C-section....best for your baby????

[mommyboy]

Recently, just talked to my prenant friend who is going to have elective c-section. Her Dr has convinced her&her hubby to have c-section. The Dr said it is the best choice for baby because the baby wont contact with bacteria and germs when he/she travels thru the birth canal. Is this true????? I myself had my first baby via virginal birth 2 years ago. My Dr only talked about advantages and disadvantages of virginal birth and c-section for the mother but never mentioned which is good for our baby.

The couples said they knew that C-section would take a longer time for recovery but she is willing to sacrifice for her baby. It sounded a little offensive, like I was selfish to think of myself first but took risks of my own baby's health!

Could I pls have you moms' opinions???

Thanks

 

[mosmom]

What can be more natural and better for the baby than vaginal delivery (under normal health circumstances of the mother)? Your friend is naive enough to believe her doctor (whoever that dr is..) - well, let her have her own beliefs. If YOU think that natural, vaginal delivery is best for your baby, go for it and don't listen to people who have obtained false information. My gosh, I never heard of this 'germs and bacteria' theory before! :haha:

 

[josoo]

C-section....best for your baby?????

At the end of the day, be prepared to have the baby either way. It depends on how your baby is positioned closer to d-day! Plus its a personal choice...so its up to you, not what you hear and how you get influenced. Afterall, it shouldn't be anybody else's decision besides you and your husband!

 

[carang]

i would ventrue to say that c-sections are ONLY best for the baby in certain circumstances, such as the mother developing pre-eclampsia. to continue a pregnancy in this state waiting for a vaginal delivery could be disasterous for both the mother and the baby.

there are also times when the baby will thrive more (do better) outside the womb than inside. this can be for various medical conditions. if this is the case, then it is better for a c-section delivery than to wait for a vag del.

i had 2 c-sections. the first was an emergency ([email protected] weeks). and the second was elective @ 36 weeks. both times it was considered to be in the best interest of both the mother and the baby, for medical reasons.

once both of my kids were born, they grew much better. (my daughter is putting on weight at the rate of 1/2 pound/week!)

i've never heard of it being dangerous because of germs and bacteria to deliver a baby naturally.

i would suggest gently that your friend seek a second opinion. sounds to me like the doctor is just trying to make deliveries fit into his schedule. much easier to make more $$$ and take on more patients if you know exactly when each baby is going to be delivered!

 

[Matty]

I think this Dr just's likes to perform surgery.

The baby recieves advantages from a vaginal birth that it doesn't get from a c-section.
The forces of moving through the birth canal help push fluid from your babies lungs, which enable it to breath easier once born.

Unless you have an infection such as an STD or strep B, which you can be tested for during pregnancy, there is no reason to fear germs.
Yor baby has been sitting in your bodily fluids for the past 9 mths after all!

 

[kashismum]

I think this Dr just's likes to perform surgery.
Unless you have an infection such as an STD or strep B, which you can be tested for during pregnancy, there is no reason to fear germs.
Yor baby has been sitting in your bodily fluids for the past 9 mths after all!

Definitely, she should get a second opinion.
Even for some infections, antiobiotics can be given around w38 to allow a norma delivery (vaginal). Agree with Cara that there are certainly some conditions in which a C-section is advisable. If your friend has none of these and would like to deliver normally, she should not be encouraged to have a c-section, especially not from a medical 'professional'.

 

[minnie]

I would be looking for a different doctor,unless there is a problem with you or the baby a natural birth is by far the best way to deliver. I have been a maternity nurse for 20 years so I know a little bit about these dilema's. You also need to be looking at the recovery time,sometimes with a c-section it can take weeks especially if you get an infection on the suture line,also remember it is major abdominal surgery you would be having. I would be getting another opinion asap. good luck

 

[Bear Lau]

Although I had a elective c-section for my first baby last year and will also plan to have one for my next one ( due to the size and medical condition). I think the best to both the mother and baby is giving natural birth. I also think there are doctors only like to perform schedule c-section so they don't have to get up middle of the night.

 

[Ali71]

Opposite on bacteria and germs

I have read the opposite on the bacteria and germs theory - that precisely through the baby travelling through the birth canal it picks up the "bacteria" which are good bacteria and gains an advantage from this. My understanding was these good bacteria were similar to the type found in yoghurt, lactobacillus etc. I'm afraid I don't know any more.
My personal choice was to give my baby as natural a start as possible, as having a C-section meant being pumped full of drugs before and after for both me and baby, unless of course a C-section was medically necessary.
It seems that second opinions may be very different and it is best for you to find someone you are totally comfortable with, not left wondering whether your doctor is right. Good luck

 

[mommyboy]

Thanks for all comments & opinions. I will suggest my friend to look at this thread to see what other moms out there think. She obviously trusts in what her dr. said.
I repect her decision and think that there is nothing wrong with elective c-section. However, I hope that she would make her decision wisely not just be mislead by money-minded dr who's trying to get extra$$ and pick the birthday of her baby to fit his holiday schedule. Excuse my language!