Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I count 5 mentions of "decels" as the sole reason for their c-sections on this thread. In addition to the factors OB PP mentioned, continuous fetal monitoring is often cited as a factor in the increased c section rate. Look into hospital-based midwives if you want to avoid this. They will already have fought the battle with the hospital policies to allow them to do intermittent monitoring.

Well, continuous fetal monitoring has reduced death rates. You seem to be implying that those c sections were unnecessary, but you really have no idea.

Not PP. No it hasn't. Look at the research!

First baby, induced at 35 weeks for pre-eclampsia. After 42 hours of induced labor, still only dilated to 3 cm (and had been for the previous 28 hours) and baby wasn't descended at all. Baby went into distress and they did a c-section.

Second baby, tried for a VBAC, arrived at the hospital with water broken and dilated to 3 cm. After 12 hours of active labor, walking, etc., baby still not descended, and not progress beyond 3 cm. OB said that with baby still not descended, odds of a successful VBAC were very low so we did a c-section.

Both babies were born with identical hematomas on their heads that my OB said suggested my pelvis simply hadn't opened enough enough for the babies to descend, and there was no way I would have been able to deliver vaginally.

Anonymous wrote:A year before ds was born, I had uterine surgery to remove fibroids. The incision, while not cutting through the entire uterine wall, was deep and in the upper area where contractions occur. Going into labor and pushing could have caused the uterus to rupture, which according to my OB in her very calm tone, could be "catastrophic."

+1 - Same situation for me, except my delivery was 4 years after surgery. Recovery from c-section was much easier than from my surgery!

Anonymous wrote:OP, I count 5 mentions of "decels" as the sole reason for their c-sections on this thread. In addition to the factors OB PP mentioned, continuous fetal monitoring is often cited as a factor in the increased c section rate. Look into hospital-based midwives if you want to avoid this. They will already have fought the battle with the hospital policies to allow them to do intermittent monitoring.

Well, continuous fetal monitoring has reduced death rates. You seem to be implying that those c sections were unnecessary, but you really have no idea.

sandraw wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an OB and so was my father so we often talk about how c sections are commonplace now a days. A few factors. 1.) practitioners (myself included) are not trained to do breech deliveries and are discouraged to do so even if they are trained. In my dads day a breech baby wasn't an automatic c section at all and now it basically is. 2.) hospitals get nervous when woman labors past 24 hours. If you really want to reduce your chance for a c section you should come to the hospital around 6 cm. now obviously there is no way to know when you are six cm but laboring at home if you are low risk and comfortable is ideal. Even laboring for 5 hours at home before you come in can greatly reduce your likelyhood for a section. 3.) doctors do more c sections so they get better at it, feel comfortable with it, and recommend it more. Hope this helps!

This is very interesting to hear. So in your and your father's opinion, is the increase of c-sections a good or a bad thing? I find all the reasons given to not be particularly encouraging for increasing this practice. Especially number 3!

OB here. I find the rise of c sections rate alarming but I am pushed in this direction. If no one trains me in vaginal breech deliveries then it really is safer for me to preform a c section. Its sad because even people (like my dad) who know how to do them and did them the first half of their career are really pushed by the hospitals to not do them. So if you have a skill you can never use anymore you are even more unlikely to fight the crowd and do it. And like I said the more c sections we do the more it becomes the norm and the more the skill is perfected and preferred. I wish I preformed breech deliveries all the time but its not the culture in which I practice in. I encourage women to be their own advocate and consider hiring a doula or a midwife who can be your voice during your hospital delivery if you are unsure how to navigate the "system". However sometimes I see midwives and doulas go in the opposite direction to the extreme and basically convince a woman c sections are the devil and then when we CLEARLY need to section it becomes hell. So theres that side of it to. No easy answers.

I thought I had chosen a C-section due to exhaustion. I had been dealing with contractions for two and a half days... had missed one full night of sleep. I pushed for 3.5 hours-- two hours without epidural because I thought the numbness was slowing things down. I developed a fever, which they were able to treat.

The doctor told me that my pelvic bone structure seemed to be the problem. Baby was not big and was in a good position with a very molded head. My baby looked like she had been born vaginally even though she never full descended. She had a few deceleration episodes, but generally handled the whole thing better than I did. Being on oxygen and laying on my side kept her happier during some of the pushing.

1st baby had a marginal cord insertion and a transverse breech baby. They didn't want to risk turning her and damaging the cord, so I had a scheduled c-section. Did a repeat with #2 because the first one was so easy and I was paranoid about something going wrong during regular delivery. It also made scheduling help with our older kid much easier. And I knew we were done having kids, so I got my tubes tied at the same time.

Anonymous wrote:I am an OB and so was my father so we often talk about how c sections are commonplace now a days. A few factors. 1.) practitioners (myself included) are not trained to do breech deliveries and are discouraged to do so even if they are trained. In my dads day a breech baby wasn't an automatic c section at all and now it basically is. 2.) hospitals get nervous when woman labors past 24 hours. If you really want to reduce your chance for a c section you should come to the hospital around 6 cm. now obviously there is no way to know when you are six cm but laboring at home if you are low risk and comfortable is ideal. Even laboring for 5 hours at home before you come in can greatly reduce your likelyhood for a section. 3.) doctors do more c sections so they get better at it, feel comfortable with it, and recommend it more. Hope this helps!

This is very interesting to hear. So in your and your father's opinion, is the increase of c-sections a good or a bad thing? I find all the reasons given to not be particularly encouraging for increasing this practice. Especially number 3!

OP, I count 5 mentions of "decels" as the sole reason for their c-sections on this thread. In addition to the factors OB PP mentioned, continuous fetal monitoring is often cited as a factor in the increased c section rate. Look into hospital-based midwives if you want to avoid this. They will already have fought the battle with the hospital policies to allow them to do intermittent monitoring.

Breech, which we knew about. I had a tumor that was effectively wedged between DS and vagina, which knew about, but not the extent of, so although OB was fine with vaginal birth it was a section. Necessary. VBACd #2.

#3 was a breech baby. We opted to turn him, which went fine, went on to be induced and delivered a huge baby vaginally. We had some "complications" afterwards though that my MD said probably had nothing to do with the external version, but I have my own doubts.
FF to pregnant with #4. I said at the very first OB visit "if this one is breech, we are NOT turning it". He laughed and said the odds of that were SO low since I'd had two others that weren't breech, etc. Yep, #4 was breech as well, so it was a scheduled c/s

Induced for preeclampsia. Labored for 80 hours and pushed for three. Baby was OP and wouldn't descend, and I was too exhausted to keep pushing effectively. I felt pushed into the induction but the c-section felt like the last resort.

lots of older moms

I am an OB and so was my father so we often talk about how c sections are commonplace now a days. A few factors. 1.) practitioners (myself included) are not trained to do breech deliveries and are discouraged to do so even if they are trained. In my dads day a breech baby wasn't an automatic c section at all and now it basically is. 2.) hospitals get nervous when woman labors past 24 hours. If you really want to reduce your chance for a c section you should come to the hospital around 6 cm. now obviously there is no way to know when you are six cm but laboring at home if you are low risk and comfortable is ideal. Even laboring for 5 hours at home before you come in can greatly reduce your likelyhood for a section. 3.) doctors do more c sections so they get better at it, feel comfortable with it, and recommend it more. Hope this helps!

Asked for one. Was in a foreign country, wanted my mom to be able to come, they don't do epidurals in that country. Felt like more in my control. Subsequent births were rcs. I wasn't interested in VBAC.