Natural birth vs caesarian

sweetpotato

I had a planned c-section for my first (and only) last year and it was the best experience.

Operation on a Tuesday at 10am, up and about walking on the ward by 4:30pm. Home the next day at 2pm couldn't lift anything heavier than baby. Out and about on Friday. Full day walking Christmas shopping the following Tuesday (exactly 1 week).

Washing after 1 week, ironing and driving after 2.

I had a difficult pregnancy plagued with problems so I'm not sure if my mindset helped with a quick recovery but it was the best choice for me and I would do it again tomorrow.

Kynthia

duchy wrote: »

How extraordinary- most of the women I know who had natural delivery don't......including myself.

I've never heard so much scaremongering rubbish in my life !

A birth with no intervention isn't going to cause long term bladder problems for normal woman.

Really the things people come out with on here astound me . To claim every woman who delvers naturally lives a restricted life is completely ridiculous :rotfl:




You apparently have very odd friends !!!

You are wrong.


Obviously not every, or even most, natural labours will result in prolapse and/or incontinence issues. However I personally know of intervention free labours that are resulting in quality of life affecting pelvic floor issues that are leading or have led to specialist physio and corrective surgery. Just google about prolapses and you'll read about the utter despair so many women are in as the surgeries don't always help. Also the effects for many won't be realised until menopause where current weaknesses will be exacerbated by the reduction in hormones.
https://urogyn.coloradowomenshealth.com/patients/library/menopause-prolapse/

This isn't to say I'm pro-elective C-sections over natural births. However I think it's an issue that should be talked about more as those that suffer are too embarrassed to. This silence means that the UK continues not to put assistance in place for those affected and to offer more routine preventative teaching and information. In France and Sweden I believe every women automatically gets proper specialist physio during maternity leave to recover the pelvic floor and it's shocking that many over here can't even find proper help when they ask for it. I won't even tell you what another friend of mine sometimes has to do to help do a number 2!
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/02/postnatal_care_in_france_vagina_exercises_and_video_games.2.html


Just googling now shows that it is estimated between 25% and 50% of women will be affected by prolapse and possibly incontinence issues (the two don't always go hand in hand). It's also estimated 11-19% of women will have had surgery by the time they are 80 years old. So please don't scoff as this is a big issue that affects so many and really more should be done.

GwylimT

duchy wrote: »

How extraordinary- most of the women I know who had natural delivery don't......including myself.

I've never heard so much scaremongering rubbish in my life !

A birth with no intervention isn't going to cause long term bladder problems for normal woman.

Really the things people come out with on here astound me . To claim every woman who delvers naturally lives a restricted life is completely ridiculous :rotfl:




You apparently have very odd friends !!!

So you believe women who suffer injuries due to birth are abnormal? What a lovely person you are.

duchy

GwylimT wrote: »

So you believe women who suffer injuries due to birth are abnormal? What a lovely person you are.

At least I am sensible enough to be able to read a post and understand it. You might want to re-read it and read what I was responding to. -If you want to run around telling pregnant women that all births are ghastly and every woman who gives birth naturally is going to suffer from life long incontinence and lead "restricted lives" - go right on ahead -but expect others to challenge your untruths !

duchy

No I'm not wrong - I'm challenging the post I quoted which said EVERY woman they knew who had a natural birth led restricted lives due to incontinence caused by giving birth naturally. The poster obviously has friends who are all very unlucky (and all prepared to discuss their incontinence or otherwise with them), is making it up or has friends who are all elderly so statistically could suffer incontinence and happen to have had natural births (when elective CS didn't happen and were only done for genuine inability to deliver safely naturally)- but that doesn't mean natural birth was the cause if they are now incontinent in their eighties !! Most elderly people suffer some degree of incontinence.

The fact they think a routine CS means 10 days in hospital does indicate they are of an age to remember when that was the norm !

Kynthia wrote: »

You are wrong.


Obviously not every, or even most, natural labours will result in prolapse and/or incontinence issues. However I personally know of intervention free labours that are resulting in quality of life affecting pelvic floor issues that are leading or have led to specialist physio and corrective surgery. Just google about prolapses and you'll read about the utter despair so many women are in as the surgeries don't always help. Also the effects for many won't be realised until menopause where current weaknesses will be exacerbated by the reduction in hormones.
https://urogyn.coloradowomenshealth.com/patients/library/menopause-prolapse/

This isn't to say I'm pro-elective C-sections over natural births. However I think it's an issue that should be talked about more as those that suffer are too embarrassed to. This silence means that the UK continues not to put assistance in place for those affected and to offer more routine preventative teaching and information. In France and Sweden I believe every women automatically gets proper specialist physio during maternity leave to recover the pelvic floor and it's shocking that many over here can't even find proper help when they ask for it. I won't even tell you what another friend of mine sometimes has to do to help do a number 2!
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/02/postnatal_care_in_france_vagina_exercises_and_video_games.2.html


Just googling now shows that it is estimated between 25% and 50% of women will be affected by prolapse and possibly incontinence issues (the two don't always go hand in hand). It's also estimated 11-19% of women will have had surgery by the time they are 80 years old. So please don't scoff as this is a big issue that affects so many and really more should be done.

duchy

LilElvis wrote: »

I did!

