Reasons for a section?

[purplerat]

I had a emcs with my son as he was brow presentation (we didn't know until they cut me open), he got distressed, I got stuck at 5 cms dilated after 7 hours established labour, 36 hours labour totally. He was 9 lb 6 at 38 weeks which didn't help him come out (god knows what he would have weighed full term or overdue!) I was induced at 38 weeks due to his size and his suspected kidney problems. His size I have been told now was due to his other condition, hyperinsulinism (the opposite of diabetes).

I have been told I can choose a VBAC this time or an elective and I am torn. This baby looks free of kidney problems and is an average size (unlike his brother who was 95th centile or more at every scan from 20 weeks). I fear this baby will be brow presentation too, or will get stuck or something. Though it was a forced induction before, so maybe if this baby is allowed to come when they are ready it wont be so traumatic. Oh well, I still have 5 weeks to decide!

Hey Missus
I had a brow presentation 9 years ago with my DD, after 12 hours of (inducted) labour I was fully dilated, had episiotomy, forceps the works but in the end the head was just in the wrong position to be born so I had C Section.
I then had my DS 2.5 years later vaginally. The thing about brow presentation is that it's not likely to recur, it's just one of those things that happens on the day. My sons birth, although relatively fast (established labour for 4 hours) was so much easier to recover from and there were no complications like brow presentation. I would advise you to consider VBAC if it is a safe option for you as you will more than likely fly it and feel great after.
I am just after finding out that I have low lying placenta this time round and in the worst case scenario I will be faced with another section. I am slightly gutted but at least this time I'll know in advance and if placenta does not move up I will be able to get my head around it. Hope I've been some help, best of luck with everything (please pray that my placenta moves up in the coming weeks)

Hey,

Thanks for your experience. I would hope it wouldn't reoccur, though both me and my sister were brow presentation, so I don't know if its something that happens in my family? I would very much like to try a VBAC, i just can't shake this fear of the baby getting stuck and distressed. I know that as if I can go naturally its more likely to work than induction. My section was pretty horrific too and I was so dosed up I didn't know everything that was going on.

I hope your placenta moves up soon for you and that you can avoid another section

x

 

[minichicky]

I havent read the whole thread but I had a c-section due to complete failure of induction. No contractions, no dilation at all so he had to come out some how at T+13.
As for feeling a failure mmmmm Its a tricky one for me
I do feel I missed out not experiecing labour, and in those early days of meeting new Mums and sharing birth stories I felt I didnt really 'belong'.
The thing that still bother me today is the conversation that goes like this.
me - oh he was massive 10.7
other person - oh gosh. natural?
me - c-section
Other person - thank god.

I often wonder if I lied and said oh yes natural, I would get wow well done you! Great job etc etc
No one said they were pround of me when I had him except my husband and cant help think people react differently had I had him naturally.
For the record, I relaly wanted a natural waterbirth and no pain relief!

 

[arj]

My Mum had 8 babies all naturally with no tearing, smallest 8lb10 and largest two 11lb (me and sister) and she told me "you'll be fine, just like me. I did it so you can too". I wanted a waterbirth and no pain relief with my 1st. I had all my birth plan written down and I actually ticked boxes like ordering off a menu! At antenatal classes I would tune out when they would start talking about hospital births or pain relief or emergencies, that wasnt gonna be me!

Well what a SHOCK I got! Started at the birthing centre in the dim room in the pool.. Progression SO slow.
36 hour labour, crying, shaking, weeing, pooing, vomiting, fainting, meconium in waters, hospital, epidural, gas,midwife had to leave for another birth, stirrups, monitors, drips, episiotomy, a trainee learning to use forceps, and a whole bunch of stitches to get my swollen bleeding 9lb12oz DD.

I dont think I could have felt any more let down and failed.

And that wasnt even a C section. So I think just because you end up with a C sec is not gonna mean you feel disappointed or a failure, I think some people will and some wont. Regardless on the type of birth. Anything that is not in the 'plan' is sometimes disappointing!

