Did you choose an Elective CS instead of VBAC?

For those who chose an elective CS over a VBAC, I'm looking for some feedback on your experience.
What made you come to the decision of the ECS?
And were you happy with how everything turned out?

Any feedback/advice would be greatly appreciated :)

well i chose a elective c section, my first was transverse, about 3 months after my sons birth ( emergancy c section ) i had a D&C for other reasons, and found out i cant deliver naturally thank god i didnt get fully dilated!. i really admire people who have a VBAC or who try i wish i could get the chance but the risk is not worth it with my problems.

dd was born exactly 18 months after ds, who was a c/s, as much as i wanted to try for a vbac, i was also scared of something going wrong. i went for an elective c/s, and it was a brilliant experience. that being said, i do wish that i had had a vaginal birth, but the end result is the same, so i try not to dwell on it.
make the decision for yourself only, good luck whichever way you go xo

Its weird I can write in this thread too as well as a VBAC thread ;)

I chose to have a repeat c-section with DD1. The OB did give me the choice to be induced (balloon method) but DH and I discussed it and thought it was far too risky - and I'm at peace with that decision.

Sometimes things just don't go the way that we want them to. And thats ok.

Whatever will be - will be ;)

:hug:

After my emergency c/s with #1 i chose an elective c/s for number 2 and 3. I wasn't really given a choice with 3 as the hospital that would let me try vba2c was a 50min drive away from home with sketchy parking (as in non) i just didn't want to be that far from my other kids when i had a perfectly good regional hospy 10 mins down the road. They said if i went into spontaneous labour then they woudl give me a go but only under very strict timing. Both my elective c/s were calm experiences and i don't regret them. i sometimes feel like i've missed something by not experiencing a vb but since finding out after having kids that my pelvis was so twisted i proab would never have got any babies out i am at peace with my decision and don't dwell on it. I do get frustrated and feel like i have to explain myself when i let it slip ive had 3 c/s as i do get 'the look' from some people - well thats their problem and they really shouldn't judge other peoples' choices. I'm waffling now so will shut up :-). Wishing you all the best for your decision making

x

thankyou for your replies ladies.

The jury is still out on my decision ;) Whichever way it goes, if I choose to have another CS it will be MY decision. As with my first birth I felt that I wasn't very involved in the whole decision process and i think that was part of the reason why I was so disappointed about the outcome.
My new OB (who is brilliant!) is telling ME to remain positive about my vbac chances, but I can't help but feel there are a few little obstacles. I have GD this time, bub is currently breech (although I know theres plenty of time for him to turn), and I've got a sneaking suspicion my BP will start playing up in the comming weeks (as it did my first pregnancy).
Also I can't get this little thing out of my head where my Old Ob said to me that she thought my pelvis was a funny shape that wouldn't allow bub to engage. She said this very early in my first pregnancy and I didn't take much notice, but when DD wasn't engaged at 38 weeks it got me wondering whether she was right. I know in reality that CPD is mean't to be extremely rare but the "what if I am one of the rare ones) seed has already been planted in my head.

Time will tell i guess :)

Hey Mama Spice,

Can't help on your query, but just wanted to wish you all the best in your decision making. Hope that the path ahead unfolds easily and you will be comfortable with what to do.

Mamaspice, I also wanted to wish you good luck with your birth.

I've ended up with 3 'emergency' c-sections but the last one happened as a result of me giving in after 6 DAYS of 10 minutely contractions. i was really determined for a VBA2C but after such a hard prelabour (plus another physical complication), yes i chose a c-section. So I guess this was my choice and i certainly had more control over what happened i.e. demanded i breastfeed in theatre despite there being resistance from medical staff (resource issues) and i had someone with me in recovery and i had my ctg monitoring done standing up (as it's impossibly uncomfortable for me lying down). Making these requests and them being followed certainly helped me in my head space come to terms with another operation. I'll never be completely happy as i'll never experience a vaginal birth but i've come to terms with it (with some debriefing).

Would you consider allowing spontaneous labour to start (i.e. bubs choose their own birth day and be ready to be born)? This obviously isn't as 'convienient' for the hospital but may suit you if you are happy to do it.

best of luck

I chose the elective c/s with DS as DH and I were going through a tough time with his work, and to cut a long story short, three days after DS' due date DH was due to find out whether he had a job or not - so I was stressed to the max as we would not be able to survive on my wage alone, this really played on my mind. Prior to that I was hoping for a VBAC though.

We are planning to have one (or maybe two) more, and I am hoping to go for the VBAC most definately third time around. There will be a larger age gap this time around so I am hoping the previous c/s scars wont fail me ;-)

Thanks so much for your replies Star, RoyUK and Leesa.

RoyUK, that's awesome that you got to BF etc in theatre. My Ob has said that he will make that possible for me. Although there is always the slight risk that I'll need a general as they had troubles with the epi/spinal last time so I ended up getting knocked out. But all going well my Ob is more than happy for me to have skin-to-skin and first BF while still in theatre.
I've thought about waiting to go into labour (and obviously thats what I'll be doing if a vbac seems possible) but if bub remains breech they definately wont want me doing that.