Can you ask for a c-section if it is not medically necessary?

[Quartz]

See I dont really see that much judgment in it - just trying to explain that a c section is not the "easier" option at all - and that the media sometime betrayal of it as such is wrong and that in many ways it the harder option.

My view is that it would be

EMCS (never had one)
ELCS (had one)
Assisted Delivery (had one without pain relief)
Natural birth

And that you should make an informed choice which includes taking peoples experiences into account - and those experiences are sometimes going to be inline with your view and sometimes not.

And yes the idea of your vagina tearing is scary and yes it can hurt (I have an external 2nd degree and internal tear) but for me the idea of having being cut inside and not being able to see it was much worse.

As I said before I would much rather go through my two hour quick labour of no pain relief and constant contraction that ended up with me being in stirrups and a ventouse than I would an elective c section.

But an elective c section is as much giving birth as anything else and no one should feel ashamed for having one, it a valid brith method. Its just not easier (imo)

As for major variations in recovery time its like any illness or infection different people react differently and have different experiences and different surgeons.

 

[ashleyg]

I don't think anyone can say which birth is "easier". Both can be equally just as hard to recover from depending on the person. I know a lot of moms who had one vaginal birth and one c section and thought the section was MUCH easier. I also know a lot of moms who have had both and thought their vaginal birth was easier.

As I said in my post, I loved my c section and my recovery wasn't hard in the least bit. But again, it all depends on the person. No one can say that one birth is easier than the other one without going through both, and even then it's still all one persons opinion. What might be an easy birth and recovery for one person might not be the same for the next.

 

[minties]

I just wanted to comment from the perspective of someone who has had 2 c-sections. My first was an emergency, I went into labour at 10pm, was awake all night, had syntocinon (like pitocin) by 10am, and ended up with an emergency section at about 2:30pm. I recovered VERY quickly, I drove myself home from hospital, and was hanging out washing/cooking/walking around the shops 4 days later. I used no pain relief once home.

I had an elective with Sophie and found the recovery a lot harder for some reason. I was in much more pain. I felt more tired, everything hurt and it took me a good couple of weeks to feel somewhat human again.

 

[wonderstruck]

Thanks guys, and especially those of you being supportive. It's a lot of food for thought. I just had another friend have an emergency c-section after her baby got stuck at 9cm and while she had preferred to have a 'natural' birth her recovery has been just fine, and she was definitely walking around, etc. in much less than a week. It's pretty clear that everyones experience is different, regardless of which way you go and you can't really say one is terrible and the other is great or vice versa.