Did you have a c-section? What were the reasons?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i had both - vaginal (very long labor and they almost had to do an emergency c) and c-section for my second (for medical reasons). I prefer the latter, hands down. Recovery was completely fine -- as long as you overlap your pain meds and NEVER skip a dose (my god, that is awful). If men were able to have babies, it would be C sections every time. The delivery itself was a walk in the park.

I had both, and I had the opposite experience. Recovery after the vaginal delivery was no problem at all, really none, no pain medication, nothing. Recovery after the C-section was -- well, not as bad as I expected, but that's the best I can say about it.

And that is the key to this discussion, isn't it? People have different experiences. I had 2 easy c-sections. For my first, I gave birth the day before a friend had a vaginal birth. I was up and around days before she was, and she still complains about incontinence six years later. My SIL was so traumatized from her vaginal birth that she had no more children. Obviously, others have very easy vaginal birthday and are up making dinner the next day. You can't generalize either way.

[Anonymous]

Where did someone say they scheduled a c/s because they couldn't get an epi? I must be missing it.

I was dumb and thought I could do a drug induced labor without an epi. By 5 cm, I was screaming in pain. Got the epi, dialated 5-10 in one hour with no more pain. Pushed for 2 hours then found out no babies will ever exit my body that direction. Info that would have been nice to know before all that drama ;p

To answer the PP who had a bad reaction and vomited - no, not everyone has that. When the drugs were taking effect, I had a wave a nausea both times, but never actually got sick. Yes, most do have to "shake out the meds" in the recovery room.

My recovery from my c/s after induced labor took almost a month. Scheduled c/s? 1 week. I walked a parade at 2.5 weeks post-partum. The pregnancy had been much less traumatic with #2 as well, so I think that helped.

[Anonymous]

placenta abruption

[Anonymous]

I had a previous abdominal surgery that required having a c-section but I also had to have the baby out 2 weeks earlier due to elevated blood pressure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First wouldn't have been medically necessary if I had known a few things beforehand. After 24 hours of labor at home, I went into the hospital, labored for 40 hours. Dilated to 9.5, but baby was asynclitic, head was huge and stuck and unable to mould. In retrospect I had not been sitting properly during pregnancy and didn't recognize symptoms of long labor due to poor positioning. After 40 hours of labor, baby was tachycardic and we ended up with c section.

Second baby (attempted vbac) was emergency c/s due to decels and by emergency, I mean truly an emergency. General anesthesia, no time for an epidural, didn't even sign the consent form until after recovery. Total labor was two hours long, went from 6-10 in ten minutes in the hospital. Pushed for 15 in ER. Apgar score 4, baby went to NICU.

Both experiences sucked.

To the decel PP, as you know there are several different types of decel patterns, since the PPs don't specify, it's probably not fair to assume they were recoverable decels.

Sitting?

Not PP, but yes. Leaning back wiith legs up like Americans tend to do iis bad for positioning, especially OP babies. Check out Spinning Babies.

Yes, it was only after the 1st that I was aware of Spinning Babies and it had not come out on any of my appointments with the midwifery practice I was with. My sister had almost the exact same labor and delivery with her first a year ago, but she lucked out in that one of the attending physicians (in the entire hospital) had been trained in Canada and knew how to reach in and turn an asynclitic baby after water had broken. I had no suck luck and during the second, forcepts would have been considered, but there was only one doctor that had experience using them at all and he wasn't on call. Second hadn't descended enough for vacuum when time was called. I agree with the OB poster that medical training has only provided doctors with one option.

If it makes you feel any better, I spent the second half of my second pregnancy never letting myself lean back (and sitting on a damn exercise ball) and I still had a poorly positioned baby and a long-ass labor.

To answer OP's question, I had a c/s after a failed induction at 42 weeks for my first. My second was a VBAC with the aforementioned long-ass labor, and I personally preferred the vaginal birth to the cesarean, despite the second degree tear. Recovery for me was a billion times easier.

