I had a C-section after vaginal birth did not progress and my baby’s heart rate was dropping. The C-section recovery for me was not bad at all. I only took Tylenol - nothing more - and healing and recovery were uneventful. I actually would have wanted a planned C-section, but didn’t think it was an option to ask until I heard from many others that doctors will do so. OP good for you for asking - I wish I had; and I ultimately was glad to end up with a C-section anyways. Good luck OP.

I did an elective csection for my first, and went on to have four kids and csections in total. My mom had three kids and very tough vaginal deliveries and long term issues. My OB was totally supportive.

I never took Percocet bc I hate pain meds, but did a few days of Tylenol 3. The pain was not the worst I’ve had and 2nd day is usually hardest and then improves significantly.

However pls know there is scar tissue obviously so think thru how many kids you want. I was fine in my 4th but it wasn’t as straight forward. 3rd csection was the easiest recovery.

I worry about not giving my baby the microbiome thru the vaginal canal but I make sure I breastfeed to try to make up for it.

Good luck!

OP I am a PP and I’m sorry the crazy vaginal birth people found this thread and pounced. It’s amazing how many women will proudly claim to be pro choice and then yet be profoundly anti choice when it comes to giving birth and breastfeeding. It’s your body and your choice and frankly whatever reasons you have are immaterial because it’s your body and your baby.

In terms of finding an OB, I would try to find a small OB group or solo provider who supports your choice. Or if you have to do the big practice route, only see one provider to the extent you can do you don’t have to defend your choice every visit to a different doctor. I think you will have an easier time finding a supportive group or provider if you avoid teaching hospitals and practices that train med students and go for private practices that see older moms. That said, I think you will find most OBs will be supportive if you can clearly articulate why you want a “maternal request C section.” I believe ACOG advises OBs to counsel you against this but ultimately to honor your choice. That said, I would make sure you can clearly articulate why you want this. It’s none of my business if you were raped, or sexually abused, or if your mom
had a severe prolapse from her birth and you want to avoid that, or if you just are concerned about doing the most you can to preserve your continence or sexual function, or something else entirely.

That said, I think you will find that if you can speak the language of doctors (ie “I have given my birth a lot of thought and I want a maternal request C-section. I understand the risks and benefits and here’s why...if I deliver here will you/this practice support my choice?”) it will be easier. There is a great book called Choosing Cesarean that lays out many arguments for scheduled c-sections and why women deserve the choice - might be worth familiarizing yourself with the research a bit in it.

And a final word is that as other PPs have said, there are certainly risks to any delivery and it’s certainly not a guarantee that you won’t experience some type of postpartum issue or require pelvic floor physical therapy (though I hope that’s not the case). I wish you the best in finding a supportive doctor. Frankly as someone contemplating pelvic floor reconstructive surgery options and the considerable costs and risks (and high surgical fail rates) from damage caused from my vaginal birth, I wish I had your foresight before my first pregnancy instead of believing that a vaginal birth was best for my baby and me, because it was not.

I asked at Reiter and hill 16 years ago for my first and was told absolutely not by a couple of docs there. Maybe things have changed, but when I had my kids it was not easy to find a doc that would do a purely elective c-section.

I had one because of prior major abdominal surgery; vaginal birth would have put undue pressure on some stuff that didn't need it. It would not have been dangerous to the baby but it could have made my life hell for a long time. Some people who had the surgery I had go on to have vaginal deliveries, but it wasn't something I wanted to try.

I was with a high-risk OB practice. They didn't bat an eyelash. On that basis, I'd suggest you seek one out if you have any conceivable basis for doing so. They were much, much less doctrinaire across the board.

A unplanned c-section after several hours of labor was a terrible recovery. I didn't try for VBAC with #2 and that recovery was a breeze.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.skepticalob.com/2018/03/what-if-c-sections-are-better-and-safer-than-vaginal-birth.html

Yes, c sections are safer for babies and carry more risk for mom. You’re basically transferring risk to yourself.

Yup. Contrary to what OP thinks, it's worse for mom in every way, but clearly, undoubtedly safer for baby. OP, since you're a healthcare professional, you should theoretically have the training necessary to review the research, which you seem to currently misunderstand.

I understand the research, but my priorities are different from yours. I don’t need you or anyone else to understand my experience. I asked a question and was looking to hear from people who had elective c-sections. It doesn’t sound like you are someone who had that experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.skepticalob.com/2018/03/what-if-c-sections-are-better-and-safer-than-vaginal-birth.html

Yes, c sections are safer for babies and carry more risk for mom. You’re basically transferring risk to yourself.

