Why all the opinions on c-sections?

[Emma1979]

i haven't had time to read every response, but just wanted to say that i had a c section tentatively planned but went into labour a few days before... it was the worst experience of my life and after 28 hours and 10cm dilated, resulted in an emergency c section and because the labour was so far advanced, i lost a litre of blood and had to have a blood transfusion... if i had to go through labour again i seriously don't think i would have another baby, honestly, it was the worst thing in my life and i often have nightmares about it... i am LOOKING FORWARD to having a calm, planned c-section next time around... i tell any of my friends considering having a baby who would prefer an elective c-section to go right ahead, having gone through such an awful labour i can completely understand those wanting to avoid it.

in my situation it probably saved mine and my baby's life who was in alot of distress trying to come out naturally.... i can only say good things about c-sections, however the circumstances in which i had to have one were not the best and it was terribly traumatic. next time around it won't be though!

[maddysmummy]

i am LOOKING FORWARD to having a calm, planned c-section next time around... i tell any of my friends considering having a baby who would prefer an elective c-section to go right ahead, having gone through such an awful labour i can completely understand those wanting to avoid it.

i agree with you.. you story sounds like mine except i didnt go into labour i was induced!

[trinnie]

Keira, thank you for starting a debate about this topic. Please don't take this the wrong way, but it is ignorant and naive to say that c-sections are "in most cases medically necessary and life-saving". This is simply not true!! Yes, it is undoubtedly true in some cases but too say that it is true in most cases is highly controversial.

I believe that no-one ever has the right to comment negatively about how a woman chooses to give birth, whether that be by c-section or not. It is a highly personal decision and no-one can say how they would react in any given situation.

The most important thing is that women have choice, are informed and decisions are not imposed upon them by a highly interventionist and conservative medical profession. The aim of BellyBelly, I believe, is to educate about birth choices so that woman can be happy and content that whatever choice they make is the right one for them.

Me - my son was born by c-section under a general anasthetic. Did I consent? Yes, I did but under the duress of being refused medical treatment if I did not consent. It was therefore not full and free consent. I was admitted to hospital in a hurry because of bad test results! I was told that if I delivered my baby vaginally there was a high chance (up to 20%) that he would bleed into his brain and therefore the outcome could not be guaranteed, also there was a possibility that I could also die!!! I had lost a baby and was told that I could lose this one. I begged to be allowed to deliver vaginally but my OB told me that he would not treat me! I was undergoing treatment in hospital and didn't have the strength to find another OB after being admitted and undergoing treatment.

The risks I was told by my OB were highly exaggerated!! HE WAS WRONG!!! The chances of anything actually going wrong with my condition were minimal and actually on a par with something going wrong in a VBAC, so very small indeed! There was actually NO reason for my c-section!!! I have since had other medical opinions to support this!

I never heard my son's first cries. I never had that first newborn cuddle. I never saw him as a newly born bub. My first sight of him was nearly 2 hours later and he was clothed!!! I have no birth experience at all and the sole reason being medical conservatism and ultimately, incompetence.

No woman should have to go what I went through.

What I went through in having a c-section under a general cannot be justified as an emergency or life-saving for me or bubs. In some cases, there is no other choice but this was not situation in my case.

I still struggle with having being denied a birth experience and I truly hope that no-one else here ever has to go through it without it being a true emergency!

I think most of the negative opinions on c-sections come from women being denied true choices! C-sections are not wrong, but they are wrong when the justification for them given by a treating doctor is wrong and based on false information and ignorance!