Natural birth vs caesarian

Lily-Rose_3

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I had my first c-section as an emergency (as people have mentioned on here) and my second was a planned section as I broke my neck while pregnant. My consultant still tried to get me to give birth naturally though. Told me i could push while in traction.

But anyways... Although I think you should avoid c-section if you can, I think the outcome for recovery can be more predicable with a c-section. They cut you open, take baby out, stitch you up.

I recovered quicker from my second c-section, but mainly down to my mindset I think. I was driving within 2 weeks.

With a natural birth, some can be simple, some can be horrific, and lots more are in between.

:eek::eek::eek: How did you do that?!

And are you OK now.

I agree with the rest of your post completely. Some good points in there.

Lily-Rose_3

duchy wrote: »

Two weeks is an eternity !!
Most women who deliver naturally are out and about with baby within days not weeks but a normal C section versus a normal vaginal birth will be weeks not days - there will always be exceptions at both ends of the spectrum though.

No it's not! It's an operation for goodness sake! They don't even let you out of the hospital for 8-10 days after a C-section. At least not with the people I have known who've had them.

My point was that a natural birth can take months to recover from, and having a C-section can take just a couple of weeks to recover from.

mich13x

I had an emergency c section for my first child and an elective c section for my second.

My recovery after the emergency one was horrific and I also ended up with an infection that left me barely able to walk. The elective one I recovered better from but I know I couldn't put myself through it again.

If I had the choice I would go for a natural birth.

mich13x

Lily-Rose wrote: »

No it's not! It's an operation for goodness sake! They don't even let you out of the hospital for 8-10 days after a C-section. At least not with the people I have known who've had them.

My point was that a natural birth can take months to recover from, and a C-section can take just a couple of weeks.

There always has someone who gives a pedantic response.

I was discharged two days after my first and one day after my second. A lot of the recovery is at home which is not as easy as it sounds as if, like me, you feel the need to carry on with your daily activities it can be very difficult as there is obviously still a lot of pain.

Lily-Rose_3

I hope you're OK now Mich xxx

Sounds very much like they released you from hospital way too soon...

They should have kept you in for at LEAST a week after an emergency C-section.

Sunshine62

Lily-Rose wrote: »

No it's not! It's an operation for goodness sake! They don't even let you out of the hospital for 8-10 days after a C-section. At least not with the people I have known who've had them.

8 - 10 days ? Not in my experience, they want you out as soon as possible - 17 and 16 years ago, emergency with the first (dysfunctional labour emergency at 23 hours) discharged on the 4th day, elective with the second, discharge on the 3rd day. With the first they said I couldn't drive for 6 weeks, 15 months later they said 3 weeks! Recovery was pretty quick but you do need help, after OH went back to work, my sister came over almost daily for the 3rd-6th weeks with the first and less so with the second.

benrben

Congratulations!
I had my first child 23+ yrs ago, was in labour for 36 hrs, had to have a forceps delivery & tore so badly (despite being cut) that it took months to heal & had to have a further 2 ops over the years. The whole experience put me off having any more planned pregnancies.
16 yrs later I found myself pregnant again (unplanned implant baby), I was beside myself with fear, was offered a cs by my consultant due to the previous complications, but after talking to others inc midwives, I decided to go for a natural birth. All I can say is, what a mistake, I was induced early, took 5 days to go into labour, which then escalated rapidly, my placenta abrupted & my daughter was born in the lift going down to the delivery suite. I tore again so badly, lost lots of blood & nearly my daughter. I was traumatised so badly that I had to see the consultant/midwives for some counselling 6 weeks after.
So when I found myself pregnant again (pill failure) I opted for the c-section that I was offered, I was due to go in at 38 weeks for it, but a midwife accidently broke my waters at 36 weeks, so had to have an emergency c-section, had that done at 3pm one day, was out at 1pm the next, shopping 2 days later & recovered far better than after the previous 2 births.
I think everyone is different, but from my experience in the NHS (albeit a different branch of medicine), consultants don't usually offer what is after all quite major surgery lightly.
Hope whatever decision you make is the right one for you in your circumstances. Good luck & all the best.

Just_a_Girl_2

I worked in a colorectal surgery clinic for years and the most common problem we had in elderly ladies was faecal incontinence caused by damage to the nerves around the sphincter muscle.

The surgeon said this was always caused by natural childbirth, especially if forceps had been used or the lady had been given an episiotomy.

One lady was accompanied by her daughter, who happened to be pregnant at the time and she was horrified by this. She said she would prefer a caesarean but wouldn't be allowed one.

The surgeon replied to this to say that she should ask for something in writing from the midwife team saying they will take full responsibility for any damage to the perineum and nerves during the birth. Apparently no midwife will ever guarantee this because damage is so common.

The girl returned 6 months later with her mum for a follow up appointment, baby in her pram, and was happy that following the surgeon's advice, she had been granted her caesarean.

pollypenny

Long labour, left alone, back to back baby, end result was forceps delivery and a third-degree tear. I don't think a caesarean could possibly be worse.

Second baby - huge preventative episiotomy.

That was 40 years ago. The daughter of a friend was told in no uncertain terms to have a caesarean for her second.

pollypenny

Just_a_Girl wrote: »

I worked in a colorectal surgery clinic for years and the most common problem we had in elderly ladies was faecal incontinence caused by damage to the nerves around the sphincter muscle.

The surgeon said this was always caused by natural childbirth, especially if forceps had been used or the lady had been given an episiotomy.

One lady was accompanied by her daughter, who happened to be pregnant at the time and she was horrified by this. She said she would prefer a caesarean but wouldn't be allowed one.

The surgeon replied to this to say that she should ask for something in writing from the midwife team saying they will take full responsibility for any damage to the perineum and nerves during the birth. Apparently no midwife will ever guarantee this because damage is so common.

The girl returned 6 months later with her mum for a follow up appointment, baby in her pram, and was happy that following the surgeon's advice, she had been granted her caesarean.

Thank you. This is the great unspoken about!

My hysterectomy in 2012 was also to repair both bladder and bowel.