C-Section or Vaginal??? I can't decide. Please help.?

I need help and advice.





I'm a 27 year old SINGLE mum who is 30 weeks pregnant. Last time, I had a vaginal which went on for days, failed ventouse, forceps eventually. For weeks and weeks after I was in agony and could barely move, my partner did everything for me, but even laying down was hell. I had severe post natal depression, didn't bond with the baby and suffered post traumatic stress from the birth.


This time, I had planned a c-section all along, but now people are telling me it is even worse than a vaginal.


I'm also really overweight now due to horrendous weight gain in pregnancy so Im scared how long it will take to look even half decent after either type of birth.





Help :(





Any advice greatly appreciated. x

C-Section or Vaginal??? I can't decide. Please help.?
i ended up having an emergency c-section after 3 hours of pushing with no sucess. the next day i hurt so bad i couldnt move. sneezing, coughing, laughing all hurt real bad too. i would recommend going vaginally. im not allowed to exercise or lift anything heavier than the baby until my 6 week check up, which sucks cuz i want to do some situps!!
Reply:I have had 2 c-sections and recovered quickly after both of them, second one less than 48 hrs in hospital, then out and about as normal. Yes it takes a while to heal the scar and get full feeling back in that area but I certainly was not laid up in bed for weeks as some have suggested. Maybe it all depends on your pain threshold, and if yours is very low then natural is probably the way to go. As for the scarring it is below where your pants sit so unlikely to cause you any worries in the future unless you plan on becoming a naked model! :) Please make sure your friends and family are aware of your past problems with post natal depression as you are more likely to suffer again than someone who has never had PND. One of the hardest things is being able to admit there is a problem and ask for help, if they know they can look out for the signs and make sure you get help and support.


Talk everything over with your midwife who will help you come to the right birthing decision for you.


Good Luck!
Reply:You don't get a choice unless the doctor finds it necessary. Your second child won't be as bad as the first, each pregnancy is very different. Having my first child I had a hard time like you ended, back in the hospital for 10 days with an infection. However my second child no problems at all. It was night and day.
Reply:Every pregnancy/labor/delivery is different. With that said, just because you had a rough delivery last time doesn't mean it will terrible this time.





Your vagina was built for childbirth, so it is usually the safest way. C-sections are major surgeries, and carry all the risks of a major surgery. The healing process is also much longer for a C-section than a vaginal delivery.





You can always try for a vaginal and then switch to a C-section if things get bad...the C-section is intended for an emergency like this after all.





Talk it over with your doctor and really explain your concerns and what you have heard about both. Hopefully with your doctor's help you'll be able to make the best choice for YOU.
Reply:c section is not worse than vaginal i have delivered both ways i was in labor with my daughter for 33 and a half hours she was vaginal i thonk it is worse to have vaginal because aftewr you have a c section u get meds to help with the soreness
Reply:with a csection its so much harder to lose the wieght that you gained through out the pregnancy i had a cesecion and no matter what i tried to do to lose the wieght nothing happened doc told me it was because i had a csection and that it was a lot harder to lose wieght although you still can its just really hard to do, but just because you had a horrible experience vaginal doesnt mean that is what caused you to have post partem depression that is something that just happens to alot of of girls and a csection is alot of pain after wards as well, if you are able to have a vaginal i recommend you doing it that way, im pregnant with my second and would like to have a vaginal birth but now i am scared to because there are so many problems with having vaginal after csection that i really really dont want to experience and wish i didnt have a csection the first time although it was emergancy i just wish i never had it i have this horrible scar under my belly i cant stand and my stomach hangs over it, it looks absolutly horrible! good luck!
Reply:A caesarian section for vanity reasons is not a good reason to do so. It is still surgery and would likely involve more risk, in most cases, than the natural way. If it is medically required would be the only case which I would recommend one. In short, this is best discussed with your ob gyn.
Reply:Sorry, this is a decision for you and your doctor!
Reply:If you wait long enough you will get your answer naturally.


And your bikini line will be intact. Do you really want that big scare. They take your guts out and lay them on a table. You can get the Va J J reconstructed later. What do the baby's daddy say? Knocking boots later may be what you are really thinking about. I thank wiff the natural way you will have less problems. You also need to ask your midwife, nurse or doctor particularly if it is a big baby. I think the professional can give you the finer details on what is right or wrong with your choices. May you and your baby be blessed.
Reply:I had a normal delivery, my sister in law had 2 c sections. I know it takes like 6-8 weeks to heal from c section. I would recommend vaginal, have your dr. snip down their instead of letting it rip while your having baby.








best of luck which ever you decide. Have you talked with dr. about it yet? they might know.
Reply:Ummm.. ya I think you'd be better off listening to your OB/GYN than us schleps on Yahoo. Good luck.
Reply:c sections should only be used for emergencies. nowadays studies continue to show much better health outcomes with vaginal vs c-section. Even though in the case where there's a normal wt gain pregnancy and very healthy mom a c-section may heal quickly, your situation is complicated by being very overweight and possible having other negative health factors. It sounds like it will be much more difficult to handle a c-section. With surgery you have to worry about the wound healing and possibly getting infected (which is a very big deal) afterwards. The extra fat that might be around your belly due to your weight gain could make it really difficult to care for your wound properly. make sure to discuss with your doctor what you can possibly do in the meantime to help optimize your health in the coming weeks and to improve the chances of a healthy delivery. The postnatal depression and post traumatic stress as you put it, aren't going to be better just because you have a c-section rather than vaginal delivery but those are things you should also discuss with your doctor.
Reply:Go for the c-section, they are able to schedule that procedure and the scar is minimal, my wife had one 2 years ago and will have one in 2 months, she was in labor for 2 days and then they did the c-section, this time we are not playing around and they are just doing it. The c-section should not affect how you look after the baby is born, excersie and diet will effect that.
Reply:Well, I've had both vaginal and C-section, and my c-section doesn't sound nearly as bad as the vaginal delivery you described! Yes, C-section recovery hurts badly, but that's what pain pills are for. And it does take a while for the stomach muscles to get back in shape after a c-section. But it was manageable.





