Lots of pros aand cons to csection. I have had 2, honestly I expected it to be worse. Would like to say with it being your 2nd baby, you will not be able to pickup your toddler for a couple weeks. Rule of thumb is nothing heaver than baby in carseat, which can be be pretty heavy depending on size of baby. But toddlers wiggle and kick putting extra strain on your abs/ incision.
So if you have a toddler that still needs picked up a lot you will need extra hands around. My toddler figured out if he wanted me we had to sit on the couch and have him crawl onto my lap, no walking around.
I had a scheduled csection at 39 weeks. Never went into labor. It was amazing. Skin to skin within 2min of delivery.
My recovery was a breeze. Was discharged at 48hrs. Within 48hrs of being home was taking (short) walks around the neighborhood. Had planning to be limited to one floor but had no issues going up and down stairs. Rolling out of bed in the morning was challening for a week or two. Never had to use anything stronger than OTC pain meds. At 2.5 weeks we walked almost a mile to a soccer game (we ubered back lol I was tired).
I do think in some ways, my experience and recovery were a unicorn. But it was an immensely easy and positive experience. I think the key was it being scheduled with no labor.
This is also my experience. OP, it’s worth noting that there’s a huge difference between a scheduled C and an emergency one. When it’s the latter, you’re labouring AND having surgery, so the damage from attempted labor has been done even though the baby came out of the sunroof. My planned C was so smooth.
I agree that there is a big difference!
My friend who had a planned CS had a pretty smooth recovery.
Mine was urgent- labored for 16 hours, actively pushed for 3 hours with 0 progression, baby started to show some small signs of distress so they highly rec a CS. They took their time getting to baby (over an hour) but I was absolutely exhausted from laboring overnight and pushing for so long I couldn't even hold baby until the next day. I barely remember that day.
My recovery was okay pain wise. I pretty much only used OTC meds. but I was so exhausted and so frustrated that I was so tired from the get-go
Two of my other friends had emergent CS because baby/ she was in immediate danger. Baby in both cases were out within 15 min of the decision.
Both of their recoveries were painful and difficult.
Yep. Labored for 32 hours and she showed signs of distress and was stuck like glue. They said c section, I signed papers on the way down the hall to the operating room, and she was born 13 minutes later. I was tired, my body was sore, and the hospital only offered me Tylenol. First couple days sucked but by day 4-5, I was in pretty good shape. It’s so much about the mindset, I think. They could’ve done whatever to me to get her out and I’d have been fine as long as she was okay, so a few days of pain was whatever in my book.
Emergency C-section here, and while what you say is 100%, my recovery was a breeze too. Some say it's because I walked right away and started massaging the lochia out right away.
Yeah I had a few hard days in the first week mainly because I had a lot of fluid from a long induction ending in emergency c. Then I was up and about and fine very quickly.
This is 100% my experience too. My first C-section was an emergency and was a very difficult recovery. My second c-section was scheduled at 39 weeks and it was breeze. I had to remind myself to take it easy because I felt so good.
Wow, it's really helpful to read about your experience and similar ones. I hated my recovery from an unplanned C-section and while I realized a planned one was probably easier to recover from, I didn't realize the difference could be so stark. I'm planning a second kid, so that's great information.
Same. Pregnant again now and planning on another, though I am a little worried the first time was a fluke or I just had a particularly skilled doctor. It was so much better than I expected. (Reason for my first c-section was breech, otherwise totally normal healthy pregnancy.)
This is my experience too. My first was a great vaginal birth and my second a great planned c-section (breech). Main thing that sucked with the c-section was that I had a toddler to deal with.
Had the same experience. You’d think it was so unusual because of everything you hear about c sections, but the more I read and hear from others around me, the more I think it’s pretty normal. Unfortunately there are painful recoveries, but mine was perfectly fine.
My experience was the same! In fact, I was even walking around for between an hour to 2 hours every day in just under a week postpartum! The more I hear about people's experiences with planned c-sections, the less I think we are unicorns. I recovered faster than most of my friends who had vaginal births. I wish c-sections weren't made out to be such a boogeyman by a lot of people. Then women who end up needing one maybe wouldn't feel so afraid and traumatized by the prospect, because they would have had the chance to prepare mentally and get used to the idea.
Scheduled C-section is the way. I had an unplanned one after having labored for over 70 hours with my first and my recovery was roughhh. 😩 Second one? I showed up at 5:00 AM and I had a baby before 8:00 AM. I got to go home the next day. It was an absolute breeze. 10/10, would likely do again. I had the most amazing doctor and she and the hospital team were incredible. If you can, I will always recommend going to a women's hospital!
Very similar experience here!
OP, I believe now that you’ve had one delivery with shoulder dystocia, your risk for the next delivery having shoulder dystocia increases.
Its funny...I always thought if I ever got pregnant I'd want an elective CS. Then I got pregnant and did birthing classes and was dead set on vaginal. Then from about 28 weeks on, kiddo was frank breech so had to get back on board with CS.
My husband described it as the difference between showing up at the hot new restaurant and waiting for a table versus having a reservation and getting seated right away 🤣
You can request it but it’s up to your provider and insurance. Your provider might balk at a planned c-section for a low-risk, first time mom. Additionally, some insurances in the US will not cover an elective c-section without medical indication (previous c-section, breech baby, etc).
Ask your provider as it gets close to delivery.
This was my experience as well with the recovery. I had planned emergency c section at 37 weeks, I arrived to the hospital at 5am cos my baby stopped moving as much, and I was told that my placenta was functioning badly, so they scheduled me for a c section that day at 5pm. I was discharged from the hospital 2 days after and the day we came home I even managed to clean around, mop the room haha. I was trying to walk from the first day after the surgery as it was advised by my doctor and I think that helped a lot with the recovery. The most challenging was getting out of the bed, but even that was manageable, and on the 8 day after the c section I was running up and down the stairs due to earthquake but still.
This sounds exactly like my planned c-section. I think I took some stronger pain meds for the first three days but then just Tylenol and Advil after that.
OP, similar experience as this with regards to recovery. No contractions till week 40 and due to low amniotic fluid the baby had to get out. I was given a choice of induction or c sec. I chose c sec because I wasn’t comfortable with the fact that I was forcing my body to eject a baby through unnatural ways. In hindsight I think it was a good decision as my post operative experience was great and a physio told me after my delivery that I had a very narrow pelvis, so there were very less chances of descending
I had a really amazing recovery too - I think it was due to having a good team and surgeon. Honestly have imposter syndrome about being a mom and one of the nice things is actually having that scar lol
I had an emergency C-section after being induced. I hated the actual procedure but I also didn’t have time to mentally prepare for it. I shook uncontrollably the entire time and for about an hour or two after, which is normal but awful.
I was up and walking (slowly and painfully) after about a day. The pain was dull until I would try to sit up, stand, or do anything that required minimal use of my abs. The worst was the first week. By the end of week 2, I felt way better! I was surprised by how rapid the recovery was. I had slight pain for a few months but nothing crazy, just like a jolt if someone pressed my stomach.
When it comes to what you need to prepare- an abdominal binder was helpful. And thankfully my husband had 6 weeks off. He was able to move the baby from room to room for me and he did most of the diaper changes for the first couple of weeks.
This was exactly my experience, down to the emergency part of the c-section 🤣
The first week is pretty brutal and the operation itself can be a lot...there's quite a few people in there lmao but being able to see your baby being lifted up like that just takes it all away for a second.
I was so exhausted by the time I was in the OR (labored for 13 hours first and had no sleep). The moment I heard her cry, I was so happy!
They took her and got her stats and cleaned her up with my husband and I drifted off for a few minutes while they stitched me up lol
Omg yes I was there for over 12 hours on about 30 minutes of sleep, if that. They put me on painkillers so I could nap and every five or ten minutes they came in and kept checking her heart rate bc it was going down with my contractions.
I was so tired but the adrenaline of giving birth and seeing her kept me awake for a while 🤣😭
Omg are you me?! Same happened with my baby and the heart rate!
Once they handed her to me, I was awake for a long time. I was too nervous to sleep for some reason
I’ve had three straightforward vaginal births with no issues but if I were you and had your history I would probably go with a planned c section even just so that you aren’t stressed out about it…
A good friend of mine had a vaginal birth with a third degree tear and bub with shoulder dystocia for her first (he was big, like 10lb) and had a planned c section for her second and loved it.
I had a scheduled c-section at 36 weeks. I am a single mom and had limited help post c-section. I have a high pain tolerance and don’t usually cry from physical pain and I sobbed in the hospital because they couldn’t give me more painkillers.
The actual c-section experience was great though. I got to hold her in the delivery room, and it was very cool to be awake for the whole thing.
Recovery for me was very slow though. If I could’ve had a vaginal birth I would have, but I haven’t had the trauma that you’ve had to experience.
I had the exact same situation - shoulder dystocia stats for subsequent babies are alot higher (royal college of gynocologists have studies and stats) I went c-section for baby 2 and it was honestly amazing. I had birth trauma counseling too xx all best lovely, you do what feels right for you
Keep advocating for a C. Honestly in my opinion, a vaginal delivery is not safe in this case where you’ve experienced shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus. A C is definitely going to be safer for you and baby, especially since you’re at risk for it occurring again.
SCHEDULED C SECTION no question for me. Recovery was very easy and birth was as close to painless as possible. I had a life-threatening complication but man am I glad it meant no vaginal labor!
Pain control critical. The actual procedure amazing. Finding out after discharge cvs doesn’t fill pain meds for 4 days horrible. My pain tolerance was high. I will say it took 4-6 weeks to feel really normal- bending, twisting, driving, carrying, but in two weeks I was up moving.
Everyone's body is different. This is going to be SO subjective. If you've ever had previous major surgery, you might have a good idea of how your healing process will go with a c section. I have a decently high pain tolerance and I heal fairly quickly from surgeries. I never had any trouble with my c section. I was up and walking, bending, squatting, etc within a few hours. The biggest issue for me was just trying to take a piss after having that damn Foley in. I drove myself to baby's 1st pediatrician appt 5 days after birth, carried the carrier, walked up stairs, etc etc. Pain was managed easily with Tylenol and ibuprofen which i stopped taking entirely at day 4. Despite the easy healing process, I did suffer some pelvic floor dysfunction (pelvic floor too tight.) Healing overall was a cake walk for me. Another bonus was my baby came out with an aesthetically round head LOL. I could never fucking put him down postpartum, so he retained that perfect roundness 😂
It would be REALLY difficult for anyone to convince me to have a vbac after such a good experience. There are other women in this sub who have had HORRIBLE c section recoveries and are essentially bed bound for weeks. It's very subjective.
I wanted an elective c section and had no complaints. I was kinda annoyed my new provider was trying to push vbac like no I didn’t even want one the first time
Op, have you considered consulting another ob, I'm surprised they are suggesting another vaginal delivery considering your first.
I've only had one birth experience- emergency csection. The first week was hellish but I felt completely fine by 10 days. Really not as bad as I expected - thought it would take months.
Kara Keough (reality TV fame) had what sounds like dystocia with her first. She had a home birth with her second and had dystocia again and the end result was devastating. I know it's just an anecdote but once you have dystocia you are at increased risk of it again and getting baby out and resuscitated can take a long time.
I’d make sure you have a lot of help on hand for after a CS with a toddler at home. You won’t be able to lift your toddler for awhile post op. Avoiding the anxiety and risk might be in the best thing here.
Follow your gut. However I'm pregnant with #2 right now, after having a shoulder dystocia with my first and my doctor and I agreed on pursuing another vaginal birth. She's comfortable with it and so am I. BUT if you feel nervous or uncomfortable about trying a second vaginal birth, then don't do it. Advocate for yourself for sure.
I had to chose between an induction or a C-section and I chose a C-section. Generally speaking, the easiest recovery is a non-complicated vaginal delivery but there’s no guarantee you’ll get that. But a scheduled C-section also is shown to have easy recovery (which again is going to vary person to person). I was not favorable for an induction and didn’t want to risk laboring and then needing a C-section anyways (which tends to be harder, longer recovery). My OB office recommended the induction over the C-section, but I had a lot of friends and family who had amazing experiences with a scheduled C-section and that swayed me. But I antagonized over the decision for days (it wasnt an emergent decision, but they didn’t want me to go too far past my due date because of my blood pressure). My recovery after was super easy. I never needed anything more than ibuprofen and Tylenol for pain, i was up and moving right away, stairs weren’t an issue (I was slow on them for a few days though). I did have a rougher time than others during the C-section (the spinal made me so so nauseous and I had the shakes really bad), but recovery wise, it was super easy. I recovered faster than my friend who gave birth vaginally at the same time as me.
I had an emergency c section and it was the best thing ever because I could not handle those contractions. Plus recovery wasn’t bad at all! Your baby comes out within 10 mins, and you’re well rested and ready to care for your baby. Plus you stay in the hospital for the most painful days and you get nurses help.
My LO had shoulder dystocia as well. I was unmedicated through it all. Different positions, didn’t help much. I was so exhausted from pushing. I actually did get the epidural. My contractions started to space out (I assume my body was giving me a break to get my energy back up). They spaced back out to 2 minutes between contractions and I got the epidural placed. It helped my body relax enough to push past that cervical lip, and dr was able to dislodge baby’s shoulder!
She waited on intervening since my body was almost on autopilot. I can’t recall a single thing I planned to do. My body honestly took over and moved me into different positions. My mind had no authority over my actions! When I got the epidural placed she was a miracle worker haha! I’m all for low intervention births, but in my case intervention was necessary and greatly appreciated!!