Yup. Contrary to what OP thinks, it's worse for mom in every way, but clearly, undoubtedly safer for baby. OP, since you're a healthcare professional, you should theoretically have the training necessary to review the research, which you seem to currently misunderstand.

Umm not every way. A scheduled c section is protective to some extent against pelvic floor damage. You don’t get an obstetric fistula, or anal incontinence, or typically pelvic organ prolapse (which frequently requires corrective surgery and a hysterectomy) from a scheduled section.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.skepticalob.com/2018/03/what-if-c-sections-are-better-and-safer-than-vaginal-birth.html

Yes, c sections are safer for babies and carry more risk for mom. You’re basically transferring risk to yourself.

Yup. Contrary to what OP thinks, it's worse for mom in every way, but clearly, undoubtedly safer for baby. OP, since you're a healthcare professional, you should theoretically have the training necessary to review the research, which you seem to currently misunderstand.

Just do vaginal with epidural. Recovering from a csection with a newborn must be hell. A csection is not easy and pain free.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a c-section by request. I was really scared to ask my OB but she didn't blink. I am a Kaiser patient so it's not like I could shop around much for doctors. She did have me see a different OB in the practice to just document that it was my request and not her pushing it.

There were no issues and nobody gave me a hard time at any stage. I did not pay more, either.

Of course not, because you are with Kaiser. But Kaiser had to absorb that 100K + surgery so I imagine there is more to the story.

Meh, Kaiser could have declined to cover it entirely as an elective surgery. But it's not really more expensive to have a one hour surgery than to have a 24 hour labor with epidural. The Kaiser OB and anesthetist are there either eay.

There have been some interesting papers suggesting that c-sections save money for the insurer overall when you factor in birth injuries and pelvic floor damage that the insurer also ends up paying for. But nobody wants to look at that too closely because it immediately conjures the image of mandatory c-sections for cost efficiency.

https://www.skepticalob.com/2018/03/what-if-c-sections-are-better-and-safer-than-vaginal-birth.html

Yes, c sections are safer for babies and carry more risk for mom. You’re basically transferring risk to yourself.

If you go to a large OB/Gyn practice, they will probably have you see all of their doctors during the course of your pregnancy. Ask them how they feel about scheduled c-sections.

I had an unplanned c-section with my 1st due to labor that wouldn’t progress, and a scheduled C with baby #2. I was scared during the first one because I hadn’t planned for it, but the second was a breeze.

Recovery was uncomfortable, but not terrible. I think I took the Percocet for a day or 2, then Tylenol as needed. I couldn’t lift anything heavier than the baby for a while, but it really wasn’t bad.

I’ve heard horror stories about incontinence and pain after vaginal delivery, too. What matters is having a healthy Mom and healthy baby no matter how it arrives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:doctors prefer it because it is much mor convenient and lucrative.

Actually it’s safer for the baby and far more controlled than a vaginal birth that most times are uncomplicated but when they aren’t can go off the rails—badly— in a matter of moments. But keep telling yourself that tired, outdated lie.

God lord. Please provide some research probing c-sections are safer for the baby.

DP here. There is a ton of data showing scheduled c-sections at full term are safer for the baby. The statistics show it, plus it just makes sense because most of the risks of vaginal birth have to do with getting the baby out too slowly. If you want the safest possible birth for the baby, that's a non-emergency c-section.

Now, for mothers it is slightly less safe than vaginal birth. You have surgical risks like infection and hemorage, occurring at higher rates than they do in vaginal birth. Some people have issues with the anesthesia. It's still pretty safe, but statistically less safe for mom than vaginal birth.

But since both methods are statistically very safe, it really comes down to preference. Many sex assault survivors prefer not to have a hand up their vagina for vaginal birth, for example, while many people who have never had other surgery are really scared of the idea. But it's on the margins either way in most cases.

Anonymous wrote:I had a c-section by request. I was really scared to ask my OB but she didn't blink. I am a Kaiser patient so it's not like I could shop around much for doctors. She did have me see a different OB in the practice to just document that it was my request and not her pushing it.

There were no issues and nobody gave me a hard time at any stage. I did not pay more, either.

Of course not, because you are with Kaiser. But Kaiser had to absorb that 100K + surgery so I imagine there is more to the story.