The Imperfect Community

[Scout]

re: C-section on demand
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/cdbpm/pp/cesarean_delivery.htm

[DietCokeHead]

I am not sure how I feel about this topic! I am all about a woman having the right to choose what happens to her body though, in most cases. I just don't understand why someone would choose a surgery over a vag birth for convenience sake???

[Scout]

Yeah, my big concern about it is truly informed consent. I don't think a lot of these women have enough information about the real risks of complications and even death. Not that C-section=death or anything, but maternal death rates from complications of the surgery are definitely higher than those for women giving birth vaginally. I dunno--I look at women like Denise Richards and dumbass Brittney (however you spell it) and just wonder WHY would they choose all that hard recovery and possibility of problems when they could have had a chance to be up and walking around an hour after a medicated, pain-free vaginal birth? It just doesn't make any sense to me.

[Petulant Pixie]

I can't really understand it either. I've had three c-sections. I did elect the one with Katie as a repeat, but then it became necessary anyway since she was breech. But, that was a heavy decision (at the time in the pregnancy it was still considered my choice). From what I understand, if the baby is full term and the tests have been done to be sure of its lung development, then a c-section actually poses fewer risks to the baby than a vaginal delivery. The problems with a c-section arise when the dates might be off, or they're done too early and the baby's lungs aren't fully developed (since the contractions help to stimulate lung movement and passing through the birth canal flushes out the lungs and throat, and that doesn't happen in a c-section). That's why *I* chose a repeat c-section. After the nightmare of Alex's birth, *I* felt that if I tried to labor and anything happened to Katie, I couldn't live with myself. I felt that any risks to me were worth it as long as the baby would be all right. I don't know if that's why others are choosing c-sections though.

[Scout]

Well, I think repeat C-sections are a whole different category, too. These days it's hard to even find a doctor willing to do VBAC in some areas. I think this is more about women choosing the surgery when there are no medical indications that it will be safer than vaginal.

Speaking of which--this is the kind of thing that pisses me off about doctors and what our relationship with them has turned into. I know someone just very casually who just had her second section this week. She really wanted to go for VBAC, which I can understand. her doctor was really pressuring her to schedule the surgery at like 36 and 37 weeks, or at least get induced, because the baby was "so big. And she was telling her she really wanted her to do the surgery because her scar could rupture. The woman wasn't really taking this seriously, because she had read a lot about VBAC and just felt like the OB was trying to scare her because she doesn't like to do VBAC. So, in the course of her debating what to do and asking people what they would do, etc, I said something about how as far as I knew, the risk for rupture was greater if you had a single layer closure the first time, or if because of the single closure, you had placenta accreta. So she was like "Oh, I did have that. I was on bed rest and bleeding from partial placenta previa, and they said the placenta was covering my uterus or something?" Ok, placenta accreta is extremely serious, you are very likely to end up with an emergency hysterectomy because of it, because the placenta is all grown into the wall of the uterine muscle and can't detatch. And she didn't even really know if she had it or not, she thought she did but now she didn't (not possible), and her OB hadn't even discussed it with her as a reason to opt for the surgery over VBAC. I mean, that's not like a widely known thing, and I think her OB should have given her a lot more information. I just don't understand why our doctors don't want us to have information. It has put us, IMO, in the position of not feeling like we can trust them like we should be able to.

[momtofour]

[Scout]

I know, it does sound bad. But in this case, it actually seemed to me that she was just basically dismissing what the doctor told her, because she felt like the doctor was just trying to scare her from getting the VBAC. I think she had the previa, and she understood pretty much what that was, but the accreta part didn't really register as being a separate thing or something? I don't really know. It just seems like "You could lose your uterus and possibly bleed to death during the birth" should have come up, KWIM?

[Petulant Pixie]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but so far (knock on wood), I've been very lucky with my OB's. Of course I change doctors if I don't like the way they look at me, lol, so it could be that I've just sought out good doctors.

The first doctor I had with Katie was totally pressuring me into a VBAC. I was scared to death of labor, because of what happened with Alex and she just totally dismissed me. She wouldn't even acknowledge WHY I was afraid, she just said, "Oh, if it's the pain you're worried about, we have lots of drugs for that." I was like, uh, no c-sections have a lot more pain, it's the baby DYING that I'm afraid of! When I changed at 20 weeks, the new doctor was kind of too much of a realist, totally spelling out every damn thing that could go wrong either way. He was truthful, there were a lot of things that could go wrong in a VBAC or a c-section, but after talking with him and doing my own research I came to the conlcusion that with careful monitoring, the c-section would have better odds for the baby and that's what I chose (but like I said the choice was null anyway, since she was breech).