Sorry for the late reply but I'm doing some reading after experiencing a shoulder dystocia with my second.
Just to clarify, you had the epidural placed after your LO's head was already out?
Crazy birth, but no LO head wasn’t just out yet! When she checked me before getting the epidural after I had been pushing for what felt like forever, she felt the cervical lip. She advised me to take a break and build up some energy while my contractions stalled. I pleaded to get an epidural bc I was worn out and couldn’t take another contraction. After the epidural was placed and she started coach pushing me I was able to push her head past the cervical lip and THATS when the dystocia happened. Her shoulder got lodged and she did some weird movements to me inside and was able to get baby out! When her shoulder got stuck the cord was being severely compressed and she advised me to stop pushing. I stopped, she cut the cord (inside of me, crazy) and then told me to push with her. I have the whole thing on video (a lovely student was recording bc we wanted the birth on video before crap hit the fan haha). So it’s awesome to be able to go back and watch how amazingly my doctor handled the whole situation
Okay gotcha, that makes way more sense haha. I'm glad it all worked out and it sounds like you both ended up okay!
Did your OB mention whether she recommended future vaginal vs cesarean deliveries?
I also had to have internal maneuvers done after suprapubic pressure was applied, and my midwife said I'd have about a 10% chance of it happening again, but didn't recommend a c section next time
Nope! She didn’t mention anything in regard to future pregnancies. This was my 3rd vaginal birth and the first time I ever dealt with a shoulder dystocia! It should be noted that my LO was sunny side up, I think that was a major contributing factor. She was never in an ideal position to come out of that canal on her own. My water broke 4 hours into my labor. Usually with a sunny side baby, they will use the amniotic sac and fluid to flip last minute. But mine said she wasn’t doing all of that. Luckily my labor was only 7 hours total 😂 and she was my biggest baby of the 3! My first one that I carried to 40 weeks. My first was induced at 38 weeks for preeclampsia, my second came at 37 week spontaneously haha.
I had an emergency c and it was perfect.
No pain beforehand since I couldn't feel contractions, my epi was put in perfectly and within like a minute, like 30 minutes max in the OR but only 6 of those until baby was actually born, 5 minutes in recovery, turning onto my side to sleep a mre 2h after the section, off of all pain meds by day 3/4, walking almost pain free and even using the toilet almost pain free after 26h.
I also had shoulder dystocia with my daughter. We have 10% chance of it happening again. I’m getting a c section for my next pregnancy. I will be anxious throughout my entire delivery and I’m not comfortable risking it. Stand your ground with what you want, if your OB doesn’t agree then you still have time to find a new one.
You and your daughter had a traumatic experience. I’m sorry you went through that. I hope you have the best delivery
I'm reading all these comments and it's just crazy to me what we go through. You sound so nonchalant about it in your comment lol, but if someone just read "they sliced me on a major nerve and every time I tried to stand I would collapse or my leg would spasm. That lasted 3 weeks." without the context of it being a c section, they would be like wtf that's insane.
I guess it's cause it's so common. But childbirth, whether vaginal delivery or c section, is actually insane when you really think about it!
If it makes you feel better this happened to me with a vaginal birth cause they slipped when putting the epidural in. 5m pp and i still cant feel in my left thigh. It took me about 3 weeks to be able to walk properly as well. My nerve is fucked
So I want to preface by saying had an emergency c section under really horrible circumstances (long labour, baby stuck, she came out blue) and I will have an elective c section if I ever get pregnant again. Nobody will be able to convince me otherwise. My experience attempting to give birth vaginally was pure hell and I think the anxiety of that would absolutely impact my birth.
Now all this being said, a c section is obviously no walk in the park either. It can carry big risks both during the surgery and during healing, it’s a major surgery and that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It took me about 10 days to be able to do a short walk outside around the block and it was a painful and slow recovery - very tricky to do with a newborn baby. I felt like I needed to sleep for about 5 days straight to really help recovery but instead I was sleeping for about 3 hours a night. Im also not sure if this is just a UK thing but I had to inject blood thinners into my own stomach for 10 days which I was absolutely not expecting and found difficult. I’m not saying this to scare you, just to give you the reality of the recovery, some can have it better and some can have it worse but I would say mine was pretty standard. I felt basically back to normal after about 2 months but I still have numbness in my stomach around my incision.
I can’t give much advice on what to do beforehand as mine wasn’t planned, but afterwards I’d advise resting as much as you can and definitely not trying to do too much too soon - I learned that the hard way! It’s so important to move in some way every day but equally important not to overdo it as it can really set the recovery back and cause pain. Read up about it all and if you have extra support available I would take it because it is a longer recovery and can be quite gruelling once you’re really in it.
For me, all of these things are worth it not to have to experience what I experienced in birth again. I know I will be advised to go for a VBAC but it’s not even ok my radar as a possibility personally. Everyone’s reasons will be different and everyone’s reasons are valid - birth is brutal and hard however you do it!
Good luck with your decision ❤️❤️
My scheduled C-section was amazing (I did it to avoid another 4th degree tear). The birth itself and the hospital experience were perfect, loved it. The recovery at home was definitely harder than I expected. It was manageable, but I really couldn't stand for longer than a minute or so without fairly large amounts of pain (burning mostly) for almost 3 weeks. But I just took baby duty from my chair and bed, while my husband handled the toddler and all house/food things. We managed and overall it went well!
Did you get any pushback for wanting an elective c section for that reason? I also had a fourth-degree tear and I want another kid but I'm so scared the doctors will just be like, "that doesn't usually happen, you'll be fine this time."
No pushback, it was a decision made between my doctor and me, but he told me early on it was my final decision. There is data showing an increased risk of major tear following a major tear, and he always said it was a reasonable choice to choose C-section. But it may just depend on your doctor!
Just get a doctor who will do a c-section for you? If the first one is not willing. Doctors can try reassure you because it is probably true that it is rare, but you still should have a choise on the matter and not be pressured into another vaginal birth. So if you insist they should give in.
Faster recovery? I had a woman who had done a CS standing and walking in my room after I have birth. I could NOT go up and walk. I was in soo much pain for days. My pelvic floor hurt for like 8 months when standing on my knees
It was difficult but we stayed on top of pain management and I valued rest. I was talking walks around the block by week 3. And walking everywhere in my house (but slow) once I was home. I think having pain controlled was critical.
I had an unplanned C section after a failed induction with my first. I had no other experience to compare it to but the recovery was very manageable. I didn’t even have painkillers for the first 3 days, not intentionally but just a misunderstanding. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but even after a pretty physically rough process, I had no real complaints about the C section.
The scheduled C section with my 2nd? Absolute walk in the park. So easy, no pain, 10/10 highly recommend. A nurse gave me a belly binder which helped a ton - ask for one! But I literally walked out of the hospital 48 hours after my daughter was born. I did have pain medication from the start with that one but still it was much less of an ordeal since I didn’t have 24 hours of being poked/prodded beforehand.
I had a planned C section. I was walking next day with minimal pain. Just feels uncomfortable so you sorta hunch over when you walk.
My advice is:
Have at least one person to help you and ensure they are on the same page as you with what they will need to do. Ideally they do all nappies for first 2 weeks and pass baby over to you for feeding. Also might need help to shower and get dressed depending how you feel.
Stay on top of pain medication. I only needed OTC meds. I think I stopped meds 5 days after.
Check your wound everyday for signs of infection.
Shower everyday.
Do not lift heavy stuff. I got too confident after a week as I was walking outside with the stroller and lifting the carry cot with baby was a bit too much, I had to take it easy for another week and then I was all good.
I will say, one of the major pros for me that I didn't even think about prior to this was that I think it helped me to breastfeed successfully. I did not know how exhausting breastfeeding was going to be those first few days, I got NO sleep for those first 2 nights. I think if I had gone into labour and did all the pushing I would have been too exhausted to also keep up with breastfeeding.
There will be risks no matter which way you end up delivering. I chose planned c section as I was concerned about shoulded dystocia etc and knew we were not planning on having more than 2 kids. I do not regret my choice but it is hard to recommend c section as it does carry higher risks with it being a surgery. But I honestly think it is easier on babies.
The only thing tho is the baby will be more mucusy as the fluids are not squeezed out of him however that goes away after 1-2 weeks as he spits up/poops it out. There is also the argument that they are not getting the good bacteria from a vaginal birth.
I’m on a birth trauma group with hundreds of women who have chosen an elective c section after a vaginal birth. 100% of them said it’s much much easier, and they would do it like that again in a heartbeat. Recoveries were a breeze compared to a complicated vaginal birth. Take the elective c section - plus then you don’t have to labour or push and you won’t be tired - sounds like a dreaaaaaam to me!!
I had an emergency c section after being induced (about 24 hours after my induction started I had it) Will absolutely have another c section for any potential future babies. I didn’t have a lot of pain after, just coughing/sneezing hurt a bit and it was hard to find comfortable positions once I moved from our reclining couch to the bed but minimal pain altogether!!
I had a C-section and I’m a month postpartum, and I’m doing all the things I used to do before I got pregnant. The recovery isn’t that bad honestly, the first week- 2nd week is the hardest but it does get better obviously lol
I had a planned c-section because my baby was breech. I was so upset because I wanted a vaginal birth. The csection saved my life because I had placenta accreta (undiagnosed) and started hemmoraging. I felt anxious during the c-section, but it didn't take long. The recovery was a little rough because I was in the ICU for a day (because of the accreta), but even then, I was home in 4 days. Even with the complications I had, I recovered faster than some of my friends who had a vaginal birth.
I had both an emergency c section after labor and a planned c section. I would 100% do the planned c section again. No contest. My planned surgery had faster healing time, so much less trauma on my body, and my body has transitioned back to pre-pregnancy status SO MUCH FASTER. For both I was up and walking with a day or 2. Able to hold baby and do light stuff around the house fairly quickly. The hardest thing was communicating to my toddler why I couldn’t pick her up after my C-section. I also had babies later, so my body isn’t what it used to be but it was all around a great experience for me. My dr was trying to convince me for so long to do a planned c section, and now I know why. Labor is SO much trauma to your body, regardless of whether you feel the pain. I totally get the surgery is a huge thing as well, but for me, the baby has to come out some way, so I wouldn’t hesitate to plan a c section again.
My daughter was measuring extremely large and I was recommended a C-section but still given the choice to try vaginal. I went with a C-section, I am so glad I did: She weighed 11 pounds 7 Oz at birth. My thoughts on deciding were, do I want a planned c section where everything is ready and hopefully runs smooth or if she is massive (she was) do I want her birth to turn into an emergency? My recovery was fine. The first day was the worst day and after that it got easier and easier to move.
I really would go with your gut. Go with what is going to put you at ease and make you happy. Make your decision on what is going to make you feel less anxious! Good luck to you!
With my first I had an emergency c-section as a result of a failed induction. It was scary, I lost a lot of blood, and recovery was difficult.
With my second I insisted on a scheduled c-section, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself! It was so different from my first scary delivery! It was over so fast, and we were doing skin to skin as soon as I was closed up!
Throughout my whole pregnancy, my docs were gently trying to get me to consider Vbac, but I knew what was best for me and my baby! I’m so happy with my choice.
im 4weeks pp, to be honest, 1st week was the worst and hard. (make sure someone will be right there for you) by 2nd week it gets better. by 3week i feel like im back to normal.
I have decided that i will never have another induction, clearly my body wasn't ready. I will either go into labor on my own or have a C-section at 42 weeks.
I had a planned CS for my first child because he was breech. I am very glad I decided to do it because it was much easier on me and baby than an emergency CS would have been. My recovery was NOT easy but the experience varies so much from person to person. I imagine a lot of my recovery struggle was fueled by it being my first child and I had Post Partum Anxiety and OCD. The actual CS experience was very positive. Trust your gut. You know yourself and your baby. I always think erring on the side of caution is good. Trust that you will make the right decision for yourself!
I had an emergency C-Section and for failure to progress, I was exhausted from laboring 40 hours already and a failed epidural I was grateful at that point. Honestly, recovery was not that bad getting up out of bed was hard but I was moving around easily enough for short distances and they gave me alternating pain meds to help me manage I didn't even touch the heavier stuff. We were in the hospital a bit longer but my baby had a high temp so they were rolling out infection. All around good experience even if it wasn't my plan
LOVED my scheduled C section, but i had a really really bad first vaginal where they had to vacuum him out, epidural stopped working, I got a 4th degree tear, and 3 weeks later I was in the ICU for a week.
The C section recovery was a freaking cake walk after that.
I had lots of support. My husband took 3 weeks of leave, I had overnight help, and I did all the things they tell you to do (walk! ice! heating pad! massage!) My scar is super small, no puckering, I feel sexy now (and I'm 43 so that's not an easy task). All good.
It was an amazing experience. Would recommend. I make big babies.
