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PRO`S AND CON`S.... Vaginal Birth or C-section???
Added: 1226 days ago.
Added by: kellysbelly
Section: General.
Status: This question is Closed. (Questions will be closed after 10 days.)


Hey mama`s! I`m 30 weeks now and freaked out about birth... I`m very tiny down there and am scared of going through all the pain of labor and ending up having a c-section. My doctor says I can schedule to have a c-section if I choose to. I`m so torn with the decision right now. I would love some input on which is best. If you could choose vaginal birth or c-section... which owuld you want??? Thanks guys! xoxo

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MelissaLMoore - 1225 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I would go with vaginal before I would go C-section. I had both and recovered alot quicker from the vaginal delivery even with an episiotomy. My worst issue was that after my c-section I had to stay in recovery for an hour by myself while everyone else got to look at my baby in the nursery. With my vaginal delivery, I immediately got to hold my baby and bonded very quickly.

missbunny - 1225 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Have you asked your doctor to perform an internal exam so that he/she can give you some idea of your success in labour?? I had a c-section with my first baby because she was breech. This time around he measured my pelvis etc. and said there's no way I'd be able to push a full term baby out of there so it would be safer for me and the baby if I had another c section (less likely for fetal distress during labour etc etc) A vaginal birth does have less recovery time and I've heard it's supposed to be safer for the baby in general, but if your pelvis is too small or if your babys head is too large at 40 weeks then it might be safer to to a c section. But deffo get advice from your doctor to make sure that you fit into the small pelvis category. Lots of small women actually don't, surprisingly, and can have natural labours just fine.

mrscolegrove - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) well im not going to give you a scary story all im going to say is this will be my 3rd child the first 2 i had a c section with and because of that i have to have another one.ive always felt there was something missing with the birth expierence. i was never allowed to go into labor but if i could do it again id at least try going natural

lilysmumma - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) wow lots of ppl with scary STUPID stories! i had to have a c section after 15 hours labour. it was not a big drama. it was not that scary and with in 2 weeks i felt totally fine. 6 weeks later and im going back to kick boxing in 2 weeks! yes the first week was painful and hard but if u tear u will be in equally as much pain, are just as much or more at risk of infection and will take just as long to totally heal properly. my friend tore badly ( she is small like me too) and 6 mths later is STILL in pain and healling!! u can still try a natural birth with a next pregnancy if u have a c section ( vbac) dont let ppl scare u with stories of one off occurences. do what u think is right and what ur comfortable with.

Debra - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I laboured to 10 cm and ended up with a breech baby, lots of meconium came out when they popped my water and ended up in the OR. See my VIP site for more on that. Healing took a LONG time. I do not have much feeling in the skin over my lower abdomen- and its been nearly 11 months. I still have side stitch pain when walking a lot or trying to run. I did not like being separated from my child after birth and not being the first person to hold him or even the second or the third :( I am planning my second child for at least 2 years separation so i can try to have a vaginal delivery. My son's head was 38 cm and the top of the high end of 'normal' circumference and my midwife said I might have had a tough time pushing him out, but that would have been a different story. I was scared of birth as well until I read the book "ina May's guide to childbirth" It filled me with hope and excitement that i was able to work with the contractions instead of fight them. I laboured well and found the pain to be manageable. I would not want another c/s. There are so many risks with surgery- it is very major surgery and should never be taken lightly. This is a scary story: Then I was watching oprah last week and she had a mom on there with Jenny McCarthy. The episode was about 'warrior moms' she was amazing but she lost her arms, legs, uterus, gall bladder and bowel after her routine c/s gave her necrotizing fascitis or 'flesh eating disease' Infections in the incision are unfortunately fairly common. NOT to this degree but if you are opened up with surgery, unfortunately you have no control over the germs you are exposed to in a hospital. AND i know there are germs- I work as an RN and i can tell you that the best place to catch an infection is in a hospital. C/S are harder to heal from than natural births. You may develop scar tissue and have an incision scar that will never go away. I'm still recovering. I'm sure its possible as CassandraLee's experience is that c/s can be great. However, overall, the risks of surgery are much higher. Its tough to recover and care for you baby after vaginal births as well and you may have to force yourself to get out of bed and get moving after either kind of birth. To help you make your decision- i suggest you try to empower yourself by reading some positive birth stories. Here is a link to an amazing book that will fill you with hope about birth: http://www.amazon.com/Ina-Mays-Guide-Childbirth-Gaskin/dp/0553381156 I also suggest watching this birth video: http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/vip-blog/my7thbabyduemay20th2008/1211073443 and this movie or read about it: http://www.orgasmicbirth.com/ I hope this helps and you have a positive birth experience! Remember that birth is the easy part of being a mother. Its the rest of your child's life that is the hard part.

