously he was ready to come out! We were home less than 48 hours after the c-section.
The only issue we had was a nurse who (like many people on these boards who will probably flame me for this post) obviously disagreed with my decision to have an elective c-section and was rather rude to me as she was admitting me. After a very emotional week of making this decision, she sent me into a downward spiral and made me second guess what I was doing. However, in the end I was VERY happy with how the whole procedure went. And as my mom's good friend said, "at least the baby won't have a weird head!." Yeah, because head shape was the main motivating factor in my decision!