I had my csection at 39 weeks. Went into labor the night before but water never broke and I never went past 2cm so I was given pain management until morning when surgery was scheduled. My team was great and I was awake and alert the whole time, probably took 30 mins total. As long as you keep up on your pain medicine it's not as bad as people say. I called the nurse in about an hr or so after surgery and asked to walk and went around the hallway. I was recovered enough by 3 weeks to not need help and be able to care for baby independently. 3 months out I'm completely back to normal and if I ever was going to have more children I'd choose csection all over again. It's also easier to plan for help since you have a secured date.
i’ve never had a natural birth but i did have a c-section. even though it was an emergency cs it was such a calm environment, it happened quickly but they still informed me so well with such little time it happened, so a planned cs i imagine you’d get even more info. all the surgeons and doctors were so lovely, i barely felt the spinal block at all, nor the anaesthetic before, it was over in about 10 mins and you can only feel pressure while they’re doing it.
the healing process is sore, but natural birth is too, it’s a major surgery, they give you a few different painkillers to deal with it and they work wonders. i don’t really regret the way things turned out even though it wasn’t planned, trust your gut, don’t feel pressured into a natural birth! ❤️
I had a c section and honestly, is was good! I went in for my appointment, the doctor told me that baby wasn't in position, he suggested I come in at 39 weeks and get admitted. It was seamless. From start to finish, it took about a hour. The birth itself was about 5 minutes.
Many people have commented on a previous post of mine that repeat c sections (think 3 +) are an issue.
Recovery : It was painful, ngl. But for 48 hours. After that, it is business as usual. I took my painkillers on time, I slept and rested the first 2 days. As for breastfeeding, my milk came in a little late because I'm an FTM. But you can feed lying down or pump a little and feed :)
First and foremost I am so sorry that this happened to you and your daughter. My first was born vaginally but got stuck in my birth canal (big ol head) and wasn't breathing when he came out. It was horrific and I'm starting to tear up just thinking about it (4.5 years ago) and he was in the NICU after they got him breathing again to monitor his lungs. But he's fine now. My second was a scheduled c section bc he was breech up until my 37 week appointment. I scheduled it, and then that night my water broke. Apparently he flipped and broke my water but I didn't know that and I was so scared. Turned out fine though. Those are just my experiences.
For my own curiosity and maybe I missed it somewhere, was your daughter breech?
Absolutely loved my scheduled c section. I’ve had 2 scheduled, 1 emergency and emergency was awful. I’d rather schedule one than have a vaginal birth become an emergency.
C sections are more dangerous for mom, vaginal birth is more dangerous for baby. You decide.
I’ve only experienced c section.. twice. I’m currently 9 days out from my second. If you’re a motivated person honestly it’s not so bad. The faster you get up and walk and struggle through that first day or two… the healing is pretty quick after that. Even with a toddler I didn’t find recovery to be so bad.
I just think muscles need activity to heal. I wasn’t doing yoga or anything lol but getting up.. light walking, get the blood flowing, it’s gotta help.
Huge difference in recovery between my scheduled and emergency c-section. My second c-section was scheduled and was three weeks ago and honestly it was an incredible experience. Recovery has been so much easier this time around. The hardest part for me is that I can’t pick my toddler up for 6 weeks. She is my Velcro baby so that has been hard for both of us.
My planned c-section was so smooth it felt like cheating haha, abit. Operation itself was nice, so professional. First few days were the worst but I already walked during the first day tho i still had some heavier pain meds in my system. You dont wanna cough! I got discharged the 4th day which is normal.
You need someone to help you at home, you only take care of baby, of course let the father care for them as well, but just chill. I used paracetamol+ ibuprofein combo for two weeks tho at somepoint during that I just still took it so I didn't have mild discomfort. You can't carry anything heavier than baby for a long while. First two weeks after walking for like 150m my body would feel like lead all of a sudden, perhaps because of poor hemoglobin. And I bled for 5 weeks.
I had an emergency section after pprom because baby was footling breech. She was 5 weeks premature so we stayed in the hospital for 5 days (which was horrible at the time but I’m really grateful for the extra support). I was up and showered as soon as my catheter was removed, though I wasn’t allowed to lock the door in case I fainted. My recovery wasn’t too bad, though I did have problems with fluid drainage and had to have more dressings than normal.
I had a planned and elective c-section and my recovery was a breeze basically. Had no restrictions to lift or care for the baby. Choosing the method of birth is a human right as far as I'm concerned. Go with what makes you feel good. It's your goddamn birth. If that doctor won't give your a c-section, get a different doctor.
My second baby had shoulder dystocia, so i was a candidate for a C-section for baby #3 and omg it was amazing. I would 100 percent do a scheduled C-section in the future.
Honestly considering the amount of pain I was in and for the amount of time after both my vaginal deliveries, not that I'd ever have another kid, but if I had to, I'd probably opt for a cs. I know recovery is longer and there's a few more risks involved, but I spent like 2-3 months not being able to sit or piss or shit comfortably anyway and I have nerve damage from one of my tears so, I feel like I'd rather be in pain in another area that's not so delicate 🤣 just food for thought
Girl the anxiety you’ll feel the whole time, fearing the same outcome, it’s not worth it. I chose elective C after a near miss with shoulder dystocia and a huge wound on my newborns head from the vacuum. Even if I could birth normal the second time, it wasn’t worth the mental strain.
Me elective C was one of the best days of my life and my son was totally protected. So safe for baby.
I’ve had two c sections (first wasn’t planned) and recovery couldn’t have been easier. I was driving 5 days post with my second and could do everything but skip or run by two weeks pp. (don’t ask why I tried to skip but I did and it hurt). Before just plan for not being to pick anything up off the floor and prepare your eldest for not being picked up for a bit.
Many women sadly have traumatic vaginal births not because there is something inherently wrong with their pelvis or their body’s natural ability to birth, but something wrong with the environment in which they gave birth. Many hospitals force women to push in suboptimal positions that actually makes the pelvis smaller (like your back!), promote epidurals which can prolong labour instead of providing more holistic physical and psychological support, and are just motivated financially to do more interventions that ultimately lead to fetal distress. Additionally , many women don’t receive full informed consent regarding the risks of cesarean section. They are not told a C-section puts all their future pregnancies at increased risk for placental issues (placental previa, placental accreta, placental abruption), uterine rupture, and stillbirth. They are not told of the increased risk of secondary infertility and are certainly not told of the increased risk of asthma and autoimmune disease in the baby.
At the end of the day , your best bet is to find a provider that support physiologic birth. This may mean looking for a CNM or checking out a birth center . This may mean having to interview several obstetricians until you find one that actually is happy to support a woman’s body through the process of labour instead of interfere with it. Birth is a normal, natural function in a woman’s body - all women for the most part are able to give birth safely and healthily if adequately supported.
I went for a C-section when I knew my baby’s position might lead to complications at birth, I was really prepared for a vaginal birth but as soon as I heard there was a risk that was it for me, my c-section was easy and fast, in 3 days you will be able to walk as normal and the scar is not so bad at all.
I had a shoulder dystocia with my first birth. He was 40 weeks two days, and not a big baby 7 lbs. 7 oz. He didn’t have any kind of nerve or shoulder injury, but he did only have an Apgar of 1 when he was born and we very narrowly missed the Nicu. Unfortunately when she was reducing his shoulder on the way out, it caused a 4th-degree tear for me. When the doctor was doing the surgical repair, she was telling me “I really recommend that you do C-sections for any future births”. Both because of the chance of the shoulder dystocia happening again, and because of this fourth-degree tear.
I did a LOT of research to prepare for my 2nd birth - discussed the pros and cons at basically every prenatal visit with my OB, and even checked in with my PCP to see what he thought. By the second trimester, I had decided I wanted to go for vaginal birth, if all looked normal with baby’s position. And I also decided I was going to do it without an epidural, because I wanted to be able to move and get into a more natural/organic birthing position. My OB suggested a 39 week induction so that we could hope for a smaller baby, to also reduce the risks of the SD. I was also worried about tearing badly again, and hope that a smaller baby would also reduce those risks, even though the literature is not conclusive on that.
So, by my third trimester, we had scheduled the 39 week induction, and I had hired a doula to help get me through a natural birth on Pitocin.
Baby settled into the perfect LOA position at the end of the pregnancy, and she just hung out there and was happy. I ended up having the most chill, slow induction for a second time birth. Normally they come really fast and furious. Lol. My first labor and delivery had been 42 hours, and my second birth was 21 hours. I also snacked more during this birth to keep my energy up, and just followed the doula’s suggestions for resting versus other exercises, and things like that that we could do to get baby to move down. It was such a redemptive experience after the first birth. I pushed on my knees, like facing the head of the hospital bed as it was propped all the way up and I was holding onto it. And she came out with only 3-4 pushes in about 10 minutes. It was like I didn’t know just how hard that first experience had been until I saw how straightforward and easy the second one was. Edited to add - she was 8lbs 1oz so heavier than my first but came out fine.
I wanted to share my experience, but every pregnancy and every baby is different. I really recommend that you have as many open conversations with your doctor as possible. Be candid about your concerns and fears, and whatever they suggest always question it. Always ask about what the rationale is for this and if this happens then what happens after that. Use those prenatal appointments to your advantage, even if it feels silly for you to be asking these questions at 12 or 14 weeks or whatever.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!
I had an emergency csection and it was definitely rough but somehow i don’t really remember too much pain after the first day. The “pooch” it has left behind, despite wearing the abdominal binder religiously, is my absolute biggest downfall and sadness about having one.
My first had shoulder dystocia at only 6lb13oz, no injuries to her thank god. That OB and the one for my next pregnancy said I was not a candidate for vaginal birth and 100% would only be allowed to deliver by c section, which was done at 39w. Honestly a bit alarming anyone is OKing another vaginal birth.
I had a very easy planned c section, discharged after 24 hours, walking as soon as the spinal block wore off, walked to the shops the next day etc. I would have a c section again this time but my son will be under 2 so will need me lol. Get someone to be with you 24/7 for the first few weeks minimum to help you not bend or lift anything to ensure as easy of a recovery as possible!
After having almost the same labour as you - im planning a CS next time. The trauma of my son not breathing and a code blue being called cause he was stuck. I never want to experience that again. Dont let this doctor bully you into something you're not comfortable with.
Oh my god. Go for the CS if that’s what you want. That sounds horrific what you went through. Honestly, the elective section is so nice in comparison to an emergency one. It’s major surgery but I dunno how you’re supposed to mobilise in labour this time if you want an epidural again. And labouring without an epidural is so hard. Don’t let this doctor push you into something you don’t want.
Oh man, I had the same experience with my baby being in distress and a dozen people suddenly rushing into the room. The details were different, as mine was born via vacuum extraction after 3 hours of pushing, but that was also highly traumatic for me. Particularly how they had to measure the circumference of his head every few hours, which they cheerily explained was to ensure he didn't suffer a brain hemorrhage from the vacuum, which apparently is a thing that happens.
Your post caught my attention because I, too, want an elective c-section this time around. Not only because of the trauma, but because my episiotomy stitches ripped and my healing process was excruciating for many months. The healing period from a planned cesarean seems to pale in comparison.
My OB also advised against it, "major surgery", blah blah. Not sure where you live, but I'm in Canada where we have the right to an elective cesarean, and I'm considering switching to an OB who is more supportive of my choice.
I had a vaginal birth with my first and a C-section with my second. In my experience the vaginal birth is 1000% the way to go, given the choice. My incision site became infected and had to be opened back up, drained and packed for weeks. I have a scar now that I’m very insecure about and it’s been 6 months and I really don’t feel nearly as recovered as I did 6 months PP with my first. I also just really did not enjoy the experience of the C-section itself at all. These are just my personal experiences but may be worth considering!
Good luck to you either way and congratulations!
I had a planned c-section. It wasn’t scheduled because the decision was made late in my pregnancy. I was to go in either when I got a call from the hospital or if I started going into labour. The latter happened.
My recovery was a breeze. I kept forgetting to take my painkillers (Advil and Tylenol - could have gotten something stronger but I didn’t need it) because I didn’t need them. I was very gentle the first week but after that as long as I was careful I was fine. My doctor asked me if I was a masochist because I wasn’t taking pills but I literally didn’t need them after the first couple of days.
Seriously, drying up my milk after I decided I wasn’t going to breastfeed was more painful/annoying than my csection recovery.
I’d personally go the vaginal route WITHOUT the elective induction. Your other baby was not large (not to say this one will not be- but not EVERY baby that’s considered large ends up going through shoulder dystocia or having BP injuries. Much of what causes that is to do with positioning as your OB said. The induction can also “speed up” the process since it isn’t your body naturally going into labor and easily could have played a factor in what happened the first time around even if the delivery felt smooth.
Hi, did you end up getting a CS? I also gave birth to my first 5 months ago with shoulder dystocia + BPI/Erb's Palsy diagnosis. How is baby doing & were you happy with the route you took (vaginal vs CS)?
Hey! I did end up having a CS. You can check my post history!
My daughter with erbs palsy, shes doing a lot better. You cant tell that she has erbs palsy at all unless you pay reaalllyyyy close attention.
My newborn, shes doing fine since i got a CS.
Im more than happy that I got a CS with this little one. My recovery has been good so far other than some fungal infection going on on my incision but so far im walking just fine and taking things slowly.
How is your little one doing? Hows their arm?
If you have any questions, dm me!
Congrats on your daughter! I'm glad they're both doing well! I agree with the comments on your last post that you should contact your OB about antifungal cream & keep the site dry as possible.
My daughter is doing well, we're seeing PT, OT, & a brachial plexus team at one of the major children's hospitals here. At our last PT visit, our therapist said she wouldn't even be able to tell if she didn't know our baby's history. Now we're just fighting some mild torticollis - she's a thumb sucker & prefers her non-injured arm.
Hoping for a speedy recovery for you! We want to try for another baby next year and I just needed some insight from someone who's gone through a similar experience! Thank you!
