Planned c-sect vs emergency

[No.5]

I had a planned c-section with DD. My dr said to me that elective are generally easier to recover from as there's not the urgency required as there would be in an emergency c-section so more care can be taken.

My recovery was great. I had DD at 10am and was up by 2pm walking around. By the end of the first week I almost felt normal and like I could do everything (I didn't though).

Don't overdo it though and take all the pain meds you need to in the first few days.

[HotI]

This study has just come out and compares planned c section to emerg c section. I haven't had either, but have considered both.

BJOG. 2013 Jan 15. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.12129. [Epub ahead of print]
Maternal and infant outcome after caesarean section without recorded medical indication: findings from a Swedish case-control study.

Karlström A, Lindgren H, Hildingsson I.
Source

Department of Health Science, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To compare maternal complications and infant outcomes for women undergoing elective caesarean sections based on a maternal request and without recorded medical indication with those of women who underwent spontaneous onset of labour with the intention to have a vaginal birth.
DESIGN:

Retrospective register study.
SETTING:

Sweden; Medical Birth Register used for data collection.
METHODS:

A case-control study of 5877 birth records of women undergoing caesarean sections without medical indication and a control group of 13 774 women undergoing births through spontaneous onset of labour. The control group was further divided into women who actually had a vaginal birth and women who ended up with an emergency caesarean section.
RESULTS:

Maternal complications occurred more frequently among women undergoing caesarean section with odds ratios (OR) for bleeding complications of 2.5 (95% CI 2.1-3.0) in the elective caesarean group and 2.0 (95% CI 1.5-2.6) in the emergency caesarean group. The OR for infections was 2.6 in both groups. Breastfeeding complications were most common in women having an elective caesarean section: 6.8 (95% CI 3.2-14.5). Infant outcomes showed a higher incidence of respiratory distress with an OR of 2.7 (95% CI 1.8-3.9) in the elective caesarean section group compared with infants born by emergency caesarean section. The risk of hypoglycaemia was at least twice as high for infants in the caesarean group.
CONCLUSIONS:

Caesarean sections without medical indication as well as emergency caesarean sections were associated with higher risks for maternal and infant morbidity.
© 2013 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2013 RCOG.

[Melbournemumma]

I've had both and I recovered heaps better from my planned C-section. I felt more in control, I wasn't exhausted and I got the things I needed from it. My emergency c-section was good, but I was exhausted, and things didn't quite happen as I would have liked afterwards.

Whichever decision you make, be confident in that decision and make sure that it is your decision not one you have been pressured into by anyone.

[Starfish]

I had an emergency c-section after about 6-7 hours of labour (DS was breech, but no one had picked this up until I started to push, so when it became clear that the pushing wasn't working, I was rushed into the theatre). Described like that, it doesn't sound like a good experience, but it actually was. I am glad that I got to experience the full labour, as I believe that it is an integral part of the birthing and bonding process. But, as others have said, you need to do what's right for you.