I was wondering this out loud to a gf the other day, but it's been bothering me ever since. I am going to discuss this with my ob, BUT I would like some more background info, so to speak.
I have to have another c/s. Discussion closed on that one. I was wishing/wondering/hoping if I could "demand" going into labour naturally?? I mean, I would love to experiance SOME form of labour. Like my waters breaking and some contractions (I know there are some of you girls going "Girlfriend you don't know what your talking about, na-ha") But thats exactly my point. I don't want to have two kids and not been able to experiance childbirth. I KNOW and have accepted that a VB is out of the question, but surely there must be a way to let me at least get something????
I am at peace with the fact that MAYBE this one might come early too and if that be the case, fine. But what if everything goes great up until due date? I have not even discussed it with DH yet, I still have to find the right words to explain to him why I would want to do this. I have decided that I want a spinal, because I want to see my baby asap, but again .. if it ends up as and emergency c/s and the ob feels that general is safer for me ... that's ok too BUT I want the option IF everything goes great, kwim??
I'm rambling
So is it possible to let a woman go into labour naturally and still safely perform a c/s?? I am not stupid and I know that lots of woman that goes into labour naturally get c/s because of various reasons, but is there any woman that goes into labour and KNOWs they are getting c/s, kwim?? This gf said that they may not let me do this, because the baby could already be to far down?? to do a c/s.
I really don't want a "planned c/s" date and be all prepeard and stuff
Hi Nadine
There are a couple of reasons why they usually perform a planned CS prior to you going into labour
1 To save you from having to go through the pain of labour when it is known that you are going to have a CS. OB’s think that people do not want to feel pain if there is no need for it. Some OB’s may find it hard to understand why you would want to go through the discomfort of labour if you don’t need to.
2 Convenience When a CS is planned they consider many things such as the number of staff on duty, the experience of the staff, how busy the hospital is, and what plans the OB has.
3 If you go into labour then your planned CS could turn into an emergency CS. There is no accurate way to predict how long your labour will last and thus should your labour progress very quickly then (depending upon the reason for your CS) you may need to be rushed to the OR in an emergency situation
I'm not sure of what the protocols are but I'm sure if you know you must have a C/S that they would prefer that you don't go into labour. My story is, I wanted to have a C/S but...... at 35w1d I went into labour. I didn't even know I was in labour. After experiencing discomfort for a couple of hours I went to hosp only to discover that not only was I in labour but that they could see DS's head! I asked for (demanded) my C/S but it was impossible and infact dangerous at that point to do it. No pain relief possible either (that was ok though cos I didn't need it anyway). My story is unusual but it does happen.
If this happened to you it could mean that a dangerous situation for you and/or bub could arise. I think ask your OB and if they're ok with it then go for it. But trust me, if you don't experience labour you're missing nothing
Alan - Thank you, I totally understand that, all except the "keep me form having pain thing" It's my darn body. And that's me being a subborn cow.
After reading that I think I have a snowball's chance in HELL, because I'm due just after chrismas and my ob is a no-nonsense type of guy. He is not going to like me phoning him durning chrismas dinner to come and deliver my baby.
Why is it so unfair!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing your story principessa
How about if they induce me?? That's planned, right?
I wanted to do what you suggested too, but my Ob and I agreed that I would just have the c-sect on my due date. I wanted bubs to be "ready" to be born, not forced out early, which is how we made that compromise.
I must say I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get to experience labour, or that my DS did not get to "choose" his own birthday, but found the calmness of the scheduled c-sect made it quite a good experience. I had a spinal too, and my bub was given to me and DH and he and I were able to stare at him during the second half of the surgery. It was great.
I think deep down I know I'm .. well .. weeing upwind, but I just feel that it's so darn unfair!!!
I was extreamly afraid of childbirth and then I got pg for the first time and there was nothing I wanted more than to do the "natrural" thing, and then life happend and I got cheated (that's how I felt) out of the experiance. I am happy that my daughter is healthy and that I'm healthy, I'm gratefull ... and looking back it was not bad, I'm not bitter about it ... I just , kwim!!'
Hi Nadine, I can totally understand you wanting to experience labour. I feel the same way too after Charli was born at 38 weeks by elective cs.
Did you have a general with your first? I ended up needing one with Charli and I felt like I was robbed of a birth experience because of it.
If my next pg is going well but I still need another caesar I'm going to tell my OB I want it done on my due date. When Charli was born she was fully covered in vernix (well she was in the photos I saw anyway, she was cleaned up by the time I met her), she was a lazy feeder and I just feel that she wasn't ready to come out yet.