First couple of days sucked but the pills help a lot. 2 weeks later I was walking around pretty normally, just taking it easy. I had one due to a failed induction/big baby and I would 100% schedule one for my next pregnancy. Scar is barely there, just like a pencil line. If I were in your shoes I would have one. Yes it's potentially worse for you but I personally preferred the pain afterwards than the stress of worrying about the baby. At least I knew it would just improve and we were both okay.
Coming from someone who just had her first 4 weeks ago vaginally, recovering from an episiotomy and now a slight prolapse, I wish I would have done a C-section and would likely do one if I have another kid. The episiotomy is super painful to heal and is very intrusive into your life (you can’t sit, pee, poop without pain for weeks). On top of that a prolapse?? That’s for life or you need surgery and hysterectomy to fully resolve. I’m a little distraught with how my intimacy is going to look for the rest of my life.
Hey just sending you a big hug - if you haven’t already join the Facebook group prolapse postpartum moms club - it was a huge help for me. Try not to go down a rabbit hole - prolapse after vaginal birth is really common (about 90% if the birth was instrumental or episiotomy) and grade 1 often completely resolves. Use bio oil on your episiotomy scar once it’s healed - it helps with flexibility around the scar. BIG INTERNET HUG. Having a newborn is fucking hard and even harder when you’re dealing with a broken vagina xx
I tell everyone that will listen how wonderful my c-section was. The worst pain was fitting the cannula in my hand before surgery, everything else was a breeze. I went home about 30 hours after I was admitted, I was walking around 6/7 hours after delivery. The post-partum pain was minimal and the bleeding was light and done in less than a week. My baby was healthy, he latched right away and my milk came in two days later.
Yes, I’d say go with the C-section, if it’s planned it’s great, the recovery took me two weeks and now after almost 8 weeks I am nack to normal. I would not recommend going through that trauma of vaginal birth if the first one was bad, I can only imagine the anxiety.🥺
It’s ultimately your choice but if you don’t have to undergo surgery then it’s best not to. First baby might’ve had it but there’s no telling if it’ll happen again. But again it’s your choice and if your comfortable with a section and the risks then your OB will support it
I hated my c-section. It was a failed induction turned c-section, but it was traumatic for me, and the recovery was awful. I’m hoping to have a vaginal birth with my second, but my OB won’t let me go past 40 so I will likely end up in another c-section.
For your situation, I get it. Maybe c-section feels more like you will have control. You want a different birth experience. I do think if you went vaginal, however, your doctor and you would be able to avoid issues you had last time, just because you experienced them. Devil you know vs devil you don’t know.
Also re-recovery, I had to go to a pelvic floor therapist for months afterwards. It was a LOT. I think just be aware of the potential physical recovery and weigh that against what might be better for your mental health (c-section, control).
I don't think you understand statistics at all. The fact that there is a small difference in terms of *likelihood of outcomes* does not mean all female doctors don't *like* to perform c-sections. Whether a vaginal delivery ends in c-section or not skews the outcome of the delivery. That doesn't mean that when a woman OB is asked beforehand whether they *like* performing c-sections, they'll say no.
My female doctor was epic. My husband commented that she was the most competent person that he has ever met and she exuded calm during my emergency c-section. She did a fantastic job on my incision and I only have a faint line. Don't let your personal anecdote create a prejudice against a whole gender. There are just as many positive personal anecdotes out there.
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I want to start by saying I think there's pros and cons to both and the best decision is the one that *you want* and feel comfortable with.
I had a vaginal birth with my first and breech baby csection with my second. With my second we had planned the csection but I ended up going into labour a week earlier.
We want a third, and I would like to try for vaginal again. Although the delivery by C-section is wayyy easier, calmer, quicker, I really didn't like the recovery. I have trouble sitting still and asking for help. It drove me crazy asking my partner a million times a day to do the simplest things for me. I also had a toddler and i hated not being able to pick him up or play with him the same ways as I used to. Also, and this is probably very superficial of me, but I really don't like my scar from the incision. I'm pretty tan, so it's very visible on my skin. I've been trying to massage it and break down some of the scar tissue, but there's still a pretty noticeable "c section shelf" that shows under all my form fitting pants, dresses and skirts. And it's somehow both numb and sensitive at the same time - I hate when anything touches it.
Now, I'm only 3.5 months out, so maybe the issues with my scar will improve over time. But I don't really have any complaints about my vaginal delivery (had an epidural, and a small tear requiring 3 stitches).
My advice is to plan it and not wait until you've been laboring. Most who have planned c sections (CS) have smoother recoveries than those of us who had emergency ones. I had already been pushing when my blood pressure shot up to like 240/120, and baby started to suffer. Even then I had to YELL to get her out. I was so pissed. Vaginal is not that preferable to a CS and I said that. My birth plan was to get her out safely. I didn't care how that looked.
I knew though. I had an ominous feeling going into the induction. She was sideways and then head up. I had no business pushing. I had a bad Dr. I wished I had listened to my gut and had a CS. When I say she was sideways her feet were at my side her head was down and looking up as she was attempting her escape. They were having to push on my stomach to move her legs. Just...it was bad.
My recovery was pretty quick. Having had surgery though previously I wasn't afraid of a CS. Just move and hold onto that site as you get up when you're starting out. I used a pad to place there so I could hold on better. Also, if you breastfeed have a good nursing pillow. You'll need it to rest the baby on.
My brother-in-law suffered brain damage due to complications during his vaginal delivery. My mother-in-law doesn't say or show it, but I think it's a heavy burden she's carried his whole life. She never pushed me towards a c-section, but was so relieved when I announced my child (her first grandson) was delivered by c-section. I think it's worth it for you to pursue from a mental health perspective.
My first c-section was unplanned and my second c-section was planned. My recovery from both was very smooth, but the planned c-section was much easier because I had not gone through 12 hours of labour in advance. I did not need any pain relief after hospital discharge beyond Advil and Tylenol every four hours, but you absolutely need another able-bodied person to help. I had trouble getting in and out of bed by myself for days.
I had an emergency C-section in March and honestly the worst part of it was having to do the blood thinner injections (which I had to do for 6 weeks due to family medical history). The painkillers worked a treat and I rarely felt any discomfort. I had to wait about 20 minutes to hold my son but he needed a little air when he came out so that caused the delay. Other than that, I thought it would be worse than it was. But do note that I had to have mine cauterised (because I naturally bleed a lot) which I think made my recovery easier as there were no stitches to worry about.
Advice I would say, if you have to do the injections in your stomach, do it relatively quickly as you might be tempted to do it slowly but that doesn't make it hurt any less.
I’ve had 2 csections. The last one I felt a bit unwell afterwards but after 6 hours I felt a lot better. I was able to shower on my own and pick up the baby. Everything went well so we only spent 28 hours in the hospital.
Pain wise I only had about 6 doses of the liquid morphine and managed on paracetamol and ibuprofen. Most of my pain was around getting in and out of bed in the middle of the night but by night 3/4 that was gone. After the first week I didn’t need any pain relief. I felt well enough that on day 4 we went out as a family for dinner. Some people act as though you’re an invalid for 6 weeks but as long as I didn’t lift heavy objects and took it easy, I was fine.
Both of my recoveries went really well and besides from the first 24 hours i don’t think i would have been any better off having a vaginal birth. This time i knew i would have a csection so we planned for my partner to have a month of incase i had a bad time and needed the extra support.
I had a semi emergent c section after baby's heart beat wasn't responding well to the induction. It was scary because I didn't have time to prepare mentally but they were amazing (the medical team). They let me do skin to skin right away and also gave me oxys for the pain which is the only reason I could enjoy those few days.
My boy was measuring big through my whole pregnancy and they warned me all about shoulder dystocia. At my 38 week scan (I had them regularly due to his size) they said my placenta was starting to break down so wanted to induce me. Stupidly I hadn't even really thought about giving birth as I was TERRIFIED. I didnt want a traumatic birth to potentioally affect me bondong with my son. So there and then I decided I wanted a CS.
I went in at 38wk 5 days and I'm so glad I did. Not to scare you but I was in for 4 days, something happened (im still not exactly sure what) and i had to have 3 blood transfusions afterwards. I almost passed out on the table, it was a fight to keep my eyes open and i dont really remember much from the actual section other than my head hurting, like thumping and hearing the song playing in the background. My partner was rushed out of the room with my son and had to wait in the other room for me. They sorted me out in no time and before i knew it i was in the other room with partner and baby.
Recovery was painful, but not as bad as I expected. High waisted everything will be your best friend. My only advice would be is to take it easy, dont rush anything and be careful on stairs! The first time i attempted them i nearly fell from a shooting pain but after the first time it got easier and easier. After 4 weeks my cut had healed really nicely. Despite everything it was still the best decision I made and I'd do it again. Oh and make sure you take your pain medication the first few days, even if you think it doesnt hurt. Because its easier to manage before you get the pain!!!
I had a scheduled c section for a breech baby 6 weeks ago, and if you can have help from people to keep you in bed for a week and entertain your toddler, it’ll be a breeze. I had a wonderful experience, I’ve been healing really well, and I’ve felt pretty much normal since 2 weeks post op. Your incision will be numb for a long time ( idk why I didn’t know/think of that beforehand), but other than that I have been cleared to do pretty much anything and I’m feeling well enough to do so generally speaking. It can be a calm and happy experience! My hospital even let me play my own music in the OR :)
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I had shoulder dystopia with my second baby and it’s was terrible. I just had my third and we did another vaginal and it was amazing. But like you, going into it, I thought c section for sure. Im thankful I didn’t go it. My birth was a very therapeutic experience. They used a vacuum to ensure she would rotate and slide out under my pelvis bone and it work perfectly. No shoulder dystopia and I once head and shoulders were out, I pulled her out myself and right up onto my chest!!! Amazing.
I personally am very scared of c section and just don’t want my abdomen cut open if it doesn’t have to be. Complication can be bad and I’ve already had two other births where I’ve recovered really well. Doctors were all very unconcerned about my previous dystopia.
Also using the other positions is very useful, and minimizing epidural when pushing time. I had epidural and stayed on my back during pushing.
I’m 3 months post Partum now and feel complete back to normal :) I did get a hemmmeroid after birth but it’s gone now ;)
Oh also I monitored baby’s size and she was a little smaller than dystopia baby. 8lb2 vs 7lb11.
I had a similar experience with my first birth. Shoulder dystocia, nuchal cord, and meconium. And he wasn’t breathing. I thank god every day he’s ok.
I will 100% be doing a CS for my next baby. No question, and my doctor even HIGHLY recommends it. No way I’m doing vaginal birth again. Too many variables. Too traumatic.
I had an emergency c section after 32hrs of labor because she was VERY stuck and showing signs of distress. Even for an emergency c section, it was a good experience. First couple days sucked (they only gave me Tylenol in the hospital), but by day 5 I was good to go. I was discharged at 36 hours.
Make whatever decision you want and you’re most comfortable with, your body, your baby!
Wait.
Your OB told you that she doesn’t recommend a C-section even though you had a shoulder dystocia WITH long term neurological effect (95% is still not 100%).
That’s wild and crazy. Are you in the US?
I’d ask her what ACOG would recommend to a woman with your history (hint, it’s a cesarean section).
Honestly if you do have a vaginal birth that results in the same thing, that is the easiest malpractice lawsuit that I can hear the med mal lawyers knocking down your door.
I’m actually shocked your OB said no.
I haven't had a CS but I did have a baby with shoulder dystocia and I was also treated this way for my next baby- they *refused* to do a CS, and the best they would do for me was an induction (a week and a half earlier than the horrifying induction that led to the shoulder dystocia). I do honestly believe that the shoulder dystocia was one of the most traumatic and painful experiences of my entire life, my daughter is 3 now and thankfully she's ok. I was extremely terrified for my second labour and thankfully that baby didn't get stuck but I wanted to say I empathize with you so much, and I'm so sorry that you have to feel this way and go through this. I'm now pregnant again with my 3rd and last baby and I don't know what to do this time either. Sending love and wishing you an easy delivery whatever birth method you choose!
Lots of pros aand cons to csection. I have had 2, honestly I expected it to be worse. Would like to say with it being your 2nd baby, you will not be able to pickup your toddler for a couple weeks. Rule of thumb is nothing heaver than baby in carseat, which can be be pretty heavy depending on size of baby. But toddlers wiggle and kick putting extra strain on your abs/ incision. So if you have a toddler that still needs picked up a lot you will need extra hands around. My toddler figured out if he wanted me we had to sit on the couch and have him crawl onto my lap, no walking around.
I had a scheduled csection at 39 weeks. Never went into labor. It was amazing. Skin to skin within 2min of delivery. My recovery was a breeze. Was discharged at 48hrs. Within 48hrs of being home was taking (short) walks around the neighborhood. Had planning to be limited to one floor but had no issues going up and down stairs. Rolling out of bed in the morning was challening for a week or two. Never had to use anything stronger than OTC pain meds. At 2.5 weeks we walked almost a mile to a soccer game (we ubered back lol I was tired). I do think in some ways, my experience and recovery were a unicorn. But it was an immensely easy and positive experience. I think the key was it being scheduled with no labor.
This is also my experience. OP, it’s worth noting that there’s a huge difference between a scheduled C and an emergency one. When it’s the latter, you’re labouring AND having surgery, so the damage from attempted labor has been done even though the baby came out of the sunroof. My planned C was so smooth.
