So what exactly is the problem with C-Sections?

[Anonymous]

If I get pregnant again I will schedule a csection and skip labor. My vaginal birth was hell and I was in horrific pain for 5.5months - never again. No way. I know that surgery has risks too, but there are so many ways for vaginal birth to go badly too that for me it’s a wash. Birth sucks and I wish I could be my husband so that I could do the fun parts and skip the shitty parts.

[Anonymous]

They are fine when medically indicated (and yours might be based on your previous experience) but it is a tougher/slower recovery while postpartum. And it can make the birth experience unpleasant, especially if it is not scheduled, because if you are undergoing surgery, you will necessarily have fewer choices or power. But you first birth sounds worse than your average C-section because of the episiotomy.

In your situation, I'd probably opt for a C-section unless I was really invested in a natural birth. I used to pretty invested in a natural birth experience (even after going through it once) but as I get older I care less. I think it's easy to get hung up on it when it's your first because you don't understand the vastness of motherhood. Now that I know what comes after, it is WAY less important to me how the baby is born, as long as we are both safe and healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had three sections and bounced back like a pro each time. I never had a vaginal birth but I’m pretty happy that I never went through that tbh.

To each their own! I think the common ranking is

1) Uncomplicated vaginal birth
2) Scheduled c section
3) Complicated bit successful vaginal birth
4) Emergency c section without labor
5) Complicated labor that leads to an emergency c section

I had a 4 and two 2s. The 2s were in fact a lot better than the 4.

The problem is you don’t know if you’ll have an uncomplicated v birth until you’re in the thick of it

+1 to all of this. Absolutely nothing wrong with going straight to 2 to avoid all the higher numbers. I had two of option 1, but I acknowledge that’s largely luck and genetics.

Try adding category 6, which is what I had:

6) Complicated labor that leads to an emergency C-section with complications that lead to a multi-day rehospitalization

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had two emergency c-sections. Either my kids or I would be dead without them, so I don't see any problem.

I mean, same…I would be dead or my first daughter would be dead without my first C-section, but I think it’s more than OK that I did, in fact, experience “problems” with post-surgery infection complications and subsequent rehospitalization/tough recovery. Do you get that most cancer patients are grateful to be alive, but many of them still “had a problem” with the difficulties of chemo or major surgery?

[Anonymous]

I had two vaginal births and all my friends and both my SILs had c-sections.

Cons: 1) it's real, serious surgery and it hurts like h*ll after and the recovery is a PITA. I went for a 2 miles walk probably 3 days after I had my second and they couldn't even move. If you have a ton of help and someone talking care of the baby 24/7 while you recover, it's not bad. If you don't, it's hard. 2) All of them ended up with funky looking stomachs, even my brother's wife, who is rail thin. 3) scars 4) babies are more prone to autoimmune issues 5) one SIL ended up with some uterine scarring. Statistically, this could be why some have a harder time conceiving after.

"Previous peer-reviewed research, by multiple authors, has identified links between C-section and negative health outcomes in children, including obesity, asthma and autism. For example, studies have shown that delivery by C-section increases a child's risk for obesity by age 5 by an astounding 55%." IMO, his could be that the moms are already sicker and obese and therefore requiring a c-section, so the offspring are not that healthy, so it might not be the surgery itself, but who knows.

Pros (HUGE): pelvic floor health and stress urinary incontinence



https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20130211/c-section-formula-may-disrupt-good-gut-bacteria-in-babies#1

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200709141545.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201104131520.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181219093903.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160223074738.htm

[Anonymous]

In my case, because the recovery from a c-section would have had to be virtually unmedicated (very bad reaction to most opioid painkillers) and almost entirely unassisted since I delivered during COVID and my spouse had a very short parental leave. So since I wasn’t going to have someone able to hand me the baby, take the baby after nursing, and all of the other challenges of c-section recovery, I really wanted to not have a c-section. My sisters recovery from both of her c-sections were terrible *but* she had my mother and a night nurse to help— two things that were not possible for me during pre-vaccine COVID.

This isn’t a reason c-sections are “bad” it is a reason I didn’t want one. I know people who had scheduled c-sections because their spouses were deploying and they wanted to know on what day baby was arriving— it doesn’t make vaginal birth bad it means they didn’t want one!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had two emergency c-sections. Either my kids or I would be dead without them, so I don't see any problem.

I mean, same…I would be dead or my first daughter would be dead without my first C-section, but I think it’s more than OK that I did, in fact, experience “problems” with post-surgery infection complications and subsequent rehospitalization/tough recovery. Do you get that most cancer patients are grateful to be alive, but many of them still “had a problem” with the difficulties of chemo or major surgery?

I don’t think pp was personally attacking you lady. Everyone has their perspective on this. Certainly c sections aren’t a walk in the park but once the 8 pound parasite has lodged itself in your stomachs the options for removal are all unpleasant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had two emergency c-sections. Either my kids or I would be dead without them, so I don't see any problem.

I mean, same…I would be dead or my first daughter would be dead without my first C-section, but I think it’s more than OK that I did, in fact, experience “problems” with post-surgery infection complications and subsequent rehospitalization/tough recovery. Do you get that most cancer patients are grateful to be alive, but many of them still “had a problem” with the difficulties of chemo or major surgery?

I don’t think pp was personally attacking you lady. Everyone has their perspective on this. Certainly c sections aren’t a walk in the park but once the 8 pound parasite has lodged itself in your stomachs the options for removal are all unpleasant.

