Anyone terrified of c-section

[Anonymous]

What insurance do you have?

[Anonymous]

EMDR can absolutely help with this. I know trauma survivors who found it life changing.

I had a similar c-section experience with my first. My epidural during labor was poorly placed and I ended up going under general anesthesia halfway through. It was awful and I'm sorry you had to go through something like that, as well.

I switched to a difference practice and hospital with my subsequent babies. I had a VBAC with my second and a repeat CS with my third. The VBAC was what I "wanted" in theory, but I tore and had organ prolapse as a result. The last CS was healing for me in that it was 180 degrees from my first experience. It felt calm, I got to snuggle my baby immediately, and all the doctors and nurses were understanding of what I'd gone through the first time. If you are still seeing the same OB I would really recommend switching if you can. It sounds like you've had some pretty difficult experiences with them.

[Anonymous]

Find a new doctor who might support a VBAC if you're a good candidate for it.

[Anonymous]

There are a bunch of free Instagram influencers that focus on women's recovery from childbearing and c-sections. Getmomstrong is one off the top of my head. She had twins and it wrecked her core.

I had two c-sections, and while my core is still pretty awful, I think your c-section issues weren't the norm. Hoping for a better outcome for you this time!

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry about your prior experiences— but can you view this as having a HUGE advantage in knowing what you’re up against and starting to prepare now for the support you’ll need,

If you’re a Fed with work life 4 you, the backup care coverage includes a home health aide for yourself, and I was told that can be used for childbirth recovery.

If you can’t find a really good PT that takes your insurance (been there, mine wouldn’t) can you get your doctor to write a letter of medical necessity so you can use FSA money for it? Can you start calling around for a post-partum doula in your price range?

I would also get a second opinion on the VBAC question. It will not be a magic bullet: postpartum care in the U.S is bullshit and you will still have very little “official” support but I would not let someone I was paying for a service get thousands of extra dollars just for being “not interested” I would expect a detailed explanation of why I was not a good candidate.

[Anonymous]

Would anyone be willing to share obgyn recs who are good with vbac or understanding of patient who had ptsd from first c section? I had c section ptsd, am working with a therapist and have left my old obgyn but have failed to find a new one that looks promising. A lot of the practices I have come across seem perfectly okay but don’t seem to be particularly keen on making the time or patience for someone who has had a hard time emotionally (if that makes sense).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry about your prior experiences— but can you view this as having a HUGE advantage in knowing what you’re up against and starting to prepare now for the support you’ll need,

If you’re a Fed with work life 4 you, the backup care coverage includes a home health aide for yourself, and I was told that can be used for childbirth recovery.

If you can’t find a really good PT that takes your insurance (been there, mine wouldn’t) can you get your doctor to write a letter of medical necessity so you can use FSA money for it? Can you start calling around for a post-partum doula in your price range?

I would also get a second opinion on the VBAC question. It will not be a magic bullet: postpartum care in the U.S is bullshit and you will still have very little “official” support but I would not let someone I was paying for a service get thousands of extra dollars just for being “not interested” I would expect a detailed explanation of why I was not a good candidate.

I’m a Fed. What’s the health aid thing??

[Anonymous]

Does a health aide help me or my house? I can hire plenty of help around the house. Nothing will take away the pain and rehab needs I’ll have though.

[Anonymous]

Switch doctors ASAP. I did not find the support I needed with the first OBGYN I went to, switched to the midwives in the same hospital and it was like night and day. They supported me throughout the entire pregnancy and even though I ended up needing a CS they kept checking in on me, including after the birth of the baby. They actually care, go with the midwives if you can.

[Anonymous]

I think you have a doctor problem. I hope you have switched practices. I had one emergency and one planned c-section and two very easy recoveries and minimal scarring/nerve damage.

[Anonymous]

IME most doctors are pretty VBAC friendly as long as you go into labor on your own. They are leery of induction VBAC’s which carry more risk of uterine rupture. So might be worth looking around for a different practice if you want to try a VBAC.

[Anonymous]

I stopped at one kid OP because it was so much torture. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Switch practices if you can. GW is the practice in DC for VBAC. They are known for it. A lot of folks on DCUM trash then but I just had a primary C-section there and had a great experience. A real plus in scheduling was getting my OB as my surgeon, which was really reassuring. There's no way to pick your anesthesiologist, but the one I just had was amazing. I didn't even realize that there could be much difference, but she saw how nervous I was and made me feel taken care of, and gave me a bit of extra meds to make sure all the pain was masked. For OBs, I really recommend Dr Koo (if you are ok with a male OB) - he has really great bedside manner and was really great at making me feel heard when planning around trauma in my birth plan. He also delivers a lot of babies every week, even compared to the other OBs at GW, so there's a lot of experience.