Hi ladies,

Hope you're all well.
I was basically just wondering if any of you (especially the UK ladies) have had an elective c-section with SPD? I have my 28 week appt soon and was hoping to discuss my options with my midwife. Im just kind of worried they're going to say 'no' straight away without me being able to give my reasons!
Im in pain 24/7, have found nothing that gives any type of relief. I've been on Codeine 30mg tablets every 4 hours, but they seem to have stopped working. I attempted to make a physio appt but all I got told was 'your pain doesnt seem severe enough to warrant a one to one appt' but I was offered a group session which I plan to attend tomorrow. I can't walk more than 2 steps at a time now, I get maybe 2/3 hours of sleep a night due to not being able to get comfortable etc. But most importantly, I can only open my legs 2 inches. This is what worries me the most about a natural labour! Sorry for the rant and/or going off topic lol. Hope someone can advise me

Lu
xx


(Also, sorry if i've posted in the section!)

hiya hun i ahd severe spd they wanted give me a wheelchair at the end and no mention of a c-section they will just tell you plenty of women give birth with spd. I had physio pain meds crutches and would of ad a chair if they hadnt of given me a swepp at 37 weeks. |I gave birth at 37+4 without any drugs not even gas and air. beleive me your legs will open far enough when its time to push without doing damage to yourself because you wont care lol. only advise I will give you is if you have an epidural if they wont give you a csection then you may b at risk of giving yourself bad damage to eh pelvis as you dont know your limit on stretching your legs xx

ahh ok, thanks hun just wanted to know my options really lol. Sorry you had it so bad before
xx

My consultants agreed to an elective section with my last pregnancy, it would have been at 39 weeks. It depends on how much pain your in, and with those tablets i'd guess at a lot of pain

They may be reluctant to offer a section, you may have to fight for it, get a second opinion but i can't see why they'd say no if you've weighed all the options and feel its the best choice for you and your baby. It may not be their first choice but elective sections can be and are offered to women with severe SPD, it was agreed to for me, i didn't make my dates and had an emergancy section but had i not, i could have had an elective purely on the grounds of severe SPD.

It may be a fight but if your in the agony i was (and it sounds like you are) its worth the fight, my pelvis has been fine so far this pregnancy and i put it down to the csection i had last time, with my first i delivered naturally and my pelvis never lined up properly since Still doesn't now but as i didn't 'push' last time, its not anywhere near as bad this time x

Thank you for the reply I see my midwife a week today, so will fight my corner then. Just worried that if she says 'no' straight away, I don't know who else to ask lol. Maybe my physiotherapist? Sorry you had a tough time before, but glad it's not affecting you this time thanks for the advice
Xxx

you are best to speak directly with an OB. I do not know if they are covered by NHS or if you need a referral from a midwife or doctor??? but an OB will be much more open to the suggestion of a C-section than your midwife would. Well I'm seeing the OB aty 30 weeks about booking a section although I only have mild pain, its not severe spd but it does hurt to move my legs and walk around although its not cause for a section over here unless its causing you mental distress as well as physical and the midwife and ob feels you would not handle a normal labour

all the best

Aww thanks hun I really hope your pain goes away/gets better! And that the OB listens to you I think if the midwife doesnt refer me, i'll just pester my dr and physiotherapist until they do hehe
xxx

I don't see how an elective section would be better for your pain levels? Your in agony for weeks after a section, coughing sneezing etc leave you doubled up in pain.

I noticed a massive improvement in my SPD with in a day or two after she was born. Something I wouldent have noticed if I was in agony from a section.

I get what your saying Lozzy but its not like that for everyone. Actually quite the opposite for me really, after my natural delivery i suffered for 5 long years afterwards, there was no improvement after the birth as all the doctors promise there will be, there wasn't.
After my section it all but disappeared, the odd twing now and again but nothing compared to those 5 years, not even now i'm 28 weeks pregnant, still just twinges.

I know most cases aren't as severe as mine was but i'm just saying, it doesn't happen like that for everyone. It took me a long time to speak to a doctor about it after my DD because they said it would go away, i felt like i wasn't normal because mine hadn't, i felt they'd think i was making too much of it I felt scared to tell them it hadn't gone away, turns out, delivering her knocked my pelvis out of alignement (sp?), if i'd had a section with her i'd have saved myself 5 years of agony.

I think it has to go on a case to case basis, it may be rare to end up the way i did but it happens, there are milder and more severe cases. I'd explain to the consultant how bad it is, in that much pain it will be obvious really and let them decide. I'd push for a section based purely on my own experience of it, recovery from my section was a million times easier than suffering pelvic pain for 5 years after my natural delivery xx

Did you go to your doctor and say you were still suffering? From what you posted it sounds like you dident so you dident have to suffer for 5 years. Seeing a physio or a chiropractor can help with any lingering SPD pain. I still had twinges 9 months on and a few sessions of physio sorted that out and LO had shoulder dystocia when born.