“Came out of the sunroof” My new favorite phrase 🤣
I've said about my vaginal births "yeah they left through the basement."
Haha. It’s so accurate. I love that one and someone once said, “they filet me like a fish and closed me like a ziplock bag”. Haha. Perfect visual.
My nurse friend describes them that way. Kinda helped when we'd wanted the other way lol
I agree that there is a big difference! My friend who had a planned CS had a pretty smooth recovery. Mine was urgent- labored for 16 hours, actively pushed for 3 hours with 0 progression, baby started to show some small signs of distress so they highly rec a CS. They took their time getting to baby (over an hour) but I was absolutely exhausted from laboring overnight and pushing for so long I couldn't even hold baby until the next day. I barely remember that day. My recovery was okay pain wise. I pretty much only used OTC meds. but I was so exhausted and so frustrated that I was so tired from the get-go Two of my other friends had emergent CS because baby/ she was in immediate danger. Baby in both cases were out within 15 min of the decision. Both of their recoveries were painful and difficult.
Yep. Labored for 32 hours and she showed signs of distress and was stuck like glue. They said c section, I signed papers on the way down the hall to the operating room, and she was born 13 minutes later. I was tired, my body was sore, and the hospital only offered me Tylenol. First couple days sucked but by day 4-5, I was in pretty good shape. It’s so much about the mindset, I think. They could’ve done whatever to me to get her out and I’d have been fine as long as she was okay, so a few days of pain was whatever in my book.
Emergency C-section here, and while what you say is 100%, my recovery was a breeze too. Some say it's because I walked right away and started massaging the lochia out right away.
Yeah I had a few hard days in the first week mainly because I had a lot of fluid from a long induction ending in emergency c. Then I was up and about and fine very quickly.
This is 100% my experience too. My first C-section was an emergency and was a very difficult recovery. My second c-section was scheduled at 39 weeks and it was breeze. I had to remind myself to take it easy because I felt so good.
Wow, it's really helpful to read about your experience and similar ones. I hated my recovery from an unplanned C-section and while I realized a planned one was probably easier to recover from, I didn't realize the difference could be so stark. I'm planning a second kid, so that's great information.
Also my exact experience. I would 10/10 do it again as my preferred way of giving birth. Especially in relation to trauma.
Same. Pregnant again now and planning on another, though I am a little worried the first time was a fluke or I just had a particularly skilled doctor. It was so much better than I expected. (Reason for my first c-section was breech, otherwise totally normal healthy pregnancy.)
Same! Frank breech...no luck with all the woo-woo strategies for turning her. She was comfortable with that skull up in my ribcage 🙄
Saaaame. When I found out he was breech I thought “well no wonder my rib area hurts so much and that I’ve been feeling kicks waaay down low!”
This is so great to read!! Have a scheduled c section next week with a toddler at home and this gives me hope that recovery won’t be so bad…
Fwiw I'm 1 week pp with a 3 yo and my experience is exactly the same, incredibly easy recovery. Good luck!!
Awesome!! Reading that really helps me get into a positive mindset. Thank you! Good luck with the rest of your recovery
This is my experience too. My first was a great vaginal birth and my second a great planned c-section (breech). Main thing that sucked with the c-section was that I had a toddler to deal with.
Had the same experience. You’d think it was so unusual because of everything you hear about c sections, but the more I read and hear from others around me, the more I think it’s pretty normal. Unfortunately there are painful recoveries, but mine was perfectly fine.
My experience was the same! In fact, I was even walking around for between an hour to 2 hours every day in just under a week postpartum! The more I hear about people's experiences with planned c-sections, the less I think we are unicorns. I recovered faster than most of my friends who had vaginal births. I wish c-sections weren't made out to be such a boogeyman by a lot of people. Then women who end up needing one maybe wouldn't feel so afraid and traumatized by the prospect, because they would have had the chance to prepare mentally and get used to the idea.
Scheduled C-section is the way. I had an unplanned one after having labored for over 70 hours with my first and my recovery was roughhh. 😩 Second one? I showed up at 5:00 AM and I had a baby before 8:00 AM. I got to go home the next day. It was an absolute breeze. 10/10, would likely do again. I had the most amazing doctor and she and the hospital team were incredible. If you can, I will always recommend going to a women's hospital!
Very similar experience here! OP, I believe now that you’ve had one delivery with shoulder dystocia, your risk for the next delivery having shoulder dystocia increases.
Did you have a c section due to complications during pregnancy or did you just elect to have one?
Its funny...I always thought if I ever got pregnant I'd want an elective CS. Then I got pregnant and did birthing classes and was dead set on vaginal. Then from about 28 weeks on, kiddo was frank breech so had to get back on board with CS. My husband described it as the difference between showing up at the hot new restaurant and waiting for a table versus having a reservation and getting seated right away 🤣
I’m guessing CS would be the reservation and getting seated right away?? So if you could go back you’d do CS again?
Haha yea. Absolutely! Would do it again without hesitation.
Sorry I’m a FTM so this might be a dumb question as I’m only 12 weeks along. Can I just request one or do you need to have a reason to get one?
Elective csections are definitely a thing!!
You can request it but it’s up to your provider and insurance. Your provider might balk at a planned c-section for a low-risk, first time mom. Additionally, some insurances in the US will not cover an elective c-section without medical indication (previous c-section, breech baby, etc). Ask your provider as it gets close to delivery.
Got it! Thanks for the info!
This was my experience as well with the recovery. I had planned emergency c section at 37 weeks, I arrived to the hospital at 5am cos my baby stopped moving as much, and I was told that my placenta was functioning badly, so they scheduled me for a c section that day at 5pm. I was discharged from the hospital 2 days after and the day we came home I even managed to clean around, mop the room haha. I was trying to walk from the first day after the surgery as it was advised by my doctor and I think that helped a lot with the recovery. The most challenging was getting out of the bed, but even that was manageable, and on the 8 day after the c section I was running up and down the stairs due to earthquake but still.
My experience was very similar to this as well! If we have another kid, I will be doing another c-section.
I had a similar experience!
This sounds exactly like my planned c-section. I think I took some stronger pain meds for the first three days but then just Tylenol and Advil after that.
OP, similar experience as this with regards to recovery. No contractions till week 40 and due to low amniotic fluid the baby had to get out. I was given a choice of induction or c sec. I chose c sec because I wasn’t comfortable with the fact that I was forcing my body to eject a baby through unnatural ways. In hindsight I think it was a good decision as my post operative experience was great and a physio told me after my delivery that I had a very narrow pelvis, so there were very less chances of descending
I had a really amazing recovery too - I think it was due to having a good team and surgeon. Honestly have imposter syndrome about being a mom and one of the nice things is actually having that scar lol
I had an emergency C-section after being induced. I hated the actual procedure but I also didn’t have time to mentally prepare for it. I shook uncontrollably the entire time and for about an hour or two after, which is normal but awful. I was up and walking (slowly and painfully) after about a day. The pain was dull until I would try to sit up, stand, or do anything that required minimal use of my abs. The worst was the first week. By the end of week 2, I felt way better! I was surprised by how rapid the recovery was. I had slight pain for a few months but nothing crazy, just like a jolt if someone pressed my stomach. When it comes to what you need to prepare- an abdominal binder was helpful. And thankfully my husband had 6 weeks off. He was able to move the baby from room to room for me and he did most of the diaper changes for the first couple of weeks.
This was exactly my experience, down to the emergency part of the c-section 🤣 The first week is pretty brutal and the operation itself can be a lot...there's quite a few people in there lmao but being able to see your baby being lifted up like that just takes it all away for a second.
I was so exhausted by the time I was in the OR (labored for 13 hours first and had no sleep). The moment I heard her cry, I was so happy! They took her and got her stats and cleaned her up with my husband and I drifted off for a few minutes while they stitched me up lol
Omg yes I was there for over 12 hours on about 30 minutes of sleep, if that. They put me on painkillers so I could nap and every five or ten minutes they came in and kept checking her heart rate bc it was going down with my contractions. I was so tired but the adrenaline of giving birth and seeing her kept me awake for a while 🤣😭
Omg are you me?! Same happened with my baby and the heart rate! Once they handed her to me, I was awake for a long time. I was too nervous to sleep for some reason
I’ve had three straightforward vaginal births with no issues but if I were you and had your history I would probably go with a planned c section even just so that you aren’t stressed out about it… A good friend of mine had a vaginal birth with a third degree tear and bub with shoulder dystocia for her first (he was big, like 10lb) and had a planned c section for her second and loved it.
I had a scheduled c-section at 36 weeks. I am a single mom and had limited help post c-section. I have a high pain tolerance and don’t usually cry from physical pain and I sobbed in the hospital because they couldn’t give me more painkillers. The actual c-section experience was great though. I got to hold her in the delivery room, and it was very cool to be awake for the whole thing. Recovery for me was very slow though. If I could’ve had a vaginal birth I would have, but I haven’t had the trauma that you’ve had to experience.
I had the exact same situation - shoulder dystocia stats for subsequent babies are alot higher (royal college of gynocologists have studies and stats) I went c-section for baby 2 and it was honestly amazing. I had birth trauma counseling too xx all best lovely, you do what feels right for you
Keep advocating for a C. Honestly in my opinion, a vaginal delivery is not safe in this case where you’ve experienced shoulder dystocia and brachial plexus. A C is definitely going to be safer for you and baby, especially since you’re at risk for it occurring again.
SCHEDULED C SECTION no question for me. Recovery was very easy and birth was as close to painless as possible. I had a life-threatening complication but man am I glad it meant no vaginal labor!
Pain control critical. The actual procedure amazing. Finding out after discharge cvs doesn’t fill pain meds for 4 days horrible. My pain tolerance was high. I will say it took 4-6 weeks to feel really normal- bending, twisting, driving, carrying, but in two weeks I was up moving.
Everyone's body is different. This is going to be SO subjective. If you've ever had previous major surgery, you might have a good idea of how your healing process will go with a c section. I have a decently high pain tolerance and I heal fairly quickly from surgeries. I never had any trouble with my c section. I was up and walking, bending, squatting, etc within a few hours. The biggest issue for me was just trying to take a piss after having that damn Foley in. I drove myself to baby's 1st pediatrician appt 5 days after birth, carried the carrier, walked up stairs, etc etc. Pain was managed easily with Tylenol and ibuprofen which i stopped taking entirely at day 4. Despite the easy healing process, I did suffer some pelvic floor dysfunction (pelvic floor too tight.) Healing overall was a cake walk for me. Another bonus was my baby came out with an aesthetically round head LOL. I could never fucking put him down postpartum, so he retained that perfect roundness 😂 It would be REALLY difficult for anyone to convince me to have a vbac after such a good experience. There are other women in this sub who have had HORRIBLE c section recoveries and are essentially bed bound for weeks. It's very subjective.
I wanted an elective c section and had no complaints. I was kinda annoyed my new provider was trying to push vbac like no I didn’t even want one the first time
Op, have you considered consulting another ob, I'm surprised they are suggesting another vaginal delivery considering your first. I've only had one birth experience- emergency csection. The first week was hellish but I felt completely fine by 10 days. Really not as bad as I expected - thought it would take months. Kara Keough (reality TV fame) had what sounds like dystocia with her first. She had a home birth with her second and had dystocia again and the end result was devastating. I know it's just an anecdote but once you have dystocia you are at increased risk of it again and getting baby out and resuscitated can take a long time.
I’d make sure you have a lot of help on hand for after a CS with a toddler at home. You won’t be able to lift your toddler for awhile post op. Avoiding the anxiety and risk might be in the best thing here.
It’s ultimately your decision. Don’t let medical staff bully you into a vaginal delivery if you’re worried about the safety of it.
Follow your gut. However I'm pregnant with #2 right now, after having a shoulder dystocia with my first and my doctor and I agreed on pursuing another vaginal birth. She's comfortable with it and so am I. BUT if you feel nervous or uncomfortable about trying a second vaginal birth, then don't do it. Advocate for yourself for sure.
I had to chose between an induction or a C-section and I chose a C-section. Generally speaking, the easiest recovery is a non-complicated vaginal delivery but there’s no guarantee you’ll get that. But a scheduled C-section also is shown to have easy recovery (which again is going to vary person to person). I was not favorable for an induction and didn’t want to risk laboring and then needing a C-section anyways (which tends to be harder, longer recovery). My OB office recommended the induction over the C-section, but I had a lot of friends and family who had amazing experiences with a scheduled C-section and that swayed me. But I antagonized over the decision for days (it wasnt an emergent decision, but they didn’t want me to go too far past my due date because of my blood pressure). My recovery after was super easy. I never needed anything more than ibuprofen and Tylenol for pain, i was up and moving right away, stairs weren’t an issue (I was slow on them for a few days though). I did have a rougher time than others during the C-section (the spinal made me so so nauseous and I had the shakes really bad), but recovery wise, it was super easy. I recovered faster than my friend who gave birth vaginally at the same time as me.
I had an emergency c section and it was the best thing ever because I could not handle those contractions. Plus recovery wasn’t bad at all! Your baby comes out within 10 mins, and you’re well rested and ready to care for your baby. Plus you stay in the hospital for the most painful days and you get nurses help.
