FEBRUARY HEARTS Due in February 2015 , open group all welcome!

[christina1612]

Aww minibump i know, but im sure itll fly by! Just noticed youre hoping fo a vbac, me too!

Yay, nice to know I'm not alone! I did ask earlier in the thread if there were any other hopefuls but didn't get any responses so thought it was just me! Have you seen your Consultant yet? I have my first appointment on 8th October, hopefully it'll be straightforward.

Fingers crossed for both of us! I'm doing yoga and hypnobirthing classes this time around, every little helps! x

I see my consultant on the 10th, same day as my scan which is handy. My other half wants me to have an elective c-section but my main worry is the recovery, and having a toddler who wont understand why mummy cant pick him up for weeks, which could obviously make him jealous of the baby. Ive not looked into anything.like that but i might if it helps!

 

[bumblebeexo]

I've got my 20 week scan on the 10th too! Also have a consultant appointment that day to discuss mode of delivery after a traumatic birth last time, feeling a bit nervous!

 

[christina1612]

My friend said they basically go through the options and pros and cons etc u dont have to decide there and then x

 

[SurpriseBub]

This is my first, so i am not in the vbac position... but must admit I am tempted by the controlled aspect of a planned c-section. I doubt i will really choose that unless there is a medical reason- but just wondering if any of you coming in for a second baby have tips/things you want to do differently this time/any insights based on hindsight?

Seems we have some vbac hopefuls- I am also curious whether anyone did vaginal birth the first time, but want or have been advised to go Caesar this time?

 

[MellyH]

WOOHOOOOOO SHELLS!! Two beautiful boys. They are going to be such good mates. Congratulations!

We are finding out Monday week. I'm very excited. Mostly I'm excited to be home again from my work trip to Portugal, and sleep in my own bed. And eat my own food.

 

[RaspberryK]

This is my first, so i am not in the vbac position... but must admit I am tempted by the controlled aspect of a planned c-section. I doubt i will really choose that unless there is a medical reason- but just wondering if any of you coming in for a second baby have tips/things you want to do differently this time/any insights based on hindsight?

Seems we have some vbac hopefuls- I am also curious whether anyone did vaginal birth the first time, but want or have been advised to go Caesar this time?

Not me, but a friend had a traumatic birth with emergency spinal, episiotomy and ventouse. Her first baby was just shy of 9lb and so when her next was on course to be larger she was offered c section, for him to be only just 7lb a few dates before her due date.
Xx

 

[MiniBump]

I've heard that the recovery from an elective is much easier than an emergency but a VBAC is something I have to try my best for (would love a HBAC but am too much of a worrier!) because I'm so annoyed that I ended up with an EMCS the first time. I feel like I just didn't try hard enough and have some demons to exorcise!

SurpriseBub, it's entirely your choice but a c section is not something I would choose without good reason. It's major abdominal surgery and recovery isn't always limited to the weeks immediately following the surgery (even without complications). I know there can be ongoing consequences from vaginal birth also but I'm willing to take that chance!

 

[Feronia]

I've never had a c-section myself, but I really don't think it's something you want to do for a first birth if there's no medical indication. These days, it's getting harder to find a practitioner who will even offer an elective c-section for no reason. I've had friends and clients end up with c-sections, and the recovery is much more difficult (plus there are usually more problems with breastfeeding). I've watched c-section videos... and wow. The surgery is much more major than I expect many people realize!

I think your best bet is to learn about all of your options, especially options concerning vaginal birth. For instance, I'd really recommend against getting a non-medically indicated episiotomy and to look into ways to maximize your control and minimize your risks for tearing (e.g. being in an upright or all fours position, being active during labour, pushing slowly and in between contractions, or perhaps using hot water). I had a water birth for my first, and had absolutely no tearing or even grazing! Recovery was really a breeze! I was sore for like a day but that's it.

 

[2nd time]

This is my first, so i am not in the vbac position... but must admit I am tempted by the controlled aspect of a planned c-section. I doubt i will really choose that unless there is a medical reason- but just wondering if any of you coming in for a second baby have tips/things you want to do differently this time/any insights based on hindsight?

Seems we have some vbac hopefuls- I am also curious whether anyone did vaginal birth the first time, but want or have been advised to go Caesar this time?

I had a difficult time with my first and after I realized that I fought each contraction tensing up and taking to my bed with number twoni was determined to have a better birth I kept relaxed and m8bike throughout I thouraly enjoyed it juch better experiende so my advide is

relax
keep mobile and remembermits what our bodies are designed for we are owsome

 

[ttc126]

I feel like any surgery is going to be more difficult on your body than something natural. I had my son vaginally and it was fine. Within a couple days i didn't even have pain from my stitches and tear! However when my placenta accreta was discovered 3 weeks postpartum i had to have surgery. Nothing like a csection but man i was so incredibly sore after!!!!!

Elective section is an option for me with my blood disorder and trauma from last birth. However I've chosen vaginal again unless there are crazy complications. I can honestly say that contractions were not awful when i breathed and concentrated. This time I'm hoping to avoid anything that will keep me in bed. I think of i had been able to get up and change positions last time it would've been even better.

