Shoulder dystocia 1st time ~ what to do this time?

my daughter had SD at birth and ended up have a brachial plexus injury to her left arm, she was 4.2kgs. i wanted nothing more than to have a vaginal birth again and was determind i was going to get it, but once i got to around 37 weeks pregnant with DS doctors started saying that they thought he was going to be the same size as DD if not bigger, and highly recommened a c/s i told them all my feelings and that i wanted nothing more than to try for a v/delivery..they respected that but what really hit home for me was when she said "its totally up to you noone can make the desicion for you, but in the end you have to think about if you were to have a vag/delivery and things were to go wrong again could i live with myself?" well that got me thinking...then she told me to go home and talk it out with DF write down a list of pros and cons of a vag/delivery and a c/s.

in the end i chose to go with the c/s it definatly was a hard decision but i just felt that no i wouldnt forgive myself if DS was injured if i went for a natural birth. did i make the right decison? i will never know all that really matters to me is that my baby boy got here safely!

goodluck with everything

I'll preface this by saying that I have absolutely no medical background and have not given birth (either vaginally or by c/s), so I have absolutley no basis to back this up, but I have to say I agree with Blanche.

I know it goes against the thread of other advice, but I'd just like to caution you to think about how you will feel if you do birth vaginally and the SD happens again and bubs is injured.

Having said that, by all means research, talk it over with as many people as you can and make an informed choice as to what is right for you.

Hi Ladies,

This sounds like a very difficult situation and I cant relate to this experience. But what I can relate to is c/s. I had planned a natural vaginal delivery with MIDWIVES only (my mother) in a birthing centre. Unfortunately I had to have an emergency c/s as I was only 2cm dilated and bubs hb dropped dangerously low and did not rise after contraction had eased. I think what alot of people forget is that c/s are major abdominal surgery, they are painful, risky and the recovery time is long and hard. I was isolated in my home for 6weeks because I could not drive. My DS was drowsy for days due to the drugs and my milk took longer than expected to produce because I was not able to allow my natural hormones to do their job at the right time. C/S can be necessary and often save lives, but...they should be for emergencies only and even then, there are many unecessary emergencies that present themselves conveniently with OB's. Since you do not have an emergency on your hands I would advice talking to a midwife or a doula about birthing options, as OB's are very good at preempting medical emergencies when there may never be one.

I too have some aprehension about my future births, since I did not experience a successful vaginal birth the first time. But I am very lucky to have supportive midwives around me who continually remind me that every birth is different and help me build confidence in my abilities to birth naturally. I am planning on having a VBAC for my next birth and I would very much like to homebirth.

C/S is not always the safer option especially if you continue to progress with a normal and healthy pregnancy. Natural vaginal delivery is a safe and NORMAL way for a mother to birth her child. Midwives and doula's can provide you with a myriad of information about labouring and birthing positions and will help you find the confidence within yourself to birth your child safely and normally. Im not sure of there is a support group for vaginal delivery after SD but if there is...join it. And please dont limit yourself to talking to OB's only, they are trained to look at birth as a medical procedure and may only offer you advice that includes medical intervention and sometimes (I wont say 'all' becuase I know there are some wonderful OB's out there) harbour unecessary fears in women about birth, taking their confidence away (im not referring to your situation at all when I say 'unecessary'...just in general)

I wish you all the luck in the world.

Seenabeena, I had a shoulder dystocia with my first child in July 2008, which resulted in erb's palsy. I'm now pregnant with my second, due in June 2009 and I'm trying to explore my options. What did you end up going for - c-section, induced or waiting til due date? I'd be keen to hear your story. Thanks x