pregnancy after casaerean and fertility question........

poppyscorner

Hi All,

I had my little boy 16th March by emergency section I now feel healed although I will accept that I am probably not.
My obstetric history isnt simple first baby a girl was stillborn at 31wks feb 2002 second preg a boy born feb 2003 fighting fit and term both of these were natural deliveries.
My question is how long do I have to wait before becoming pregnant again not that I want to immediately but my m/w suggested I wait at least 2 yrs which seems far too long for me. I am not stupid and wont disgard her advice immediately but had I given birth naturally this time I would have tried again alot sooner than that prob this Oct/Nov time I still feel terribly broody despite having a 3wk old baby in the house. I really want to have a daughter and whilst there are no guarantees I will get one I would still like to try. Another reason for trying again sooner is age gapI feel like the gap is too big between my eldest and my baby but waited that long as we got married and had a few hols abroad and also dh is 31 now and feels like he doesnt want to be that much older when we have another I am 24 so I don't feel like that but I do take his feelings on board.
My second question is fertility might be a silly question but is it possible to only be fertile at certain times of the year as you can see above all my children have been born around the same time and I just wondered about this lol any advice/responses appreciated

Thanks Amanda (sorry for the long post);)

nearlyrich

I had 2 cs deliveries about 18 months apart but I wasn't told not to get PG before 2 years, maybe there are other considerations that you should chat with your MW about ( By the way my two are 21 and almost 20 now).

Alikay

I had 3 C sections and had gaps of 2 years then 3 years between births, and I was fine. A friend had her 2nd baby (by c section) 20 months after her previous c section, but she suffered a ruptured uterus. Luckily she was rushed into hospital and taken to theatre immediately so both her and her little girl were fine. Could have been tragic if hospital hadn't had a theatre free, of anything else had happened to delay it.
Since you already have 2 children and are just 24, why don't you leave it 2 or 3 years anyway? Children are hard work and its nice to have a bit of time to enjoy them before going back to the sleepless nights etc of another baby. I think the doctors advise 2 year gaps between CS for all sorts of reasons, not just a healed uterus.

shell2001

Hi, I had an emergency c-section with DD1 and then we decided to start trying for the next baby when she was 8 months. Got lucky first month so 18 months between my too. I really wanted a natural delivery and they checked my scar as I got bigger and was told not a problem but would not be given as long to start off naturally. The longest my local hospital would give me was 7 days over due date (DD1 was 13 days late!!) but we moved 2 weeks before my due date and they gave me 10 days. BUT they would not induce me as I had no signs of starting so had to go for another section!

The second one seemed to take me longer to get over. After DD1 I had no pain killers after surgery, with DD2 everything felt a lot more painful but then it did seem to take them longer to stitch me up. Also my stitches came loose and I ended up with a hole which took 6 months to heal.

I would check with your midwife but dont forget your hormones are all over the place at the mo.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Claudie

Congrats on the new addition

I would think it all depends on your personal health; perhaps you could discuss it with your GP? A friend of mine has 4 children aged 2 - 6 and they were all c sections but I know she met with a consultant before the last one.

thriftlady_2

I had 3 elective c-sections. First 2 18 months apart and 3rd 3 yrs later. I was never told that I should wait before conceiving again.

My first 2 (boys) were both breech and I had pre-eclampsia with the first. My 3rd, a girl was the right way round, and I was keen to try for a natural delivery (don't know why :rolleyes: ). I was strongly advised against it though because of the 2 previous sections - ruptured uterus and death were mentioned :eek: so i had a section. 7 years later, I couldn't care less how they were all delivered. I did however, have an incisional hernia after my Dd was born presumably due to the repeated incisions into my abdomen. That was fixed a year after dd was born.

On the fertility question, I'm pretty sure your fertility doesn't vary through the year, just through your cycle - mid-cycle is when you ovulate

Good luck

Chunters_a_lot

1st C Section (emergency) - 28 Jan 2002
2nd C Section (planned) - 29 Jan 2004

I was not advised to wait 2 years - it just happened like that. I would question your midwife further as why she is recommending 2 years. I really don't know any friends or family who have been told to wait that long before trying again after a c section.

Although my dates would indicate otherwise I did not concieve at the same time of year - my twins were 8 weeks preemie. I don't know whether or not we are more fertile at different times of the year.

Congrats on your baby boy, btw:T

mrcow

I was told to wait two years after my section too.

It's not really a question of how you feel in yourself, but about how strong the uterus is around the wound of your scar. During a subsequent pregnancy and labour, the scar will be under a lot of pressure and it can even rupture, putting your life and that of your baby's at risk.

If you are thinking of planning a pregnancy before your scar has had proper time to heal, then you should really be speaking to your doctor beforehand and so you are completely aware of all the potential risks/complications.

Take care.

super41

Congrats on new baby and feeling so well so soon after a CS. Must admit 10 mths after having one I still don't feel 100% but it could be my age as I'm early 40s. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I feel you are worrying about something in the future when I feel you should be just enjoying the new addition to your family rather than hankering after another baby already. Someone mentioned hormomes and lets face it they're rife around pregnanacy and birth so they may not be helping!
You are still very young and plenty of time to add to your family. Also at the grand old age of 31 your partner is too! Don't worry too much about the age gap either, it's not much. And don't listen to what other people say if they say otherwise. There are nearly 5 years between my two, and although this was not intentional, just the ways things turned out, so far it has been great. My DD is at school and I've enjoyed special time at home with the baby. She is not jealous of him because we have involved her and is eager to help.
I would chat to your GP/midwife/Health Visitor about the 2 year wait, there may be good reasons, but as I said earlier concentrate on new baby and yourself!

smitty2702

Hi was told wait at least 3 months but if possible a year. at a year I still didnt feel ready and I was about 18 months when i started trying again

Claire

Justie

I think it just limits your options if you get pregnant early after a section.

You don't need to worry too much about being old though... I'll be 34 and OH 38 when we have our first