I need help - Ceaserean or Natural???

Hi guys!! My name is Rebecca. This is the first time I have ever posted with you guys but I hope it will definately not be the last!! I am 14 and a half weeks pregnant, and I have a 15 and a half month old son at home as well. He is an angel! Anyway, he was born naturally (with a vaccuum extraction) and because of this, I had a third degree tear!! I just had my Dr appointment today, and they have reccommended I have a caesarean! I do not have any idea what to do! I really, really wanted to go natural again, but do not know if it is worth the risk. they said if I tear again, it could cause really bad damage, but then on the other hand, I may not tear at all! I am so confused!! Does anyone have any advice??:wall:

Hi Becky
Welcome to BB
Before I can give you any advice re C/S I would like to know a couple of things.
Why did you have the vacuum?
What drugs did you have?
How big was your baby?
Did you have an epidural / spinal?

Hi Alan
I had a vaccuum because I had been pushing for 3 hours, and my son was still not any closer to being born. The midwife could feel his head, but he just would not come on his own. I had gas to start with and then an epidural, which worked for the first hour or so, but when it got to the stage when I had to start pushing, did nothing for me. I felt everything. I was also in labour for 24 hours all up.
My son Liam was 9 pounds.
Thanks heaps! Any advice is greatly appreciated

Ok 1 more question
Was your baby’s face or eyes bruised after birth?

Nope.
Apart from the slight mark on the back of his head (which was caused from the vaccuum) he was perfect. Had no other marks whatsoever.

OK There are 2 things that happened to you hat increase the chance of tearing.
1 Epidural – After an epidural you have little control of the speed of the birth. If the head is born quickly there is not enough time for your tissues to stretch and this causes tearing.

2 Vacuum – Again you have no control over the speed of birth. I have not seen many OB’s who take their time when doing a vacuum extraction.

I am also guessing that you gave birth on your back. This is possibly the worse position to give birth in. It slows down labour and also increases the chances of tearing.

There is some suggestion that once you have had a tear then the chance of tearing again is slightly higher due to the scar tissue. However with good management there is no reason why you should tear.
One trick that is supposed to reduce the chance of tearing is perineal massage. Other things you should consider is birth position and the need for an epidural.
I have a handout on birth positions, their advantages and disadvantages, if you email me I will send it to you. alan@yourmidwife.com.au.

Hi Alan
I had an epidural because at that stage I had been in labour for hours, with no indication of how much longer it would be - I was dilating very slowly. And after pushing for 3 hours, without my son geting any closer, I guess the midwives thought he needed to come out, hence the vaccuum. How could I avoid that?
Is there anything I can do during labour to help my tissues stretch? And is it best to think about avoiding a ceasar at all costs? Also, if they can see that the baby is bg or I might have some difficulty, can they cut me before I tear? And one more thing, worst case scenario, and I do tear again, is there anything that can be done, and what is the worst outcome?
Thanks for your help!

Hi Rebecca, welcome to BB :)
I'm no expert or anything, but if you'd like a natural birth I'm sure you could prepare yourself to have a wonderful, fulfilling experience!
Perhaps doing some research into how to manage your labour differently would help... I can thoroughly recommend having strong support people for your pregnancy, labour and birth (in addition to your OB).
Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best for a happy and healthy pregnancy and a great birth. :D

Don’t get me wrong. I am not putting you down for having an epidural or the vacuum. I am just pointing out the facts.
To reduce the chance of tearing during birth you need to try to control the speed of the birth of the head slower is better. Also your position during birth can help to prevent tears. You could also consider looking at ‘the pink kit’. You will find info about it in the articles section of this site or you could google it. Perineal massage is also supposed to help reduce tearing. If you do tear then providing that it is not a large tear it is easy to repair and usually heals faster than if they cut you.
C/S has its place, and I don’t think you should consider avoiding it at all costs. However it is an operation and does have many potential problems associated with it. Should you decide that this is for you I advise you to do some research on the potential problems.

Hi Caro
I would indicate that the baby's head was deflexed or in a poor position and explain why the baby would not move

Hi Alan
Sorry to bug you again!
Just wondered, worst case scenario, what if I was to tear badly again? Would this be irrepairable or is there things that can be done? Is it common for tears this bad to happen? Could it go as far as a 4th degree tear? Do the midwives do a everything to avoid this?
Thankyou

Hi Becky
Don’t worry about bugging me. That’s what I come on here for.
All tears can be repaired. Usually this involves a few stiches that dissolve themselves after a couple of weeks so no need to have them taken out. 4 degree tears are uncommon and midwives do have a few tricks to help to prevent this. In fact midwives try to prevent any tears, we are proud of assisting a woman to birth and being able to say ‘no stitches needed’

The jelly head (I love that term) is caused by the vacuum. the panda eyes is caused by either a deflexed head or non-rotation / poor position

Thankyou very much Alan
You have been a great help. i definately think I will be leaning towards going natural again, after all odds are that I will not be in labour for 24 sours again. (Surely...!!?) It made me feel better to know all tears can be fixed, I was thinking I could be damaged beyond repair :)

Becky
Read lots
Ask lots of questions
then decide whats best for you

Hi Becky, all the best with your decision. My little man was also vacuum assisted cos he was in distress. One thing I will say about having the second bub is that I was much more assertive about what I did and didn't want (I was however flexible with this if the need arose for medical reasons). His birth story is here https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ad.php?t=34704 if you would like to read it. I also did hypnobirthing which teaches relaxation methods etc and I found this invaluable.

I found that I asked more questions and gained more information before making my decisions. You will possibly be the same and I encourage that. Keep us updated on your journey :)