second guessing caesarean decision

[April2012]

I am all scheduled for my elective caesarean next tuesday. However, I am really scared and not certain I want to go through with it. In my case, there is really no "medical" reason for me to have one. No doctor has told me I couldn't deliver vaginally (this is my first baby, by the way). I guess I tell myself that I am very narrow and small in the hips and the baby is measuring good sized...so maybe i should have one. or i tell myself that so many women end up having emergency c-sections anyway...so maybe i should just plan mine so that I have a safe (or safer) c-section. I just feel no one has really advised me unbiasedly and honestly. The doctors seem to back off from any sort of advice. I realize they probably are somewhat guarded on advising women for or against a caesarean (unless it is clearly merited they need one as in a placental abruption or breech). But I am left confused and scared and alone.

 

[MrsBurton09]

I was induced and ended up as a csection with my first child. I was told my baby was going to be a pretty good size and they wanted to induce me I then came home to get ready and I had fallen so I went on in and they induced me. I had no cervical change after I hit 5 cm dialated bc my daughter had turned her head and made my cervixs swell. Dr didn't give me any options besides a csection and I was so afraid. It is very scarry but they do keep giving you drugs through iv to keep you calm. I was so out of it I didn't rly know what was going on. I am pregnant again with my second baby and I am not doing a csection the afterward pain was so horrible for me. I have a few friends that would do a csection everytime but not me. If there isnt any medical reason to have a csection I would at least attempt a vaginal birth just my opinion. You do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[kimmie_kisses]

I just delivered my first baby by c-section last Monday. I had no choice. I had the beginning stages of pre-eclampsia and my son was breech. If I could do it over again I would hope I could deliver vaginally. I had to wait 4 hours, without food of coarse, before the surgery. I was very nervous since it was my first major surgery, but I tried to just keep breathing and relax. When my husband was brought in to join me I could hardly breath. It felt like the baby was still pushing on the bottom of my lungs and that was horrible. I also started gagging and almost vomited. I was so nervous I honestly didn't want to see my son straight away. That was the worst feeling. I had blood pressure issues even after surgery was over and lots of heavy bleeding. They had to give me some kind of medicine to help slow the bleeding. I should have only spent an hour in recovery, but I spent I think 2 or 3. I was so out of it when I finally made it back to my room and basically didn't get to see my son til the next morning. If I could do it all over again I would pray harder for a vaginal delivery. My vote would be to at least try it first.

 

[jenmc226]

I had to have C-sections with both my children. I very much feel like I missed out on a special experience by not being able to birth vaginally. I wish I could have had a vaginal birth.

 

[Florance]

I delivered my baby via c-section, but I did have a trial of labour before the doctor advised a c-section (I had in my birth plan that I wanted to try delivering naturally but is open to interventions including c-section if there are good medical reasons). I was in labour for quite a while before I had the c-section, and I (thankfully) had no complications from the surgery and recovered from it fairly fast. I was glad that I tried delivering naturally, and at the same time I had no regrets or bad feelings towards having a c-section. My doula said that the contractions the baby experienced during the labour were good for the baby, and at the end the baby and I were healthy and that's all that matters to me. I agreed with MrsBurton09 that you have to do what you are comfortable with. I read up a lot on both vaginal birth and c-section birth, and that really helped me with my decision making as well as making peace with how the birth turned out. I accepted that there are risks involved in delivering a baby no matter how the baby is delivered. I also found it helpful to talk to my medical providers about my fears and worries so that they could better advise me on what to do during labour. I hope you will find the advises and guidance you need too, and good luck with your delivery!