CassandraLee - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I too have a small pelvis. I have a tendancy of making very big babies. I was unsuccesfully induced with my first child and ended up with a c-section. When I saw my DR regarding my current pregnancy I was told that I MIGHT be able to fit a 6 pound baby out of my pelvis. DR gave ME the option of whether I wanted to attempt a vaginal delivery or opt for another c-section. The MYTH that all DR's make you have subsequent c-sections is just that, a myth. Not all DR's will refuse a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I chose to have a c-section with this child. I agree that everyone's c-section experience is different. Everyone heals differently. My c-section recovery was not that bad. I was a single mother taking care of a new baby and recovering from a c-section. I woke up for every feeding, diaper change, etc. I managed just fine. I only took a few of the pain relief pills. You should talk to your DR and the hospital about their handling of c-sections. Some hospitals are anal about not letting mother and baby be together right away after the surgery. Some are not. I was given my son immediately afterwards and spent every moment with him, bonding until the day we left. I wasnt required to "wait" to breastfeed my son. You should do your research about the hospital and all risks regarding a c-section. The more you know about both options the better you can make your decision

kristalsfirst - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) your body will work fine, your a woman your body is meant to do this. I would try natural and if your body cant handle it, then c section. My son was 9lbs, i had a 21 hour labor, and they had to use the vacuum to help get him out. on top of all that they wore my epidural off before i was pushing so i can feel my contractions cuz my son was so big i needed to know what i was doing. Anyways, throughout all the pain, when he came out it was the most amazing feeling in the world. You feel proud that you did it and the exhileration you get and the releif you get once you push your baby out is a feeling that is UNDESCRIBABLE. I would hate for anyone to miss that feeling. You will love your child no matter what but there is something about doing it vaginally that makes it so special and makes that moment something u will remember forever.

jessicadarling - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) My boyfriends mother is 4 ft 9 and gave birth vaginal to a 9lb 5oz baby. We are meant to give birth this way. c-section is such a long recovery plus you risk infection and I know two different women who had their incisions reopen!! Scary!!

mommad - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Every womans body was made to have babies, your body will work fine, no matter your size.

jaydsmom - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Don't get all freaked out about your size. I have told this story a couple times on here now, but here it goes again... I have a close friend who is 4'8 and weighs about 100 lbs who gave natural birth to an almost 9 lb boy, and my SIL is a tiny 5'4 at 82 lbs and gave natural birth to 3 girls. The smallest was over 7 lbs. It can be done. My SIL said her births were fairly easy (she is tiny boned and wears a size 00).

soon2bmommaof2 - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I must say alot of women think opting for a csection is the easy way out when in reality its not. Sure you won't have the pain during delivery, but you'll definitely have the pain afterwards! Csections are major abdominal surgery and shouldn't be taken lightly! I definitely don't think vaginal births are a walk in the park, but you definitely bounce back into your everyday life style alot easier!

courtenay - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) deffinitly try to go natural first, its a natural process and you'd be surprised how much your body can handle.

lillyseed - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) i agree. i wasn't given an option. my doc hastily chose to do an "emergency c-sec". once you have 1 your doc will always want you to go that route. this will be my 3rd & i am nervous. i wish i could have had mine naturally. with a c-sec you have 2 stay in the hospital a couple days longer & have staples. i dont want to scare you, but this is real stuff.

moms the word - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Ok, this is strictly a matter of opinion. Some women are all for having major surgery to deliver their babies and that is their opinion. Myself, I was 12 days overdue with my first and ended up failing at induction and having a c-section. Recovery for every woman if different because every body and pregnancy is different. For me, it was six full weeks of painful recovery before I felt like myself again. With this baby, I would much rather take the risks associated with attempting a vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC) than face the thought of going through that horrible recovery again. Not to mention the fact that you aren't supposed to drive for two weeks after the surgery to allow your stomach muscles time to heal. I would at least attempt to go vaginally if I were you and if it ends up in a c-section then so be it. You should also consider future pregnancies if you plan to have other kids. Scar tissue from previous surgeries can make any subsequent c-sections more complicated as I have been told by my doctor. Labor is very painful but so is recovering from a major surgery. I know because I had both 12 hours of unmedicated labor followed by a c-section. Personally, I would much rather have a possible episiotomy or tearing to recover from than a six to eight inch long incision that goes all the way into my uterus and leaves a large visible scar on your lower abdomen (mine is still noticeable 11 years later and I still don't have any feeling 3-4 inches above and below it as well as tugging and sometimes pain in that area when I cough or sneeze). Do lots of research (including asking the hospital and your doctor what their policies are regarding c-sections like who can be in the room and what kind of bonding experience you can have with your baby after he/she is born) and talk it over with your doctor and then use all that knowledge to make the best choice for you. You asked for opinions and this was mine. If you would like a more complete account of my specific birth experience, I would be happy to go into more detail but keep in mind that my experience will be different from anyone else due to the particular hospital I was at and the doctor I had etc. Good luck with your upcoming delivery.

earthmomma - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) im going vaginally. the recovery is much quicker, even if you do have tearing. a c-sec is MAJOR abdominal surgery, which comes with all the risks of a major surgery. a vaginal birth is a normal,natural process. your body was made to do it. trust in your body. recovering from surgery would be hard enough on your own, but you will also be recovering from 9 mo of pregnancy and also having to take care of a new baby at the same time!

KarenVG - 1226 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I am going to have my third c-section and I wish I had a choice to go vaginally. C-sections are major surgery and have a longer recovery. I would try going natural first but understand the option of having a c-section if things do not work out. If you go that route make sure you have an epidural in place ready for them to use if things get complicated. However I would definitly try natural over c-section first.