Then this last pg with Liz, the doctor was very well informed on everything. When I had the knee problem, I had to talk to one of her partners and that doctor told me to take 3 ibuprofin once, only ONCE for the pain. I did. But, then when I was able to hobble down here to the computer and look it up, I freaked! Taking ibuprofin that late in the pregnancy can cause some heart valve to close. They actually use ibuprofin therapeutically in preemies to get that thing to close. But, it isn't supposed to close before the baby is born (I can't remember what it is now). Anyway, I was really worried, but I felt Liz moving and I figured if the dose would have killed her it would have done it pretty quickly. I asked my OB about it at the next visit and she said that it was true--but, you have to take 3 consecutive doses of 600 mg for it to happen, so her partner was right in telling me to just take the 600 mg ONCE. I felt that I deserved to know the risks before taking the meds though, and my OB agreed. She would have told me the risks (just as she did about the antibiotics I needed for the UTI's and the insulin I had to take for the diabetes and the pros and cons of steriliziation, which I chose NOT to do because of her info). So, there are good doctors out there. I like mine, but I don't like her office, lol. You just can't win them all!

[Scout]

I think I'm just jaded at this point, because I don't really depend on or trust a doctor to tell me anything. I feel like I have to be totally responsible for getting information. I choose doctors who will respect the fact that I can read, and be honest with me when I ask them questions or tell them what I'm thinking based on what I've read. For example, here, they automatically do IV antibiotics if you have every tested positive for group B strep, een if it was years before. When I was pg with Somerset, I read that in many other regions, antibiotics are only used if risk factors arise, such as prolonged rupture of membranes (I think it was 18 hours), maternal fever, etc. and even then the chance of transmission is less than one percent. I also read that there is basically no evidence that the antibiotics are effective in preventing transmission of the bacteria, and that most cases are believed to be transmitted after the actual birth. I told my doctor what I had read and she confirmed that it was all correct. So I said based on that, I wanted to decline the antibiotics unless risk factors emerged. She agreed that this was reasonable. I asked her why, then, do they routinely give the meds and seh said "Because we don't want to be sued." Which was pretty much what I figured.

[Sewingsiren]

[supergirl]

I don't think the person being referenced above really had any clue what the deal was.... I believe she had a lot of serious complications during her first pregnancy and was told that it would be dangerous for her to be pregnant again. She tricked her husband into the whole pregnancy, and she was determined to do whatever the hell she wanted the whole way through. She dismissed her bedrest orders quite a bit during the course of the pregnancy. I don't think she listened carefully and/or did very much research on the subject. If it were me, learning everything I could about it would have been top priority.

[Scout]

Ah, interesting! And she ended up with the C-section anyway.

[kristin]

I never even considered an epidural, and I had two beautiful natural childbirths. Had I known they would go so smoothly I would have had them at home. Everything inside of me told me that I was perfectly, instictually, capable of labor. It was agonizing and the most empowering thing I could ever imagine doing. I know I sound annoying as hell right now, but I think every woman should give themselves and their bodies a chance to do as she was intended to do. Besides the agony of childbirth is great preperation for the pains of parenting. I invite you all to read my article on natural childbirth for a better, less annoying (I hope) interpretation of my experiences.

http://www.helium.com/items/922192-should-you-have-an-epidural-or-natural-childbirth

[Jessica]

[Stacey S]

I also did natural childbirth…not because I think I was being a better parent then someone who chose other options…I was scared as hell of the idea of them putting a catheter in my back!
You know what???? It sucked…the whole thing sucked…it sucked from the very beginning all the way up to the very end (23 hours and 42 minutes later!) As a matter of fact it sucked so bad I never did it again!
If I had done it again I TOTALLY would have gone with the epidural. I might have actually ENJOYED the experience of brining my child into the world verses going deaf, dumb,blind & mute trying to find my “happy place”.
It’s a whole different experience for every single woman & every single child, so it’s silly to compare one experience to another. I find this topic to be such a cause of strife between women because it always evokes WAY too much emotion. We’re all moms…who gives a shit how it came to be….our kids are here, end of story!