 

[SurpriseBub]

Interesting to hear everyone's input... I really don't think I would go for the c-section unless it was medically necessary... I just wondered if anyone wished they had gone that way the first time around. I have a couple of friends who did the elective section and were happy- but similarly a lot of people did it vaginally and wouldn't have it any other way! I think the kicker for me is that if you do a c-section you open the door for that being the only option in the future. So, if that has to happen, then so be it... but opting for potential multiple surgeries seems like a bad idea.

Thanks as well for the advice on working and moving through contractions/labour... that is stored away for future use!!

I guess the whole birth thing is just such an unknown for me at this point! I am not afraid of the pain, but do find the idea of complications with either vaginal or c-section pretty terrifying... I guess the only option is to wait and see how it goes, and be open minded about the whole experience. If baby is happy and healthy and I recover well, I will be the happiest camper going whichever option ends up happening.

 

[bumblebeexo]

They're advising me to go for a csection as despite labour and delivery going well, I had a severe haemorrhage after birth due to a tear high up. My DH had to catch me when I fainted and he said the blood loss was insane. I was in theatre for 3 hours and needed 4 pints of blood and I was on a drip for a few days. They said afterwards that it could have been a very different story and I was very lucky. I'm going for a section because I'm not wanting to risk that again.

 

[MiniBump]

Is there a high chance that will happen again then bumblebee? I thought tearing was unique to each delivery and you could end up with nothing this time round? I'm not sure, having been through a CS, that the risk of tearing alone would convince me to do it unless the Docs were sure it would likely happen again!

18 weeks today and STILL not feeling anything I would say is definitely baby moving! I know I could have an anterior placenta or just might not be able to feel it yet but I'm starting to worry! Anyone else on their second or more and not felt anything at this stage? x

 

[bumblebeexo]

I suppose there is every chance I could have a simple delivery with no tearing but if I was to tear again it could be harder to repair. My other reason is that my local hospital wouldn't take me for a normal delivery after what happened last time, I'd have to go to a bigger hospital on the mainland (I live on an island) 2 weeks before my due date and if I went over by a week like I did with DD it could be nearly a month I was away. There's no way I'd leave DD for a month, and also none of our families could get that much time off to come with us to look after her. It's an overnight boat trip away, or a couple of hours on a plane and it's not cheap! My local hospital will however do a csection for me. The consultant I am seeing is actually from the big hospital on the mainland and he is even advising a csection, so to me it sounds like the safest option. Obviously I know there are major risks with major surgery, but I'm going to have major risks either way!

 

[bumblebeexo]

But it's more the fact I nearly died, had to be on drips and a catheter (I know that will be the case with csection too!) couldn't get out the bed or do anything for days that's pushing me towards a csection, it was a very complex 4th degree tear (that's riiiiight the way through!) that I had. I ended up in hospital overnight when DD was a couple of weeks old with more complications from it too.

 

[bumblebeexo]

Reading that back makes it sound like I'm expecting to just hop out of bed after a csection Haha, I obviously know it'll be no walk in the park either but hopefully less traumatic, for both me and DH!

 

[bubbamadness]

Hello, with my first, I ended up with an emergency C-section due to failure to progress. My son got distressed and his heart rate kept on dropping so I was rushed to theatre. With my 2nd, I elected to have her by C-section as I was told that there was a 30% chance the same thing could happen, and I didn't want to take the risk. My 3rd had to be a section due to already having 2. And now I'm due to have a 4th C-section in Feb. My 2 planned C-sections were lovely experiences and I recovered well from all of them.

My advice is that there are risks with delivery anyway. Have a good read up and research everything and then make a choice that feels right for you. It's your health and happiness and the delivery of your baby so do what is best for you

 

[Megamegan]

bumblebee, I don't blame you for wanting to go that route after such a close call. I think I'd be in the same boat as you. I think for me, it would be the fact that the complications with your first delivery were unexpected and took an emotional toll on everyone. Atleast this time, planning a section, you will pretty much know what to expect. Even though we know both surgery and natural delivery can be dangerous, they can also be relatively simple- everyone has a different experience. Hope this time around is simple and breezy for you!

 

[Feronia]

That's pretty crazy that your hospital won't even let you try for a natural birth. I'm sort of confused at that because you're much more likely to have a post-partum hemorrhage after a c-section than after a vaginal birth and lose more blood. I'm not sure why they're convinced you're likely to tear again, especially since there are things you can do that dramatically decrease your risk, Did you have a forceps or vacuum delivery?

Minibump, I didn't start feeling this baby until closer to 18 weeks! My midwife said that I could have an anterior placenta and baby might be facing my back and kicking where I can't feel. Sometimes if I lie on my stomach for a minute I can feel movement!

 

[MrsPoodle]

Hi ladies, not been on for a while, life is crazy busy... I can't believe how fast it's gone, we're all getting our 20 week scans now! Mine is wednesday at 12.00, hoping everything is ok and of course looking forward to finding out the gender. My daughter won't even entertain the idea that it might be a boy, so that might be interesting, as I'm convinced it will be!

I'm hoping for a VBAC, I had an EMCS with my daughter due to her being in the wrong position and getting stuck, so nothing to do with me or any actual problems with the birth.