Did you have a Natural or C-Section?

[Millerwhisk]

undecided - Dr Dawkins is also very good for not pushing c sections. I had my first son nvd, he said he would encourage a natural birth rather than c section unless I particularly wanted a c section due to my past experience.

One reason for elective c section may be due to insurance. Regardless of medical necessity it would be financially beneficial for us to have a c section rather than a vaginal delivery which seems quite bizarre to me really.

 

[mintycat]

My first DD was breeched that never turned and also my OB told me I have a narrow pelvis so we decided to have a c-section. We will be having a c-section for the second one in May too, although I am worried about how my recovery will be this time around.

 

[mosmom]

VB at public hospital - I laboured for an awful long time (one full day). The first 12 hours I had contractions one after the other, with literally no breaks to be able to breath. The second half of labour, I got gas for inhalation and, when the anaesthesist was finally ready, an epidural to be able to go through the wait time painlessly. I'm sure not every birth takes this long. Will definitely go for VB again next time!

 

[jacqui]

one reason i'm going to say no the epidural is fear of giving 'them' an excuse to give me a c-section. i'm afraid they'll be like "oh well, since she's already half prepped and it's taking so long, might as well just slice her up an get it over with." i know i sound paranoid but6 i just don't feel that these OB's are truly working on behalf of the patient's interest.

 

[MLBW]

I didn't give birth in HK but I had a vaginal delivery without any drugs or pain killers--43 hours of labor--about 50 minutes of hard labor and then my son was born. I think the only way this is possible is if you are ready, trained and prepared to do it and you have a great team on your side--my husband and mother did most of the "work" of helping me out and the nurse midwife attending the birth just sat back and did minor things--at one point she left the room and I actually progressed even faster! I am so thankful for the great people there to support me and help me stick to my birth plan even when I wanted to give up on it.

 

[MLBW]

Firstly, who says that a C-section isn't normal???? We live in the 21st Century where they are just as normal as any other birth - they are pretty much all assisted aren't they? You go to hospital don't you?

I have an elective C-section - not due to pain but because of the types of things that I have heard go wrong with vaginal births and because I had a career - it was a simple way to book the brith in and have it all go smoothly. recovery was painful but that comes with having operations.

The risks involved in having a C-section (major abdominal surgery) are higher than a vaginal birth--including bleeding problems and infection. In the States, most "good" hospitals are supposed to keep their C-section rates below 20% but that doesn't happen very often. I don't think a C-section is a cop-out but I do think that a lot of women make the choice to have one based on an inadequate amount of information. Vaginal births aren't easy but the area heals very quickly. Some women need to have C-sections for emergency purposes but having elective C-sections because of a fear of pain or something else seems a little uneducated.

 

[karmah1]

The risks involved in having a C-section (major abdominal surgery) are higher than a vaginal birth--including bleeding problems and infection. In the States, most "good" hospitals are supposed to keep their C-section rates below 20% but that doesn't happen very often. I don't think a C-section is a cop-out but I do think that a lot of women make the choice to have one based on an inadequate amount of information. Vaginal births aren't easy but the area heals very quickly. Some women need to have C-sections for emergency purposes but having elective C-sections because of a fear of pain or something else seems a little uneducated.

I have to say I agree with the post from Vegemite kid. I too have booked in for an elective C-section. Not so much out of fear of the pain but out of fear of what can go wrong with vaginal births. My mother's experience was horrific and nearly died in child birth having both my brother and I. My Aunty's mother actually died in child birth. So having this type of thing run in the family has always scared me. Ok this was back in Australia in the 70's and 50's but I have known about it since I was little and has always been in the back of my mind. I'm naturally a very organised person who likes to be in control, so a c-section seems the only option for me. I certainly did consider the option of a natural birth and attending a hypno-birthing course, but I realised I would be more stressed out if I went that way. And to top it off my pregancy has not been great, especially as I'm still suffering from morning sickness at 28 weeks! Now that I've made my decision I'm more relaxed and trying to enjoy the rest of my pregnany. I'm not planning on any more children, this will be our one and only so I'm not worried about future c-sections or v-bacs etc.

I think in this day and age we should have the ability to choose how we give birth. While I certainly admire women who choose to go down the natural route I just know it isn't for me. Anyway no matter which route we go, we all end up with a precious baby in the end.

 

[MLBW]

I have to say I agree with the post from Vegemite kid. I too have booked in for an elective C-section. Not so much out of fear of the pain but out of fear of what can go wrong with vaginal births. My mother's experience was horrific and nearly died in child birth having both my brother and I. My Aunty's mother actually died in child birth. So having this type of thing run in the family has always scared me. Ok this was back in Australia in the 70's and 50's but I have known about it since I was little and has always been in the back of my mind. I'm naturally a very organised person who likes to be in control, so a c-section seems the only option for me. I certainly did consider the option of a natural birth and attending a hypno-birthing course, but I realised I would be more stressed out if I went that way. And to top it off my pregancy has not been great, especially as I'm still suffering from morning sickness at 28 weeks! Now that I've made my decision I'm more relaxed and trying to enjoy the rest of my pregnany. I'm not planning on any more children, this will be our one and only so I'm not worried about future c-sections or v-bacs etc.

I think in this day and age we should have the ability to choose how we give birth. While I certainly admire women who choose to go down the natural route I just know it isn't for me. Anyway no matter which route we go, we all end up with a precious baby in the end.

One thing I would like to point out that in the 1950s and 1970s the common practice was that women were forced to lie on their back (sometimes tethered to the bed, actually), husband was not allowed in the delivery room and they were forced to give birth the way the doctor ordered them too. This is probably the least condusive to a vaginal birth as when one is lying on their back (stressed out without the comfort of familiar people added) gravity is not working with them to push the child out. In the 1950s was also the beginning of exposing women to serious drugs that would "knock them out" so the doctor could "drag out the baby"--these drugs were even more miserable than the ones we have today. And...doctors were more prone to allow women to labor for days and days without allowing them to do a C-section in emergency situations. Even when my husband was born in the early 1980s his mom was in labor for 2 days before they even considered taking him by c-section. So, the world today in medicine is not even comparable to the world now when there are doulas who can attend your birth and help you, spa bathtubs available to ease pain and speed up labor as well as a plethora of other options including hypnosis. Just wanted to point that out. And, I am really saddened to hear that you lost an Auntie :0(

 

[wanfamily]

I think it's a case of different folks - different strokes. It doesn't make you any less of a mother which ever way you choose - the end result is still getting the baby out.
I had both mine VB without any pain relief (and the first got stuck - had to be dragged out with forceps after 19 hours). However, the mental support I had was brilliant. (Had mine in Japan where natural birth is recommended). Birthing balls to wobble on, hot showers, aromatherapy oils and comedy on the TV . (Though got mad with the hubby for watching this instead of attending to me!) At the end of the day, it was horribly painful, but the pain was forgotten the moment I heard that cry at the end. For the second one, I had acupuncture for 4 weeks before my due date (from someone who had experience in prenatal acupuncture) and that seemed to help a lot - almost had him in the taxi!

 

[bekyboo44]

I think every woman has the right to choose how they give birth.
I went into labour with my son expecting to have a VB but in the end had a c/s- in that moment when my husband and I had to choose between a c/s or trying to continue with VB all that mattered was that our baby was born safe and well- I didn't care how he came out, just as long as he did.
With my daughter I opted for a c/s- because we decided it was safest.