I think the phrase “I don’t see any problem” warrants some pushback. I stand by it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had two vaginal births and all my friends and both my SILs had c-sections.

Cons: 1) it's real, serious surgery and it hurts like h*ll after and the recovery is a PITA. I went for a 2 miles walk probably 3 days after I had my second and they couldn't even move. If you have a ton of help and someone talking care of the baby 24/7 while you recover, it's not bad. If you don't, it's hard. 2) All of them ended up with funky looking stomachs, even my brother's wife, who is rail thin. 3) scars 4) babies are more prone to autoimmune issues 5) one SIL ended up with some uterine scarring. Statistically, this could be why some have a harder time conceiving after.

"Previous peer-reviewed research, by multiple authors, has identified links between C-section and negative health outcomes in children, including obesity, asthma and autism. For example, studies have shown that delivery by C-section increases a child's risk for obesity by age 5 by an astounding 55%." IMO, his could be that the moms are already sicker and obese and therefore requiring a c-section, so the offspring are not that healthy, so it might not be the surgery itself, but who knows.

Pros (HUGE): pelvic floor health and stress urinary incontinence



https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20130211/c-section-formula-may-disrupt-good-gut-bacteria-in-babies#1

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200709141545.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201104131520.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181219093903.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160223074738.htm

Jaysus. The autism link is not remotely established. And you throw out the question of causality like it’s nothing when it is in fact everything. Women who get a c section are 11% more likely to be obese, 42% more likely to develop diabetes. And children of obese and diabetic parents are at a huge increased risk for obesity.

Lots of fear mongering here hiding in more reasonable statements to hide their outrageous nature

[Anonymous]

Because if vaginal birth goes well it is less impact. I literally was walking around fine after each one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None. But i don't want unncessary surgery. My first birth was ok but the epidural didn't work. Second birth it worked and it was 4 hrs of watching tv and the monitor and under 10 min pushing with no pain. Maternal post partum care is so subpar in the US, id rather not add surgical issues to it.

This is the biggest issue.

I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. Zero issues. However I still dealt with mastitis and thrush in the weeks following birth and it was extremely painful. I can’t imagine adding taking care of a surgical wound on top of everything else. If the US standard if care was above the bare minimum, maybe I’d feel differently, but as things stand, I would do everything possible to avoid surgery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had two emergency c-sections. Either my kids or I would be dead without them, so I don't see any problem.

I mean, same…I would be dead or my first daughter would be dead without my first C-section, but I think it’s more than OK that I did, in fact, experience “problems” with post-surgery infection complications and subsequent rehospitalization/tough recovery. Do you get that most cancer patients are grateful to be alive, but many of them still “had a problem” with the difficulties of chemo or major surgery?

I don’t think pp was personally attacking you lady. Everyone has their perspective on this. Certainly c sections aren’t a walk in the park but once the 8 pound parasite has lodged itself in your stomachs the options for removal are all unpleasant.

NP. Equating all birth experiences as “unpleasant” is unproductive and diminishes the pain and suffering of women all over the world. I have had two friends with extremely harrowing emergency C-sections. In one case, it was a scenario that the hospital staff had trained for but had never actually had to perform in person. It had a specific code. In another case, a friend had a C-section and the baby was born dead, she passed out, and woke up not knowing that her baby had been brought back to life. She has PTSD about the experience to this day, and is in therapy to this day.

“Unpleasant” and “has PTSD with flashbacks requiring therapy” are different. I’m not going to sit here and act like we can just call all birth experiences “unpleasant” and call it a day. What a disservice to women and to the medical field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I had your vaginal experience I would agree. I had 3 easy vaginal births. Not having surgery > having surgery, all else held equal.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had two emergency c-sections. Either my kids or I would be dead without them, so I don't see any problem.

I mean, same…I would be dead or my first daughter would be dead without my first C-section, but I think it’s more than OK that I did, in fact, experience “problems” with post-surgery infection complications and subsequent rehospitalization/tough recovery. Do you get that most cancer patients are grateful to be alive, but many of them still “had a problem” with the difficulties of chemo or major surgery?

I don’t think pp was personally attacking you lady. Everyone has their perspective on this. Certainly c sections aren’t a walk in the park but once the 8 pound parasite has lodged itself in your stomachs the options for removal are all unpleasant.

NP. Equating all birth experiences as “unpleasant” is unproductive and diminishes the pain and suffering of women all over the world. I have had two friends with extremely harrowing emergency C-sections. In one case, it was a scenario that the hospital staff had trained for but had never actually had to perform in person. It had a specific code. In another case, a friend had a C-section and the baby was born dead, she passed out, and woke up not knowing that her baby had been brought back to life. She has PTSD about the experience to this day, and is in therapy to this day.

“Unpleasant” and “has PTSD with flashbacks requiring therapy” are different. I’m not going to sit here and act like we can just call all birth experiences “unpleasant” and call it a day. What a disservice to women and to the medical field.

I feel I must add the PTSD case was an extremely emergent C-section, so there was long labor, lots of pain, panic and fear going in that added to the PTSD. So it wasn’t just “a” C-section, it was an emergency that was very complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are fine. I had my first for medical reasons and had a scheduled C for my second by choice.

+1

I didn't know I would end up with a c-section the first time, and a c-section after hours of labor and pushing made for a longer recovery. But the second c-section was a breeze. No way in hell was I going to chance having to deal with BOTH again.