My first born was an emergeny c/s and i was absolutly destroyed after 22 hours of labour and finding out i had to go for a c/s but i accepted it and all wentwell and everything was great. With my 2nd baby I wanted to try for a vbac but i also wanted a c/s i just couldnt choose.I wanted a vbac so i could experience a natural birth and go into labour when the baby was ready so i didnt have to choose her birthday i wanted her to choose her own birthday. But i wanted a c/s because i was scared of having a natural birth...lol...sounds weird that i wanted one but didnt. I kept telling my doctor that i was undecied then the closer i got the more i wanted a c/s but it was too late to have a planned c/s. Then finally 6 days overdue i went into labour for 9 hours then everything stopped and they were going to send me home till i started labouring again but i told them no to just take me to theatre. So it wasnt quiet a planned c/s but not an emergency one either. Wellit was more planned then the first one andwas so much better.
I am interested in this too - I had an emergency c-section with DD due to PE. But I did get to 8cms and then my body started to go into distress. I recovered well as did DD (I was 39 weeks) and I was also interested in the possibility of going into labour and then a c-section. I OB has already told me I am a VBAC candidate but I am not sure about that. The risks worry me and I understand that you should not have an epidural when you have a VBAC??
Thanks for all your replies I've been sulking the past couple of days about this situation But I'm over it!!! Decided that I am going to ask my ob, but not going to push the subject and he knows best, after all, I'm not his first pg lady!!
Spice - Yes, I did have general the first time. I was 33+4 weeks and developed HELLP, my baby was growth retarded (28 weeks) and my ob advised me that it's safer to have the general, just in case something goes wrong. (TBH I was so scared atm that I said yes, without thinking twice!!! Just so happy that the pain would be gone afterwards - selfish ) I did not know going into the c/s that you can have two different types of cuts ... classical cut - like mine, and horisontal cut (not sure if that's the right name??) - the type you should have to have a VBAC, to my understanding. They cut me classical to ensure a "bigger" (??) space to get the baby out safely. That the ob only told me afterwards. That and that I won't be able to VBAC. I'm not mad at the ob, he did what he thought was right to safely get me and my baby through birth.
Anyway, that is if all goes well, I'll be having a spinal I wanna SEE!! (not the cut itself, but my baby as he/she comes out)
Tweetsta - WOW, I don't think I want that kind of drama with a birth!! But I get what you are saying, you got what you wanted at the end of the day, without knowing it. I am still afraid of childbirth, but there are this little person in me YELLING .. you can do it!! So sorry that I have to shut that little woman up
Maybe Baby - I have no idea about the epi? I think there are risks involved in everything in life, so if I were you I'll definatly VBAC .. but then again, it's your choice alone. Have a nice long chat with your ob, I'm sure he will set your mind at ease, or help you decide on what is best for mom and baby.
My DS was supposed to be a planned c/s at 39 weeks because I had partial placenta praevia, however DS had other ideas of when his bday will be and I did go into labour naturally at 36+6 with my waters breaking and contractions 5 minutes apart almost straight away.
I still ended up with c/s because of the praevia. The midwives had to give me an injection to slow down the contractions because I was progressing really quickly. I laboured for about 2 hours by the time they got me into theatre.
At first I was disappointed that I was going to have a c/s but now that I have a little bubba that I never thought I would have (endo related infertility) I'm not phased by how he got here. I'm just glad he's here. In saying that though I was happy with my ob and c/s and she says I can do a VBAC next time but I won't be upset if I don't get it.
It's not that I'm not gratefull for my healthy baby, or that I have a "thing" agains c/s, not at all. I'm all for the choice of the woman and all that. I just feel so ... unfortunate to not be able to experiance SOME kind of natural birth. And I am just grapsing at straws to find some kind of way to MAYBE just feels how it would feel like.
And I'm just a naggy little biatch
I'm fine with my first birth, I've accepted that and I'm so happy that me and my baby are healthy. I have a small, very faint scar and liked my c/s experiance, even though it was not at all what I expected birth would be like.
Hi Nadine, sorry I didnt mean to offend. I just meant to share my experience and I really do understand how you feel about wanting to experience labour because I felt the same. Like me I hope that you safely experience some labour this time, maybe your little one will surprise you a tad bit early!
No, no, no, hun. You did not offend. I just wanted to let you know that I don't resent the c/s, just would have done things different if I could And thanks for sharing. There might be some Braxton Hicks to look forward too And my navel is already shallower than with dd, so there is definatly something different about this pg
And HELL please no, not early!! That's what happend last time, but I know what you mean ... would be FABULOUS if my waters break the day before c/s is scedualed. Would have to talk to DH about some natural induction exercises we might try *wink-wink*
C/S and going into labour naturally?
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But I'm over it!!! Decided that I am going to ask my ob, but not going to push the subject and he knows best, after all, I'm not his first pg lady!!
) I did not know going into the c/s that you can have two different types of cuts ... classical cut - like mine, and horisontal cut (not sure if that's the right name??) - the type you should have to have a VBAC, to my understanding. They cut me classical to ensure a "bigger" (??) space to get the baby out safely. That the ob only told me afterwards. That and that I won't be able to VBAC. I'm not mad at the ob, he did what he thought was right to safely get me and my baby through birth. 
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