Ceaser the second time around

Hi Everyone

I am 26 weeks pregnant with my second child and am due to give birth early March 2005. I had to have an emergency ceaser with my first baby due to complications which may or may not be present this time around. I won't know until I am 36 weeks whether or not I will have to have a ceaser or not. At this stage it is optional for me to have another ceaser or try for a vaginal delivery. I was wanting to hear from other mums out there who had a repeat ceaser electively and the reasons for their decision.

The midwife at the hospital told me that whilst the midwives advocate trying for a vaginal birth after a ceaser, once women have seen the obstetricians at the hospital they opt for a ceaser due to the risks involved in a VBAC.

Would love to hear from anyone about this!

Thanks
Kristi

hi i have had 3 vaginal deliveries and my last baby was an emergancy delivery. i am now due to have my 5th baby in april and although i will try to have a normal vaginal delivery i will more then likely have to have another c section. when i went to see my obgyn a few weeks ago i quizzed him for an hour about every possable this related to both out comes. and he said to me that because i have had only 1 c section that medicly speaking it would be better to have this one naturally if i can because after 2 c sections you no longer have a choice anymore babies after this will have to be c sections and the risks of haveing a vaginal delivery after 1 is not that great as long as you are monitored. it is a lot less painfull too

I had a c/s the second time. (first one due to placenta praevia, diagnosed at 41 weeks!) Basically it was a mutual decision between myself and obstet, I was scared of the risks. Most people don't understand this - they don't think about the scar across your uterus and what might happen.

However, for my third I did not want to go through the whole thing again. I found the whole experience just awful and quite scary, and with 2 littlies already I knew I couldn't afford the long recovery time. So, I myself an ob/gyn who would support me to go for a VBAC and I did! (so nat78, you CAN have a natural delivery after 2 c/s, though it's not encouraged due the potential problems and obstetricians just don't want to take the risk either)

For me the recovery was just as intense the first week, but 4 weeks later I feel pretty good (I think it took 6 months to reach this stage after the c/s) Plus my breastfeeding experience has been great, I found my milk came in much earlier this time and the afterbirth pains were minimal.

did you find that a natural birth after a ceaser the same as before haveing one or was it more painfull from the scar and internal damage?
and did you find the labur more intence?

I had 2 ceasers so don't know if the natural one was more intense. I was induced at 41 weeks and put on the drip so yes, I think the labour was intense. (an epidural halfway through fixed that! lol)

The recovery from both was pretty much the same - just awful for the first 3 days (with pain in different regions). Actually I think I was on pain relief after the c/s so felt less of the recovery pain whilst in hospital. However, this time, 5 weeks later and I feel pretty good and almost "normal". I think it takes about a year to feel good/normal after a c/s.

It certainly sounds like your c-sections were pretty bad (recovery-wise I mean). A year is an awfully long time to feel normal again after a c/s. Were you happy with the medical team & hospital looking after you? Did you have any major problems after the c/s? I'm hoping to have a vaginal delivery with my second due Feb 12 '05 after having a c/s due to breech baby in Sep '02. The first day after c/s was the worst and each day got better and better, so that on day 5 when I left the hospital I felt pretty good. I'm hoping to have a v/b as speaking to several friends recently, many of them have been up and showering within a couple of hours after giving birth. This would be fantastic considering I have a toddler as well. Here's hoping!

No, both my ceasers were good, with no complications. I don't count recovery as being able to get up and walk around etc, but actually feeling "right" again. I clearly remember someone asking me around the 6 month mark how I felt and I said "good" and it was the first time I meant it. I'd thought I felt good prior to that but there was a general weakness in my body that took ages to go away. part of this was probably associated with giving birth, rather than specifically the surgery.

6 weeks after my natural delivery I still don't feel 100% - having 2 other children doesn't help though!! I'm going to accupuncture and taking herbs etc to help me feel "right", it's working really well.

my 1st birth was an emergncy section then the next 2 elective sections i was going to have a vbac the 2nd time but had placenta previa& accreta so that idea went out the window! after i had my2nd son the doc said to me that people can have 2 cesars and the 3rd vaginally but not me as my uterus was too thin to risk a rupture. on the flip side several friends have had subsequent vbacs with no hassles. go with the advice of of the doc, i said to my doc you hsve delivered more babies than me! than me i will do waht you think is the best for me and the bub

Good advice! Your doctor, NOT other women and their "natural is better" opinion, is the person to listen to. I know some doctors will push for a c/s for a variety of reasons (some selfish, some cautious), but at the end of the day your babies life and your own are your first consideration.

Nat, in reply to your message,
I had a c-section first time round due to a breech baby. i'm now 38 weeks and going to try for a VBAC.
at a recent ante natal appointment, my doctor told me i may have to have another c-section, because baby is small and something else.. but when i told her how i felt, she told me not to worry... when i asked why, she explained to me that she had just been in the same room as a lady who had 8 c-sections...
it was my belief that they cut in a different area all the time, but i have been told it depends on where the incision was made...
but some women have had 3 c-sections and then had a VBAC the fourth time.. it can happen. depends on what hospital you go to, and what the doctors methods are...

thanks that is good to know. wow 8 ceasers that is one tough woman to be able to handle that much pain. well i am still hopeing to have a vbac but i know that it is unlikely as everyones situations are differant and their bodys do differant things but i am hopefull and i won't be too disapointed if it doesn't work out the way i want because the obgyn that will be doing the ceaser if it comes to that is very good at his job and is also compationate so i know that we are both in good hands.
but thanks for your reasurance

Good luck either way!
I think you are right about everyone's body being different. I have never gone into labour spontaneously (2 babies born at 41 weeks), I wonder if my body needs the push into labour. A bit like how some women are "natural" breastfeeders and have buckets of milk, others are more normal/average, some have to work at it and a small percentage just can't make it work. We're all different (and SPECIAL!!) in our own way, and if you are in tune with your body you'll know you did your best.