Natural or C-Sec?

Shame Sarahhs!! It must have been a tough one!! A week after my c-section I was fine!! Was not an emergency though. Hope your experience will be better next time round!!

sarahhs wrote: Trying to sit still for the epidral whilst having contractions was not easy!

While I was in labour with my second (first was a c section), during the transitional phase, my gynea asked if I still wanted to continue or have a c section.

I knew I did not want the c section then, I could not imagine being wheeled to the theatre, and prepped for an operation with those contractions! Trying to remain still made them so much worse!

I think natural birth is best for you and baby, because its what our bodies are made for... But, in the same breath, sometimes nature takes a different course and thats why you have to trust your gynae to do what is best for mom & bub.

When i was pregnant, i had my heart set on natural birth. At each scan, the gynae told me that everything looked great for natural. And so, my birth plan revolved around giving birth as naturally as possible.

Due to medical reasons, I had to be induced at 38 weeks and was in labour for 11 hours. At 5cm dialated, my water had broken and the contractions were going great and i had bo pain killers. After about 30 mins, i was at 6cm dialated and thats where things went wrong. Contractions started getting very irregular and baby was in distress and not decsending any further...
I was rushed in for an emergency c-section which was incredbally terrifying. Trying to sit still for the epidral whilst having contractions was not easy!

When they got bub out, her umbilical cord was so short, she couldnt come down through the birth canal without ripping somwthing inside of me.

My recovery was incredibly tough, and 6 months down the line i still have pain if I put pressure on my lower tummy...

I've leant that verything happens for a reason, and as long as your decisions have baba's best interests at heart, no matter what happens, it was the right decision.

Thanks Mama2B same to you!!

True nothing is in our hands, but in the trustworthy hands of our Savior!!

And...if you end up having a C-sec, it really is not that bad!!!

Thanks for all the feedback ladies, so interesting to see everyone's opinions and hear all of your experiences!

I absolutely agree that anything can happen and that I should be prepared for it but I think for me personally if I can avoid a c-sec I would like to but at the end of the day it's not my hands and I just have to trust that the good Lord knows what he's doing

May you all have a very blessed weekend and no morning sickness, healthy cravings and hopefully a bit of sunshine to make you smile

Xxx

Hi 2Boys

Thanks for that info, I agree with you 100%. Keep an open mind. Either c-sec or natural can happen!!!!

Hi Ladies

It's great to read about everyone's experiences and opinions. We are trying for a third (have two boys aged 9 and 6 yrs) and I'm also already considering the birth process.....

My boys were both 'natural' births in hospital, 'natural' because the process was very medically managed from start to finish - with inductions, epidurals etc. I was young, and too naive really, to take control of the process myself. The birth experiences were 'fine' but I don't want to do it that way again - I want more control over my birth if natural, or I want to make the decision myself if a C-Sec is suggested, for the right reasons.

The boys were 3.6 and 3.9kg respectively, and I was very fortunate to push them both out with no cuts or tears, and recovered very quickly. My sister was not so lucky however and I've watched her suffer through major tearing during the vaginal birth of her son. It was traumatic and resulted in physical and emotional scarring that took a very long time to heal. She had no way of knowing this would happen prior to the birth. I don't mean to put anyone off natural birth, it's just what happened. There are scary C-Sec stories too.

So I'm nervous either way! I think it is probably best to keep an open mind, and not have fixed ideas as you get closer to your due date. If you are able to choose, choose for yourself and not for anyone else. It's your body and your mind - shaped by millions of individual experiences. If you truly believe that your choice is the best one for both yourself and your baby at the time then you should not have regrets. Don't choose based on what other people may say or think.

Remember the overall goal of birth - healthy baby and healthy mom.