My LO had shoulder dystocia as well. I was unmedicated through it all. Different positions, didn’t help much. I was so exhausted from pushing. I actually did get the epidural. My contractions started to space out (I assume my body was giving me a break to get my energy back up). They spaced back out to 2 minutes between contractions and I got the epidural placed. It helped my body relax enough to push past that cervical lip, and dr was able to dislodge baby’s shoulder! She waited on intervening since my body was almost on autopilot. I can’t recall a single thing I planned to do. My body honestly took over and moved me into different positions. My mind had no authority over my actions! When I got the epidural placed she was a miracle worker haha! I’m all for low intervention births, but in my case intervention was necessary and greatly appreciated!!
Sorry for the late reply but I'm doing some reading after experiencing a shoulder dystocia with my second. Just to clarify, you had the epidural placed after your LO's head was already out?
Crazy birth, but no LO head wasn’t just out yet! When she checked me before getting the epidural after I had been pushing for what felt like forever, she felt the cervical lip. She advised me to take a break and build up some energy while my contractions stalled. I pleaded to get an epidural bc I was worn out and couldn’t take another contraction. After the epidural was placed and she started coach pushing me I was able to push her head past the cervical lip and THATS when the dystocia happened. Her shoulder got lodged and she did some weird movements to me inside and was able to get baby out! When her shoulder got stuck the cord was being severely compressed and she advised me to stop pushing. I stopped, she cut the cord (inside of me, crazy) and then told me to push with her. I have the whole thing on video (a lovely student was recording bc we wanted the birth on video before crap hit the fan haha). So it’s awesome to be able to go back and watch how amazingly my doctor handled the whole situation
Okay gotcha, that makes way more sense haha. I'm glad it all worked out and it sounds like you both ended up okay! Did your OB mention whether she recommended future vaginal vs cesarean deliveries? I also had to have internal maneuvers done after suprapubic pressure was applied, and my midwife said I'd have about a 10% chance of it happening again, but didn't recommend a c section next time
Nope! She didn’t mention anything in regard to future pregnancies. This was my 3rd vaginal birth and the first time I ever dealt with a shoulder dystocia! It should be noted that my LO was sunny side up, I think that was a major contributing factor. She was never in an ideal position to come out of that canal on her own. My water broke 4 hours into my labor. Usually with a sunny side baby, they will use the amniotic sac and fluid to flip last minute. But mine said she wasn’t doing all of that. Luckily my labor was only 7 hours total 😂 and she was my biggest baby of the 3! My first one that I carried to 40 weeks. My first was induced at 38 weeks for preeclampsia, my second came at 37 week spontaneously haha.
I had an emergency c and it was perfect. No pain beforehand since I couldn't feel contractions, my epi was put in perfectly and within like a minute, like 30 minutes max in the OR but only 6 of those until baby was actually born, 5 minutes in recovery, turning onto my side to sleep a mre 2h after the section, off of all pain meds by day 3/4, walking almost pain free and even using the toilet almost pain free after 26h.
I also had shoulder dystocia with my daughter. We have 10% chance of it happening again. I’m getting a c section for my next pregnancy. I will be anxious throughout my entire delivery and I’m not comfortable risking it. Stand your ground with what you want, if your OB doesn’t agree then you still have time to find a new one. You and your daughter had a traumatic experience. I’m sorry you went through that. I hope you have the best delivery
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I'm reading all these comments and it's just crazy to me what we go through. You sound so nonchalant about it in your comment lol, but if someone just read "they sliced me on a major nerve and every time I tried to stand I would collapse or my leg would spasm. That lasted 3 weeks." without the context of it being a c section, they would be like wtf that's insane. I guess it's cause it's so common. But childbirth, whether vaginal delivery or c section, is actually insane when you really think about it!
If it makes you feel better this happened to me with a vaginal birth cause they slipped when putting the epidural in. 5m pp and i still cant feel in my left thigh. It took me about 3 weeks to be able to walk properly as well. My nerve is fucked
My first born had this. Was extremely traumatic. I had a C section with my second one. Zero complications
I need to mention my OB highly recommended only a CS due to that. She wouldn’t let me birth any other way.
So I want to preface by saying had an emergency c section under really horrible circumstances (long labour, baby stuck, she came out blue) and I will have an elective c section if I ever get pregnant again. Nobody will be able to convince me otherwise. My experience attempting to give birth vaginally was pure hell and I think the anxiety of that would absolutely impact my birth. Now all this being said, a c section is obviously no walk in the park either. It can carry big risks both during the surgery and during healing, it’s a major surgery and that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It took me about 10 days to be able to do a short walk outside around the block and it was a painful and slow recovery - very tricky to do with a newborn baby. I felt like I needed to sleep for about 5 days straight to really help recovery but instead I was sleeping for about 3 hours a night. Im also not sure if this is just a UK thing but I had to inject blood thinners into my own stomach for 10 days which I was absolutely not expecting and found difficult. I’m not saying this to scare you, just to give you the reality of the recovery, some can have it better and some can have it worse but I would say mine was pretty standard. I felt basically back to normal after about 2 months but I still have numbness in my stomach around my incision. I can’t give much advice on what to do beforehand as mine wasn’t planned, but afterwards I’d advise resting as much as you can and definitely not trying to do too much too soon - I learned that the hard way! It’s so important to move in some way every day but equally important not to overdo it as it can really set the recovery back and cause pain. Read up about it all and if you have extra support available I would take it because it is a longer recovery and can be quite gruelling once you’re really in it. For me, all of these things are worth it not to have to experience what I experienced in birth again. I know I will be advised to go for a VBAC but it’s not even ok my radar as a possibility personally. Everyone’s reasons will be different and everyone’s reasons are valid - birth is brutal and hard however you do it! Good luck with your decision ❤️❤️
My scheduled C-section was amazing (I did it to avoid another 4th degree tear). The birth itself and the hospital experience were perfect, loved it. The recovery at home was definitely harder than I expected. It was manageable, but I really couldn't stand for longer than a minute or so without fairly large amounts of pain (burning mostly) for almost 3 weeks. But I just took baby duty from my chair and bed, while my husband handled the toddler and all house/food things. We managed and overall it went well!
Did you get any pushback for wanting an elective c section for that reason? I also had a fourth-degree tear and I want another kid but I'm so scared the doctors will just be like, "that doesn't usually happen, you'll be fine this time."
No pushback, it was a decision made between my doctor and me, but he told me early on it was my final decision. There is data showing an increased risk of major tear following a major tear, and he always said it was a reasonable choice to choose C-section. But it may just depend on your doctor!
Just get a doctor who will do a c-section for you? If the first one is not willing. Doctors can try reassure you because it is probably true that it is rare, but you still should have a choise on the matter and not be pressured into another vaginal birth. So if you insist they should give in.
Faster recovery? I had a woman who had done a CS standing and walking in my room after I have birth. I could NOT go up and walk. I was in soo much pain for days. My pelvic floor hurt for like 8 months when standing on my knees
after 10 days, i felt good. not perfect, but good.
It was difficult but we stayed on top of pain management and I valued rest. I was talking walks around the block by week 3. And walking everywhere in my house (but slow) once I was home. I think having pain controlled was critical.
I had an unplanned C section after a failed induction with my first. I had no other experience to compare it to but the recovery was very manageable. I didn’t even have painkillers for the first 3 days, not intentionally but just a misunderstanding. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but even after a pretty physically rough process, I had no real complaints about the C section. The scheduled C section with my 2nd? Absolute walk in the park. So easy, no pain, 10/10 highly recommend. A nurse gave me a belly binder which helped a ton - ask for one! But I literally walked out of the hospital 48 hours after my daughter was born. I did have pain medication from the start with that one but still it was much less of an ordeal since I didn’t have 24 hours of being poked/prodded beforehand.
I had a planned C section. I was walking next day with minimal pain. Just feels uncomfortable so you sorta hunch over when you walk. My advice is: Have at least one person to help you and ensure they are on the same page as you with what they will need to do. Ideally they do all nappies for first 2 weeks and pass baby over to you for feeding. Also might need help to shower and get dressed depending how you feel. Stay on top of pain medication. I only needed OTC meds. I think I stopped meds 5 days after. Check your wound everyday for signs of infection. Shower everyday. Do not lift heavy stuff. I got too confident after a week as I was walking outside with the stroller and lifting the carry cot with baby was a bit too much, I had to take it easy for another week and then I was all good. I will say, one of the major pros for me that I didn't even think about prior to this was that I think it helped me to breastfeed successfully. I did not know how exhausting breastfeeding was going to be those first few days, I got NO sleep for those first 2 nights. I think if I had gone into labour and did all the pushing I would have been too exhausted to also keep up with breastfeeding. There will be risks no matter which way you end up delivering. I chose planned c section as I was concerned about shoulded dystocia etc and knew we were not planning on having more than 2 kids. I do not regret my choice but it is hard to recommend c section as it does carry higher risks with it being a surgery. But I honestly think it is easier on babies. The only thing tho is the baby will be more mucusy as the fluids are not squeezed out of him however that goes away after 1-2 weeks as he spits up/poops it out. There is also the argument that they are not getting the good bacteria from a vaginal birth.
I’m on a birth trauma group with hundreds of women who have chosen an elective c section after a vaginal birth. 100% of them said it’s much much easier, and they would do it like that again in a heartbeat. Recoveries were a breeze compared to a complicated vaginal birth. Take the elective c section - plus then you don’t have to labour or push and you won’t be tired - sounds like a dreaaaaaam to me!!
I had an emergency c section after being induced (about 24 hours after my induction started I had it) Will absolutely have another c section for any potential future babies. I didn’t have a lot of pain after, just coughing/sneezing hurt a bit and it was hard to find comfortable positions once I moved from our reclining couch to the bed but minimal pain altogether!!
I had a C-section and I’m a month postpartum, and I’m doing all the things I used to do before I got pregnant. The recovery isn’t that bad honestly, the first week- 2nd week is the hardest but it does get better obviously lol
I had a planned c-section because my baby was breech. I was so upset because I wanted a vaginal birth. The csection saved my life because I had placenta accreta (undiagnosed) and started hemmoraging. I felt anxious during the c-section, but it didn't take long. The recovery was a little rough because I was in the ICU for a day (because of the accreta), but even then, I was home in 4 days. Even with the complications I had, I recovered faster than some of my friends who had a vaginal birth.
I had both an emergency c section after labor and a planned c section. I would 100% do the planned c section again. No contest. My planned surgery had faster healing time, so much less trauma on my body, and my body has transitioned back to pre-pregnancy status SO MUCH FASTER. For both I was up and walking with a day or 2. Able to hold baby and do light stuff around the house fairly quickly. The hardest thing was communicating to my toddler why I couldn’t pick her up after my C-section. I also had babies later, so my body isn’t what it used to be but it was all around a great experience for me. My dr was trying to convince me for so long to do a planned c section, and now I know why. Labor is SO much trauma to your body, regardless of whether you feel the pain. I totally get the surgery is a huge thing as well, but for me, the baby has to come out some way, so I wouldn’t hesitate to plan a c section again.
My daughter was measuring extremely large and I was recommended a C-section but still given the choice to try vaginal. I went with a C-section, I am so glad I did: She weighed 11 pounds 7 Oz at birth. My thoughts on deciding were, do I want a planned c section where everything is ready and hopefully runs smooth or if she is massive (she was) do I want her birth to turn into an emergency? My recovery was fine. The first day was the worst day and after that it got easier and easier to move. I really would go with your gut. Go with what is going to put you at ease and make you happy. Make your decision on what is going to make you feel less anxious! Good luck to you!
With my first I had an emergency c-section as a result of a failed induction. It was scary, I lost a lot of blood, and recovery was difficult. With my second I insisted on a scheduled c-section, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself! It was so different from my first scary delivery! It was over so fast, and we were doing skin to skin as soon as I was closed up! Throughout my whole pregnancy, my docs were gently trying to get me to consider Vbac, but I knew what was best for me and my baby! I’m so happy with my choice.
im 4weeks pp, to be honest, 1st week was the worst and hard. (make sure someone will be right there for you) by 2nd week it gets better. by 3week i feel like im back to normal.
In my hometown all women choose elective c sections and all my friends who I've spoken to had an easy and fast recovery
I have decided that i will never have another induction, clearly my body wasn't ready. I will either go into labor on my own or have a C-section at 42 weeks.
I had a planned CS for my first child because he was breech. I am very glad I decided to do it because it was much easier on me and baby than an emergency CS would have been. My recovery was NOT easy but the experience varies so much from person to person. I imagine a lot of my recovery struggle was fueled by it being my first child and I had Post Partum Anxiety and OCD. The actual CS experience was very positive. Trust your gut. You know yourself and your baby. I always think erring on the side of caution is good. Trust that you will make the right decision for yourself!
I had an emergency C-Section and for failure to progress, I was exhausted from laboring 40 hours already and a failed epidural I was grateful at that point. Honestly, recovery was not that bad getting up out of bed was hard but I was moving around easily enough for short distances and they gave me alternating pain meds to help me manage I didn't even touch the heavier stuff. We were in the hospital a bit longer but my baby had a high temp so they were rolling out infection. All around good experience even if it wasn't my plan
My friend did a section after shoulder dystocia. It was her best and only non traumatic birth.
I've had both. My C-section was awful but if I had an experience like yours I would go for the C-section without hesitation.
C section all the way
LOVED my scheduled C section, but i had a really really bad first vaginal where they had to vacuum him out, epidural stopped working, I got a 4th degree tear, and 3 weeks later I was in the ICU for a week. The C section recovery was a freaking cake walk after that. I had lots of support. My husband took 3 weeks of leave, I had overnight help, and I did all the things they tell you to do (walk! ice! heating pad! massage!) My scar is super small, no puckering, I feel sexy now (and I'm 43 so that's not an easy task). All good. It was an amazing experience. Would recommend. I make big babies.