[Anonymous]

Out of curiosity, were any of you with breech babies know early and were offered a version? Wondering how often they are offered.

[Anonymous]

Baby's pulse dropped and he was about to get squeezed into birth canal where they would have had to break his shoulder blades to come out.

[Anonymous]

Versions can be dangerous, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, were any of you with breech babies know early and were offered a version? Wondering how often they are offered.

No. Breech was discovered too late and baby was too big. Nothing I tried worked.

[Anonymous]

Failed induction. Never progressed because he never dropped. Never dropped because the cord was around his neck a few times.

So, it was for the best, but I could have done without the 3 days of labor. Begged for a C after 2 days. Finally got one on day 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:placenta abruption

I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

40+ years ago, my mother had this and almost died. She had an e-C and a stillbirth. I'm so grateful that in today's society, what happened to her is exceedingly rare. But I still feared it the entire time I was pregnant.

Best to you, PP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:placenta abruption

I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

40+ years ago, my mother had this and almost died. She had an e-C and a stillbirth. I'm so grateful that in today's society, what happened to her is exceedingly rare. But I still feared it the entire time I was pregnant.

Best to you, PP!

This was the suspected reason for my baby's heart rate decels. Thank goodness the fetal monitor caught his distress very early on or it could have been a tragedy.

I was so nervous about it happening again with my 2nd pregnancy that my doctor agreed to begin monitoring me earlier than normal. There were absolutely no issues like that the 2nd time around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe some of you scheduled cs because you couldn't have an epidural. Or that your OB went along with that awful decision. WOW.

I didn't get that from anyone's story

I think that was me. I was the one in a foreign country where they don't do epidurals (I think they will give IV pain meds, though; I never explored that option), and I wanted my mom to come.

I am completely happy with my decision, and the subsequent c-sections I've had, so I didn't feel the need to respond.

I will say one more thing: the risks are higher for the *mother* in c-sections, but lower in many aspects for the baby. They keep finding other possible reasons vaginal birth is good for the baby (bacteria in the birth canal, squeezing the lungs), but risks to the *baby* are not the reason to avoid c-section.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was induced 1 week post dates- hung in there a few hours with pitocin but when I hadn't progressed any on dilation (4 cm) I got pretty discouraged and asked for an epidural. It took two hours to get the epidural- within the hour after getting it I was at 10 cm and started to push. Pushed for two hours. Arrest of descent. Cue parade of people gently telling me we needed to go to section. Baby was 9lbs and AP as well. I asked to try position change and tried getting on my hands and knees which was pure comedy with an epidural. They played along and then we went to section. Had bad reaction to anesthesia/mess intended shivering, vomiting through the entire section. Does everyone have that? Recovery was not so fun- about 3 weeks I would say. All in all happy my baby was ok.

My experience was similar. I was also induced 1 week after my due date. I was in labor all day, dilated to 10cm, then pushed and pushed for something like 2 hours with very little progress. It was like one step forward, 2 steps back. My son was just shy of 9 pounds. I tried changing positions. I tried everything. The nurses at Sibley and Dr. Nevin (of RHJN) were all very patient with me, but I ended up so exhausted and out of it that I just wanted to get my son out. So I had a c-section. No vomiting like PP, but I was shaking like a leaf. My son was just fine, but we sent him to the nursery for the night because I was a mess. Next morning, everything was fine. No issues with bonding, no trouble with recovery from the surgery. Fast forward 6 years to the birth of my daughter at 39w4d. This one was a scheduled c-section because I had a cerclage (which was removed as soon as my daughter was out) and it was a piece of cake. If surgery can be pleasant, this was actually a pleasant experience! Zero issues with recovery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity, were any of you with breech babies know early and were offered a version? Wondering how often they are offered.

#1 was breech from 25 weeks up until 39 weeks when I had my c-section. My OB suggested a version but I didn't want one. They can be dangerous and there was a chance the baby can go back to breech. She also referred me to a Dr who delivers breech babies but again chose not too. I had a section with #2 and will have one with #3