The important question is, what does your doctor think is the best thing for you and the baby, especially considering the weight gain? Your life and health and the baby's are what counts. Best wishes to you for a safe and easy delivery.
Reply:I gather your pre experiences were your first, which can be traumatic. My daughter said she wasn't having anymore, after the first.


I think you should seriously consider a normal vaginal birth, unless your doctor tells you differently. Spinal taps can also reduce the pain for you, just talk with your doctor about it and see what they think about this. Just don't just your first experience with the next, they are not the same. Good luck!
Reply:C-section is worse than vaginal. It sounds like you was unlikely with #1 but honestly, it doesn't mean it will happen again. Recovery time with c-section is quite long. Your stuck in bed for a while after and moving around is painful (even with the painkillers they give you) recovery time after a vaginal delivery is quick. I was up and about half an hour after the birth (albeit a little sore) but that goes quickly.





Also, maybe a lot of people have said this but second and subsequent babies usually arrive a lot faster than first babies. I know my second was labour to out in about 2 hours, maybe less!





Good luck with whatever you decide to choose.


-Lisa
Reply:I had a c-section with my 1st baby due to fetal distress. I had to fight tooth and nail to get a vaginal birth this time.





Your experience was extremely negative. Why didn't they give you pitocin or something to speed you along? I do understand why you are considering a c. However, being very overweight complicates the surgery, healing and recovery. I see why you considered the c-section, but personally I would go for vaginal.
Reply:The first birth is always worse but you should talk to your Dr and see what is the percentage of this being a easy vaginal birth. Personal I'd recommend vaginal. I've never had a c-section but I had two friends that had babies a week before me and were still in pain after I was done a healed. They also didn't loose the weight as fast as I did, 10 months later and still haven't lost the weight.





My son was born on a Tuesday, I got out of the hospital on Thursday and I went grocery shopping on Saturday. I had a 9.5 baby and was impressed with how great my delivery was. But I did get induced and an epidural so What cannot go wrong with that... haha (drugs)


Good Luck and talk to your Dr.
Reply:c section a lot worst my sister n law was in pain for several weeks,go vaginal.
Reply:only you and your dr know what is truly best for you. you should consult with them about this. they can best help you decide what to do.
Reply:No matter how painful a vaginal birth is it doesn't prevent you from lifting your baby. I was on call to help my neighbour as she wasn't allowed to lift her baby nor her toddler out of their cribs.





Many women also experience post-natal depression and poor bonding after a c-section. I think you should check out this woman's artwork about her c-sections. Wow she got attacked and took it down.
Reply:do it the normal way... not c-section, cause with a c-section it leaves scars and its just desturbing. And the normal way, yeah it takes longer and more pain but ur awake when ur baby is born (vise-versa yours asleep!)
Reply:why not speak to dr.....c section are very hard, cant move, lay, etc. no dr would ever recommend a c section over vaginal birth, much better for babyto be born naturally. Being overweight will even make it worse, much longer to even try and get somewhat shape back, plus the scar. you will need care for at least 2 weeks with c section. do c section only if baby life in jeopardy.
Reply:I would never suggest voluntary surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. The healing time for major surgery is months. I would take to your doctor and let him know your concerns.
Reply:I have had all three !! First a normal vaginal ...then the forceps struggle and finally third c-section !! I tell you a c-section was really hard ...I couldn't do anything for my self and needed lots of help...it took much longer to recover then vaginal!!Just because your first one was hard doesn't mean it will happen again!! I would say try for the vaginal first !!! Pray it all goes well for you darling!!
Reply:Normally I'm one to say definitely don't opt for a c/section "just because", since c/sections are to be done only in the case of fetal and/or maternal distress, or if the baby is too large to delivery vaginally.


I had two emergency c/sections. I'm not going to sugar coat it, a c/section recovery is very much painful, since it's major surgery.


Since deliveries are never the same, there is always the huge chance that, if you deliver vaginally, it could very well be a completely "normal" vaginal birth without the same sort of complications as your last one.


If you choose the c/section, you'll be recovering from major surgery. Since you had PPD the first time, please make sure to be prepared after this one is born, talk to your ob/gyn about the possibility of having postpartum depression again. I had a very severe case of it myself after my daughter was born, I can so relate.





I wish I could tell you right away what to do. I want to say to try to go vaginally only b/c you want to avoid surgery if possible. I wish you all the best, hon.
Reply:I delivered three babies vaginally. My two year old was no problem at all. Had to have 2 stitches. I also delivered a set of twins vaginally. I prayed not to have a c-section. I heard it is worse than vaginally delivering. But on the other hand, I know women that had no problems with their c-section. Being that you had such a horrible experience with your first delivery, I would vote for a c-section. Good luck to you. I hope everything goes well.
Reply:its entirely up 2 u its your decison but when i had my c-section which wasent by choice i was in complete agony for several weeks after i was always scared my scar on my stomach was going to rip open again i couldnt do nothing for myself or the baby
Reply:recovery is usually longer from a c-section, but it sounds like you had a horrible experience last time!


just know, however, that every birth is different and this one may not be as bad.





perhaps you should look into some childbirth classes, something fairly extensive that lasts a few weeks. and also talk to a counsellor about your fears %26amp; stress, one that you can be ready to talk to after the birth to try %26amp; nip any postpartum depression in the bud.
Reply:C-Section

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