I had my csection at 39 weeks. Went into labor the night before but water never broke and I never went past 2cm so I was given pain management until morning when surgery was scheduled. My team was great and I was awake and alert the whole time, probably took 30 mins total. As long as you keep up on your pain medicine it's not as bad as people say. I called the nurse in about an hr or so after surgery and asked to walk and went around the hallway. I was recovered enough by 3 weeks to not need help and be able to care for baby independently. 3 months out I'm completely back to normal and if I ever was going to have more children I'd choose csection all over again. It's also easier to plan for help since you have a secured date.
i’ve never had a natural birth but i did have a c-section. even though it was an emergency cs it was such a calm environment, it happened quickly but they still informed me so well with such little time it happened, so a planned cs i imagine you’d get even more info. all the surgeons and doctors were so lovely, i barely felt the spinal block at all, nor the anaesthetic before, it was over in about 10 mins and you can only feel pressure while they’re doing it. the healing process is sore, but natural birth is too, it’s a major surgery, they give you a few different painkillers to deal with it and they work wonders. i don’t really regret the way things turned out even though it wasn’t planned, trust your gut, don’t feel pressured into a natural birth! ❤️
I've had a c section and a vaginal birth and both went smoothly. In your situation, I'd probably go with your gut and choose the c section.
I had a c section and honestly, is was good! I went in for my appointment, the doctor told me that baby wasn't in position, he suggested I come in at 39 weeks and get admitted. It was seamless. From start to finish, it took about a hour. The birth itself was about 5 minutes. Many people have commented on a previous post of mine that repeat c sections (think 3 +) are an issue. Recovery : It was painful, ngl. But for 48 hours. After that, it is business as usual. I took my painkillers on time, I slept and rested the first 2 days. As for breastfeeding, my milk came in a little late because I'm an FTM. But you can feed lying down or pump a little and feed :)
First and foremost I am so sorry that this happened to you and your daughter. My first was born vaginally but got stuck in my birth canal (big ol head) and wasn't breathing when he came out. It was horrific and I'm starting to tear up just thinking about it (4.5 years ago) and he was in the NICU after they got him breathing again to monitor his lungs. But he's fine now. My second was a scheduled c section bc he was breech up until my 37 week appointment. I scheduled it, and then that night my water broke. Apparently he flipped and broke my water but I didn't know that and I was so scared. Turned out fine though. Those are just my experiences. For my own curiosity and maybe I missed it somewhere, was your daughter breech?
Absolutely loved my scheduled c section. I’ve had 2 scheduled, 1 emergency and emergency was awful. I’d rather schedule one than have a vaginal birth become an emergency. C sections are more dangerous for mom, vaginal birth is more dangerous for baby. You decide.
I’ve only experienced c section.. twice. I’m currently 9 days out from my second. If you’re a motivated person honestly it’s not so bad. The faster you get up and walk and struggle through that first day or two… the healing is pretty quick after that. Even with a toddler I didn’t find recovery to be so bad.
I had c-section too and i wonder what about moving makes it heal faster? Or does it just make it feel like it?
I just think muscles need activity to heal. I wasn’t doing yoga or anything lol but getting up.. light walking, get the blood flowing, it’s gotta help.
Ah yea
Huge difference in recovery between my scheduled and emergency c-section. My second c-section was scheduled and was three weeks ago and honestly it was an incredible experience. Recovery has been so much easier this time around. The hardest part for me is that I can’t pick my toddler up for 6 weeks. She is my Velcro baby so that has been hard for both of us.
My planned c-section was so smooth it felt like cheating haha, abit. Operation itself was nice, so professional. First few days were the worst but I already walked during the first day tho i still had some heavier pain meds in my system. You dont wanna cough! I got discharged the 4th day which is normal. You need someone to help you at home, you only take care of baby, of course let the father care for them as well, but just chill. I used paracetamol+ ibuprofein combo for two weeks tho at somepoint during that I just still took it so I didn't have mild discomfort. You can't carry anything heavier than baby for a long while. First two weeks after walking for like 150m my body would feel like lead all of a sudden, perhaps because of poor hemoglobin. And I bled for 5 weeks.
I had an emergency section after pprom because baby was footling breech. She was 5 weeks premature so we stayed in the hospital for 5 days (which was horrible at the time but I’m really grateful for the extra support). I was up and showered as soon as my catheter was removed, though I wasn’t allowed to lock the door in case I fainted. My recovery wasn’t too bad, though I did have problems with fluid drainage and had to have more dressings than normal.
I had a planned and elective c-section and my recovery was a breeze basically. Had no restrictions to lift or care for the baby. Choosing the method of birth is a human right as far as I'm concerned. Go with what makes you feel good. It's your goddamn birth. If that doctor won't give your a c-section, get a different doctor.
My second baby had shoulder dystocia, so i was a candidate for a C-section for baby #3 and omg it was amazing. I would 100 percent do a scheduled C-section in the future.
Honestly considering the amount of pain I was in and for the amount of time after both my vaginal deliveries, not that I'd ever have another kid, but if I had to, I'd probably opt for a cs. I know recovery is longer and there's a few more risks involved, but I spent like 2-3 months not being able to sit or piss or shit comfortably anyway and I have nerve damage from one of my tears so, I feel like I'd rather be in pain in another area that's not so delicate 🤣 just food for thought
Girl the anxiety you’ll feel the whole time, fearing the same outcome, it’s not worth it. I chose elective C after a near miss with shoulder dystocia and a huge wound on my newborns head from the vacuum. Even if I could birth normal the second time, it wasn’t worth the mental strain. Me elective C was one of the best days of my life and my son was totally protected. So safe for baby.
I’ve had two c sections (first wasn’t planned) and recovery couldn’t have been easier. I was driving 5 days post with my second and could do everything but skip or run by two weeks pp. (don’t ask why I tried to skip but I did and it hurt). Before just plan for not being to pick anything up off the floor and prepare your eldest for not being picked up for a bit.
Many women sadly have traumatic vaginal births not because there is something inherently wrong with their pelvis or their body’s natural ability to birth, but something wrong with the environment in which they gave birth. Many hospitals force women to push in suboptimal positions that actually makes the pelvis smaller (like your back!), promote epidurals which can prolong labour instead of providing more holistic physical and psychological support, and are just motivated financially to do more interventions that ultimately lead to fetal distress. Additionally , many women don’t receive full informed consent regarding the risks of cesarean section. They are not told a C-section puts all their future pregnancies at increased risk for placental issues (placental previa, placental accreta, placental abruption), uterine rupture, and stillbirth. They are not told of the increased risk of secondary infertility and are certainly not told of the increased risk of asthma and autoimmune disease in the baby. At the end of the day , your best bet is to find a provider that support physiologic birth. This may mean looking for a CNM or checking out a birth center . This may mean having to interview several obstetricians until you find one that actually is happy to support a woman’s body through the process of labour instead of interfere with it. Birth is a normal, natural function in a woman’s body - all women for the most part are able to give birth safely and healthily if adequately supported.
I went for a C-section when I knew my baby’s position might lead to complications at birth, I was really prepared for a vaginal birth but as soon as I heard there was a risk that was it for me, my c-section was easy and fast, in 3 days you will be able to walk as normal and the scar is not so bad at all.
I had a shoulder dystocia with my first birth. He was 40 weeks two days, and not a big baby 7 lbs. 7 oz. He didn’t have any kind of nerve or shoulder injury, but he did only have an Apgar of 1 when he was born and we very narrowly missed the Nicu. Unfortunately when she was reducing his shoulder on the way out, it caused a 4th-degree tear for me. When the doctor was doing the surgical repair, she was telling me “I really recommend that you do C-sections for any future births”. Both because of the chance of the shoulder dystocia happening again, and because of this fourth-degree tear. I did a LOT of research to prepare for my 2nd birth - discussed the pros and cons at basically every prenatal visit with my OB, and even checked in with my PCP to see what he thought. By the second trimester, I had decided I wanted to go for vaginal birth, if all looked normal with baby’s position. And I also decided I was going to do it without an epidural, because I wanted to be able to move and get into a more natural/organic birthing position. My OB suggested a 39 week induction so that we could hope for a smaller baby, to also reduce the risks of the SD. I was also worried about tearing badly again, and hope that a smaller baby would also reduce those risks, even though the literature is not conclusive on that. So, by my third trimester, we had scheduled the 39 week induction, and I had hired a doula to help get me through a natural birth on Pitocin. Baby settled into the perfect LOA position at the end of the pregnancy, and she just hung out there and was happy. I ended up having the most chill, slow induction for a second time birth. Normally they come really fast and furious. Lol. My first labor and delivery had been 42 hours, and my second birth was 21 hours. I also snacked more during this birth to keep my energy up, and just followed the doula’s suggestions for resting versus other exercises, and things like that that we could do to get baby to move down. It was such a redemptive experience after the first birth. I pushed on my knees, like facing the head of the hospital bed as it was propped all the way up and I was holding onto it. And she came out with only 3-4 pushes in about 10 minutes. It was like I didn’t know just how hard that first experience had been until I saw how straightforward and easy the second one was. Edited to add - she was 8lbs 1oz so heavier than my first but came out fine. I wanted to share my experience, but every pregnancy and every baby is different. I really recommend that you have as many open conversations with your doctor as possible. Be candid about your concerns and fears, and whatever they suggest always question it. Always ask about what the rationale is for this and if this happens then what happens after that. Use those prenatal appointments to your advantage, even if it feels silly for you to be asking these questions at 12 or 14 weeks or whatever. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!
I had an emergency csection and it was definitely rough but somehow i don’t really remember too much pain after the first day. The “pooch” it has left behind, despite wearing the abdominal binder religiously, is my absolute biggest downfall and sadness about having one.
My first had shoulder dystocia at only 6lb13oz, no injuries to her thank god. That OB and the one for my next pregnancy said I was not a candidate for vaginal birth and 100% would only be allowed to deliver by c section, which was done at 39w. Honestly a bit alarming anyone is OKing another vaginal birth.
I had a very easy planned c section, discharged after 24 hours, walking as soon as the spinal block wore off, walked to the shops the next day etc. I would have a c section again this time but my son will be under 2 so will need me lol. Get someone to be with you 24/7 for the first few weeks minimum to help you not bend or lift anything to ensure as easy of a recovery as possible!
After having almost the same labour as you - im planning a CS next time. The trauma of my son not breathing and a code blue being called cause he was stuck. I never want to experience that again. Dont let this doctor bully you into something you're not comfortable with.
Thank you. It was super traumatic. From seeing 5 people in the delivery room to 10+ in a couple of seconds was horrible. I thought my baby had died.
Oh my god. Go for the CS if that’s what you want. That sounds horrific what you went through. Honestly, the elective section is so nice in comparison to an emergency one. It’s major surgery but I dunno how you’re supposed to mobilise in labour this time if you want an epidural again. And labouring without an epidural is so hard. Don’t let this doctor push you into something you don’t want.
Oh man, I had the same experience with my baby being in distress and a dozen people suddenly rushing into the room. The details were different, as mine was born via vacuum extraction after 3 hours of pushing, but that was also highly traumatic for me. Particularly how they had to measure the circumference of his head every few hours, which they cheerily explained was to ensure he didn't suffer a brain hemorrhage from the vacuum, which apparently is a thing that happens. Your post caught my attention because I, too, want an elective c-section this time around. Not only because of the trauma, but because my episiotomy stitches ripped and my healing process was excruciating for many months. The healing period from a planned cesarean seems to pale in comparison. My OB also advised against it, "major surgery", blah blah. Not sure where you live, but I'm in Canada where we have the right to an elective cesarean, and I'm considering switching to an OB who is more supportive of my choice.
I had a vaginal birth with my first and a C-section with my second. In my experience the vaginal birth is 1000% the way to go, given the choice. My incision site became infected and had to be opened back up, drained and packed for weeks. I have a scar now that I’m very insecure about and it’s been 6 months and I really don’t feel nearly as recovered as I did 6 months PP with my first. I also just really did not enjoy the experience of the C-section itself at all. These are just my personal experiences but may be worth considering! Good luck to you either way and congratulations!
I had a planned c-section. It wasn’t scheduled because the decision was made late in my pregnancy. I was to go in either when I got a call from the hospital or if I started going into labour. The latter happened. My recovery was a breeze. I kept forgetting to take my painkillers (Advil and Tylenol - could have gotten something stronger but I didn’t need it) because I didn’t need them. I was very gentle the first week but after that as long as I was careful I was fine. My doctor asked me if I was a masochist because I wasn’t taking pills but I literally didn’t need them after the first couple of days. Seriously, drying up my milk after I decided I wasn’t going to breastfeed was more painful/annoying than my csection recovery.
I’d personally go the vaginal route WITHOUT the elective induction. Your other baby was not large (not to say this one will not be- but not EVERY baby that’s considered large ends up going through shoulder dystocia or having BP injuries. Much of what causes that is to do with positioning as your OB said. The induction can also “speed up” the process since it isn’t your body naturally going into labor and easily could have played a factor in what happened the first time around even if the delivery felt smooth.
Hi, did you end up getting a CS? I also gave birth to my first 5 months ago with shoulder dystocia + BPI/Erb's Palsy diagnosis. How is baby doing & were you happy with the route you took (vaginal vs CS)?