The angry look on my face shut my husband up. I sat on a Tesco carrier bag as my waters had broken.

I doubt the angry look was about the car parking charges at the hospital though (and that's another thread in itself -how expensive that is !!)

I couldn't imagine driving in labour -but needs must I guess sometimes.

Kynthia

duchy wrote: »

No I'm not wrong - I'm challenging the post I quoted which said EVERY woman they knew who had a natural birth led restricted lives due to incontinence caused by giving birth naturally. The poster obviously has friends who are all very unlucky (and all prepared to discuss their incontinence or otherwise with them), is making it up or has friends who are all elderly so statistically could suffer incontinence and happen to have had natural births (when elective CS didn't happen and were only done for genuine inability to deliver safely naturally)- but that doesn't mean natural birth was the cause if they are now incontinent in their eighties !! Most elderly people suffer some degree of incontinence.

The fact they think a routine CS means 10 days in hospital does indicate they are of an age to remember when that was the norm !

You said a birth with no intervention isn't going to cause long term bladder problems for normal woman. You are wrong as it can and does and it's not that rare. As I explained in my post that those experiencing trouble later on in life can still be linked to labour as well as further weakening of the pelvic floor once oestrogen is reduced will exacerbate weaknesses left from labour. However there are other causes too.


Yes challenge if you think someone has said something not true, scaremongering or ridiculous. However scoffing at what is a very common and upsetting medical condition isn't right. It doesn't help people talk about it and seek help. Specialist women's health physios are out there, although they tend to be hospital based, and they can make a great difference so I think it's important people know that too.

http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/pelvic-organ-prolapse

duchy

It won't in most cases ......and I'd challenge your 50% statistic -can you cite a reference for it ?

SOME women will have problems - but most won't and certainly not yhe all suggested by the poster I was quoting.

Pregnant women come in all types - some already have issues with health , fitness levels , weight- some take care of themselves in pregnancy and others can't/don't/wont and these factors can and do make a difference.

I don't think it's a matter of education so much as encouraging women to realize how much they look after themselves before and during pregnancy can and does make a difference to their health post birth . Yes some woman will be unlucky but others it's avoidable and taking exercise, controlling wright, pelvic floor exercise etc etc is a a better option than having genuinely avoidable sugary like an elective C section= which comes with its own risks which people ignore . In my own case my consultant was the only one at my hospital who would have been prepared to let me try trial labour rather than go straight for C section (according to the hospital staff) I appreciated having the choice - and it was a positive outcome for me -I knew if the labour didn't go well I would need one and that was fine - but I'm aware many women don't get that choice-and that s wrong. I was properly informed - and my priorities were safe for baby and recovery as soon as possible in that order. I simply don't believe elective C is the best way as recovery is longer and often more complicated -and many women don't realize the impact of that (and lets not even mention MRSI which is unfortunately a good reson to avoid any elective op nowadays)

More education for women ? I think the education is out there - but getting women to listen might be the issue !

Jagraf

I was equipped with so much information about what was the 'best' way that it completely stressed me out.

Do this, don't do that, advice from other mothers who knew everything. Advice about pregnancy, birth, breast feeding, potty training, types of nappy, weaning, staying at home v returning to work, sleep patterns, night feeding. You name it, the more I researched, the more confused I got.

People's experiences are individual, some of us are great at singing, some of us are tone deaf. Some of us are artistic, some of us don't have a clue. Some of us run marathons, some would definitely struggle.

I struggled with the whole of childbirth (not the pain, just everything about pregnancy, birth and young years). It didn't make me more or less knowledgeable, or a better or worse mother. I really wish I had has the confidence to just do everything my way, it would have been so much less stressful, for me. I think most mothers do know what they want, but feel they have to justify it.

I am much better at maths than pregnancy

Mrshaworth2b

Just want to say thank you to all the ladies that have said about incontinence and prolapse because you have made me squeeze like never before.

Has the op even come back to the bomb that she dropped a few days ago?