I am finding it hard the most this time round considering a C section cos so many people see it as the 'cheats' way out or the 'easy' road or 'too posh to push' type thing, I am dreading telling people if I get one. But dont want bad things to happen to me or my twins

 

[MYPRINCEssB]

well I had one because of a few reasons and no I dont feel like a failure because I still made my daughter and she is my world but I really wanted to go completly natural. I started to go preterm two times and it was stoped, but was given steroides to develope her lungs incase. I when into labor and things just didnt get anywere contractions were regular but I only dialated to 1cm, well I was younge only 15 and well had to reliy on my mom, which if I could have changed I would my docter was an hour away so I spent the first night at home in labor, the next day we got there and I just hadnt progressed, but I wasnt alowed up, and never asked for pain meds but a ladie cam in and put something in my iv and said it was to let me rest I was just fine, by the time she got back to the door i couldnt lift my head off the bed. well later after i woke up, the doc was in saing that since i want progressing that mabey i should have a section, my mom was telling me that if i didnt we would have to go back home and she just got a new job and couldnt miss any days, so honestly I felt cohorsed into just satisfying everybody else, they never tryed to give me anything to jump start anything else, so the next day I had my section and learned that I had CPD and that my birth canal was just to small for her to come down and my tailbone was bent forward and left a huge bruse on her forhead, my doc advised me to only have sections after that. not to mention her cord was around her neck 3times. so this time at a different hospital they told me they dont even do vbacs, and if i wanted one i had to drive like 2hrs away unless i get there and the baby is right there. I wanted to see what my chances were of natural this time seeing how i was 15 the first time and well being a kid my body might not have been ready to birth a child. so I"m stuck with a nother section but as long as the baby remains healthy i guse I'll be fine, though haveing a baby with no pain meds just feels to me like your right to say hey I"m a woman and I"m one tuff cookie but I'll setle with a healthy and happy baby it took us so long to get him this far I just want him in my arms as safely as i can

 

[clairealfie]

Another brow presentation here and he wasn't coming straight so wasn't pushing onto my cervix properly. That meant after 48hrs I only got to 5cm (was at 5 for ages). I could have hugged them when they said c section as they had warned me they would have to use forceps anyway. During the c section they discovered his size, 10lb 8 so who knows if he'd have got stuck.

I'm not that bothered about the c section, I was so exhausted and laboured for so long I get nothing but sympathy when I tell people. I could understand those who didnt get the chance to labour feel a little bit disappointed, I'm not sure what to do next time.

 

[Dee_H]

I had a horrific labor and delivery...long story short..after 3.5 hours of pushing Rian turned mid way down and got stuck and her heart rate dropped. I ended up having an emergency c-section...it wasn't my choice but my health and my baby's health were the most important thing.

 

[AnonymousMoi]

I wonder why there are so many failure to progress stories, is it because babies are getting bigger?

 

[Srrme]

I had a cesarean section because my son was breech and 5 weeks early. I wanted a natural birth, but it wasn't happening. I didn't feel any failure, and I wasn't really disappointed. As long as my baby was OK I was OK.

 

[tasha41]

I had an emergency c-section for "failure to progress": my water broke, no contractions... induced, no urge to push even when I was at 10cm for over an hour, but we tried 2.5 hours pushing anyway. My heart was racing and my blood pressure was low, I was barely conscious, had vomitted and was in severe shock- not able to even talk anymore. Baby was too high for forceps or vacuum... it was my only option. Turns out her head was too big to fit lol, her dad has a fat head too And I'm quite petite.. next baby would be c-section as well

 

[LaRockera]

I had a scheduled c-section at 38+4 due to low amniotic fluid levels. My baby was still high up so I couldn't be induced either.

Overall, if I had the choice I suppose I would have chosen the vaginal path- only as I wanted my partner to be with me the time of her appearance (husbands are not allowed in c-sections where I am). Although I suspect that stitch recovery can be equally troublesome in both cases.

Interesting thread by the way, thanks.