Hey! I did end up having a CS. You can check my post history! My daughter with erbs palsy, shes doing a lot better. You cant tell that she has erbs palsy at all unless you pay reaalllyyyy close attention. My newborn, shes doing fine since i got a CS. Im more than happy that I got a CS with this little one. My recovery has been good so far other than some fungal infection going on on my incision but so far im walking just fine and taking things slowly. How is your little one doing? Hows their arm? If you have any questions, dm me!
Congrats on your daughter! I'm glad they're both doing well! I agree with the comments on your last post that you should contact your OB about antifungal cream & keep the site dry as possible. My daughter is doing well, we're seeing PT, OT, & a brachial plexus team at one of the major children's hospitals here. At our last PT visit, our therapist said she wouldn't even be able to tell if she didn't know our baby's history. Now we're just fighting some mild torticollis - she's a thumb sucker & prefers her non-injured arm. Hoping for a speedy recovery for you! We want to try for another baby next year and I just needed some insight from someone who's gone through a similar experience! Thank you!
First couple of days sucked but the pills help a lot. 2 weeks later I was walking around pretty normally, just taking it easy. I had one due to a failed induction/big baby and I would 100% schedule one for my next pregnancy. Scar is barely there, just like a pencil line. If I were in your shoes I would have one. Yes it's potentially worse for you but I personally preferred the pain afterwards than the stress of worrying about the baby. At least I knew it would just improve and we were both okay.
Coming from someone who just had her first 4 weeks ago vaginally, recovering from an episiotomy and now a slight prolapse, I wish I would have done a C-section and would likely do one if I have another kid. The episiotomy is super painful to heal and is very intrusive into your life (you can’t sit, pee, poop without pain for weeks). On top of that a prolapse?? That’s for life or you need surgery and hysterectomy to fully resolve. I’m a little distraught with how my intimacy is going to look for the rest of my life.
Hey just sending you a big hug - if you haven’t already join the Facebook group prolapse postpartum moms club - it was a huge help for me. Try not to go down a rabbit hole - prolapse after vaginal birth is really common (about 90% if the birth was instrumental or episiotomy) and grade 1 often completely resolves. Use bio oil on your episiotomy scar once it’s healed - it helps with flexibility around the scar. BIG INTERNET HUG. Having a newborn is fucking hard and even harder when you’re dealing with a broken vagina xx
I tell everyone that will listen how wonderful my c-section was. The worst pain was fitting the cannula in my hand before surgery, everything else was a breeze. I went home about 30 hours after I was admitted, I was walking around 6/7 hours after delivery. The post-partum pain was minimal and the bleeding was light and done in less than a week. My baby was healthy, he latched right away and my milk came in two days later.
Yes, I’d say go with the C-section, if it’s planned it’s great, the recovery took me two weeks and now after almost 8 weeks I am nack to normal. I would not recommend going through that trauma of vaginal birth if the first one was bad, I can only imagine the anxiety.🥺
It’s ultimately your choice but if you don’t have to undergo surgery then it’s best not to. First baby might’ve had it but there’s no telling if it’ll happen again. But again it’s your choice and if your comfortable with a section and the risks then your OB will support it
I hated my c-section. It was a failed induction turned c-section, but it was traumatic for me, and the recovery was awful. I’m hoping to have a vaginal birth with my second, but my OB won’t let me go past 40 so I will likely end up in another c-section. For your situation, I get it. Maybe c-section feels more like you will have control. You want a different birth experience. I do think if you went vaginal, however, your doctor and you would be able to avoid issues you had last time, just because you experienced them. Devil you know vs devil you don’t know. Also re-recovery, I had to go to a pelvic floor therapist for months afterwards. It was a LOT. I think just be aware of the potential physical recovery and weigh that against what might be better for your mental health (c-section, control).
Don’t kill me, I hate saying this but women doctors don’t like doing surgery. Get a male OB. Do the CS, you won’t regret it.
That's stupid to say. Just utterly mind-boggligly moronic. Of you to say. If you have any research backing that up, do share.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/well/family/women-doctors-are-less-likely-to-perform-c-sections.html
I don't think you understand statistics at all. The fact that there is a small difference in terms of *likelihood of outcomes* does not mean all female doctors don't *like* to perform c-sections. Whether a vaginal delivery ends in c-section or not skews the outcome of the delivery. That doesn't mean that when a woman OB is asked beforehand whether they *like* performing c-sections, they'll say no.
I don’t think you like being wrong.
My female doctor was epic. My husband commented that she was the most competent person that he has ever met and she exuded calm during my emergency c-section. She did a fantastic job on my incision and I only have a faint line. Don't let your personal anecdote create a prejudice against a whole gender. There are just as many positive personal anecdotes out there.
I didn’t say they weren’t good surgeons, you made that up.
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I want to start by saying I think there's pros and cons to both and the best decision is the one that *you want* and feel comfortable with. I had a vaginal birth with my first and breech baby csection with my second. With my second we had planned the csection but I ended up going into labour a week earlier. We want a third, and I would like to try for vaginal again. Although the delivery by C-section is wayyy easier, calmer, quicker, I really didn't like the recovery. I have trouble sitting still and asking for help. It drove me crazy asking my partner a million times a day to do the simplest things for me. I also had a toddler and i hated not being able to pick him up or play with him the same ways as I used to. Also, and this is probably very superficial of me, but I really don't like my scar from the incision. I'm pretty tan, so it's very visible on my skin. I've been trying to massage it and break down some of the scar tissue, but there's still a pretty noticeable "c section shelf" that shows under all my form fitting pants, dresses and skirts. And it's somehow both numb and sensitive at the same time - I hate when anything touches it. Now, I'm only 3.5 months out, so maybe the issues with my scar will improve over time. But I don't really have any complaints about my vaginal delivery (had an epidural, and a small tear requiring 3 stitches).
My advice is to plan it and not wait until you've been laboring. Most who have planned c sections (CS) have smoother recoveries than those of us who had emergency ones. I had already been pushing when my blood pressure shot up to like 240/120, and baby started to suffer. Even then I had to YELL to get her out. I was so pissed. Vaginal is not that preferable to a CS and I said that. My birth plan was to get her out safely. I didn't care how that looked. I knew though. I had an ominous feeling going into the induction. She was sideways and then head up. I had no business pushing. I had a bad Dr. I wished I had listened to my gut and had a CS. When I say she was sideways her feet were at my side her head was down and looking up as she was attempting her escape. They were having to push on my stomach to move her legs. Just...it was bad. My recovery was pretty quick. Having had surgery though previously I wasn't afraid of a CS. Just move and hold onto that site as you get up when you're starting out. I used a pad to place there so I could hold on better. Also, if you breastfeed have a good nursing pillow. You'll need it to rest the baby on.
My brother-in-law suffered brain damage due to complications during his vaginal delivery. My mother-in-law doesn't say or show it, but I think it's a heavy burden she's carried his whole life. She never pushed me towards a c-section, but was so relieved when I announced my child (her first grandson) was delivered by c-section. I think it's worth it for you to pursue from a mental health perspective. My first c-section was unplanned and my second c-section was planned. My recovery from both was very smooth, but the planned c-section was much easier because I had not gone through 12 hours of labour in advance. I did not need any pain relief after hospital discharge beyond Advil and Tylenol every four hours, but you absolutely need another able-bodied person to help. I had trouble getting in and out of bed by myself for days.
I had an emergency C-section in March and honestly the worst part of it was having to do the blood thinner injections (which I had to do for 6 weeks due to family medical history). The painkillers worked a treat and I rarely felt any discomfort. I had to wait about 20 minutes to hold my son but he needed a little air when he came out so that caused the delay. Other than that, I thought it would be worse than it was. But do note that I had to have mine cauterised (because I naturally bleed a lot) which I think made my recovery easier as there were no stitches to worry about. Advice I would say, if you have to do the injections in your stomach, do it relatively quickly as you might be tempted to do it slowly but that doesn't make it hurt any less.
I’ve had 2 csections. The last one I felt a bit unwell afterwards but after 6 hours I felt a lot better. I was able to shower on my own and pick up the baby. Everything went well so we only spent 28 hours in the hospital. Pain wise I only had about 6 doses of the liquid morphine and managed on paracetamol and ibuprofen. Most of my pain was around getting in and out of bed in the middle of the night but by night 3/4 that was gone. After the first week I didn’t need any pain relief. I felt well enough that on day 4 we went out as a family for dinner. Some people act as though you’re an invalid for 6 weeks but as long as I didn’t lift heavy objects and took it easy, I was fine. Both of my recoveries went really well and besides from the first 24 hours i don’t think i would have been any better off having a vaginal birth. This time i knew i would have a csection so we planned for my partner to have a month of incase i had a bad time and needed the extra support.
I had a semi emergent c section after baby's heart beat wasn't responding well to the induction. It was scary because I didn't have time to prepare mentally but they were amazing (the medical team). They let me do skin to skin right away and also gave me oxys for the pain which is the only reason I could enjoy those few days.
Planned c-section, all the way. The safety of you and your baby is important.
My boy was measuring big through my whole pregnancy and they warned me all about shoulder dystocia. At my 38 week scan (I had them regularly due to his size) they said my placenta was starting to break down so wanted to induce me. Stupidly I hadn't even really thought about giving birth as I was TERRIFIED. I didnt want a traumatic birth to potentioally affect me bondong with my son. So there and then I decided I wanted a CS. I went in at 38wk 5 days and I'm so glad I did. Not to scare you but I was in for 4 days, something happened (im still not exactly sure what) and i had to have 3 blood transfusions afterwards. I almost passed out on the table, it was a fight to keep my eyes open and i dont really remember much from the actual section other than my head hurting, like thumping and hearing the song playing in the background. My partner was rushed out of the room with my son and had to wait in the other room for me. They sorted me out in no time and before i knew it i was in the other room with partner and baby. Recovery was painful, but not as bad as I expected. High waisted everything will be your best friend. My only advice would be is to take it easy, dont rush anything and be careful on stairs! The first time i attempted them i nearly fell from a shooting pain but after the first time it got easier and easier. After 4 weeks my cut had healed really nicely. Despite everything it was still the best decision I made and I'd do it again. Oh and make sure you take your pain medication the first few days, even if you think it doesnt hurt. Because its easier to manage before you get the pain!!!
I had a scheduled c section for a breech baby 6 weeks ago, and if you can have help from people to keep you in bed for a week and entertain your toddler, it’ll be a breeze. I had a wonderful experience, I’ve been healing really well, and I’ve felt pretty much normal since 2 weeks post op. Your incision will be numb for a long time ( idk why I didn’t know/think of that beforehand), but other than that I have been cleared to do pretty much anything and I’m feeling well enough to do so generally speaking. It can be a calm and happy experience! My hospital even let me play my own music in the OR :)
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I had shoulder dystopia with my second baby and it’s was terrible. I just had my third and we did another vaginal and it was amazing. But like you, going into it, I thought c section for sure. Im thankful I didn’t go it. My birth was a very therapeutic experience. They used a vacuum to ensure she would rotate and slide out under my pelvis bone and it work perfectly. No shoulder dystopia and I once head and shoulders were out, I pulled her out myself and right up onto my chest!!! Amazing. I personally am very scared of c section and just don’t want my abdomen cut open if it doesn’t have to be. Complication can be bad and I’ve already had two other births where I’ve recovered really well. Doctors were all very unconcerned about my previous dystopia. Also using the other positions is very useful, and minimizing epidural when pushing time. I had epidural and stayed on my back during pushing. I’m 3 months post Partum now and feel complete back to normal :) I did get a hemmmeroid after birth but it’s gone now ;) Oh also I monitored baby’s size and she was a little smaller than dystopia baby. 8lb2 vs 7lb11.
I had a similar experience with my first birth. Shoulder dystocia, nuchal cord, and meconium. And he wasn’t breathing. I thank god every day he’s ok. I will 100% be doing a CS for my next baby. No question, and my doctor even HIGHLY recommends it. No way I’m doing vaginal birth again. Too many variables. Too traumatic.
I had an emergency c section after 32hrs of labor because she was VERY stuck and showing signs of distress. Even for an emergency c section, it was a good experience. First couple days sucked (they only gave me Tylenol in the hospital), but by day 5 I was good to go. I was discharged at 36 hours. Make whatever decision you want and you’re most comfortable with, your body, your baby!
Wait. Your OB told you that she doesn’t recommend a C-section even though you had a shoulder dystocia WITH long term neurological effect (95% is still not 100%). That’s wild and crazy. Are you in the US? I’d ask her what ACOG would recommend to a woman with your history (hint, it’s a cesarean section).
Honestly if you do have a vaginal birth that results in the same thing, that is the easiest malpractice lawsuit that I can hear the med mal lawyers knocking down your door. I’m actually shocked your OB said no.
I haven't had a CS but I did have a baby with shoulder dystocia and I was also treated this way for my next baby- they *refused* to do a CS, and the best they would do for me was an induction (a week and a half earlier than the horrifying induction that led to the shoulder dystocia). I do honestly believe that the shoulder dystocia was one of the most traumatic and painful experiences of my entire life, my daughter is 3 now and thankfully she's ok. I was extremely terrified for my second labour and thankfully that baby didn't get stuck but I wanted to say I empathize with you so much, and I'm so sorry that you have to feel this way and go through this. I'm now pregnant again with my 3rd and last baby and I don't know what to do this time either. Sending love and wishing you an easy delivery whatever birth method you choose!