http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15840743

Honestly...disgusting!

Why can't mothers just TRY doing it naturally?!
Instead of causing themselves a huge injury that prevents them looking after their new baby as easily as after natural birth and also costs the country a lot of money...as well now as councilling before hand?! STUPID

Having had a C section myself I can honestly say I'd never actually ask for one, I think some women are niave in thinking its the easier way out but it really isn't!!!

Yep, I think it's completely wrong too.

When I was pregnant with Libby I was petrified - and I mean really really scared of the thought of maybe things not going well and having to have a c section, from reading what other ladies have gone through after having one there was no way I would ever elect to have major surgery over at least trying what is a natural way of having a baby. I count myself very lucky that I got to have 2 natural births, even though Libby's was horrendous.

It's really winding me up listening to some people being asked about this today, I've heard pregnant women saying they are probably going to ask for one because it's easier It worries me that there is this perception that having a section is the easy way out so women who are pregnant with their first baby and scared about the labour might opt for one without knowing the reality of it. I can understand women who have had a really traumatic experience asking for a section but personally, as someone who is still in a great deal of pain and unable to pick up my son following a section, I think it's mad!

Oh and if I hear the phrase 'too posh to push' one more time today I will flip

I think its more a case of too ignorant to push ... cos I doubt if they really knew what a c section entails (more so the afterwards bit!) that they'd do it

Ive never had one and the thought of it terrifies me!

i've never had a natural birth and have nothing to compare to but just knowing my friend pushed on just gas and air, had a lovely baby and walked out of the hospital 5 hours later n snuggled on the sofa with him (know this isnt always the case), where as i, had a had to go to hospital with granny pants, smelly breath cos your not even allowed a sip of water for 12 hours before, sexy plane socks, let 10 men cut open my flab, a sadistic tw*t staple me up however he could be arsed which clearly wasnt at all, had a pee bag for 24 hours, couldnt move legs, couldnt walk for 8 hours and every time i coughed/sneezed/laughed/cried it felt like my tummy was ripping open, and did so for about 6 weeks.... i know which sounds better to me!
x

Hmmm Niccsy you just summed it up pretty well there. It still hurts when I sneeze too lol!!

You don't get to hold your baby first somebody else does, you don't get that skin to skin contact that I wanted, you feel useless as you can't look after your baby properly without help...... its a total nightmare and I'm still scarred emotionally and mentally not just physically by it.... but as my SIL says (whos little boy practically walked out of her big bucket minge!) I'm just a drama queen and opted for the easy way out (mine was emergancy so no I didn't choose to have it done) :/

I think it's a bad move too - everyone is scared of a natural labour and yes a c section is the "easy" way for the baby to come out but it's certainly not the easy way afterwards and I don't think people will be thinking about the afterwards. I got myself really worked up in the hospital with Finlay because they weren't telling me much and I was worrying that they were going to make me have a c section and despite telling them I wanted one near the end lol I most definately did not!

I think people who choose to have one because they can't be bothered to try naturally should be made to contribute towards the cost - might make them think twice.

I was petified of having a c section and never understand people that think they're easier.



I ended up having one and it meant I couldn't hold Jamie for an hour, had to get a mw to pass him to me every time I wanted him and struggled for 6 weeks afterwards and I was lucky because oh was there for just over two weeks and then my Mum took two weeks holiday to help. I would much rather have a natural birth and I had a 30 hour painful labour first so its not like I think that's easy and you can just pop them out

I don't think many first timers would ask for a c section unless they were totally freaked about giving birth. I have known 2 ladies who were so scared but were forced into a natural birth, neither of them succeeded as they scared out of their wits.

With my first baby I was all set for a natural childbirth but it was hell and after over 20 hours and I had an emergency c section. During my second pregnancy I demanded an elective c section and got one. Ellie was also due to be elective but Ellie decided she would make a early appearance so again I had an emergency c section.

I did experience skin to skin and I did hold both Paul and Ellie as soon as they were born. I also did my best to look after them and within about 16 hours was up and about.

I know that c sections are very expensive but I'm sure elective are far cheaper than emergency sections.

Anyway, like I said, Im sure most people would prefer to give vaginal births a go before resorting to a c section I think its nice to have a choice.

I wonder how much the average vaginal birth costs if you look at drugs, staff, bed etc????

Id say a lot less than any c section!

Oh I know, I dont think they are the same price but what Im saying is its not free and still costs a few quid, especially when when people start having epidurals etc

Lisa wrote:

Id say a lot less than any c section!

It said in article "The cost of a planned Caesarean section was estimated at £2,369, with a planned vaginal birth costing £1,665."

I dont agree with it. In all honesty had it been an option with Caitlin id prob have taken a c-sec. BUT im SO glad I didnt. I was scared of giving birth, but after doing it it wasnt that bad (well it was lol, but I think I convinced myself it was going to involve a ridiculous amount of pain that would last days!)
Had I been offered a c-sec I dont think id have fully took on board the aftercare and pain involved and jumped at the chance - I also think knowing the date of birth in advance would appeal to some. Its only after hearing about others births that I appreciate how major an op it is. Tbh I dont think a MW could have convinced me of that fact, especially if I looked at Vic Beckham etc looking fab after theirs.

Id never chose a c-sec now, but think many prob will without thinking it through.

So! Looking at all of your responses none of you would choose a c section (me included during my first pregnancy) so there isn't really a problem is there?

For those few ladies who really want a c section, I'd say let them have them!

personally i'd do anything to avoid a c-section...i worried over birth, but was terrified at the thought of a c-sec,


i can see that if you've had a really traumatic birth then there is a huge appeal for a c-sec and those ladies should be allowed them, but i think so many ignorant women will opt for something that is 'easier' without thought of what it will be like after...even with counselling i don't think the reality of what having a c-sec entails will hit home with the majority until it's too late and it's done

I'm sure noone would think its wrong for ladies to have an elective c section for subsequent births after their first one ended with an emergency one or obviously for medical reasons, it's the ladies that have never even attempted a natural delivery.

I just cannot understand anyone who is pregnant with their first baby actually WANTING to have major surgery rather than attempt to give birth naturally.

Like I said Libby's birth was horrendous and if I'm honest the recovery was well over 8 weeks but I would still prefer to have a natural birth like that than a c section any day.

Right, so im going to be the exception, and im preparing myself to be shot down.......!

I ended up with an emergency 'very much required' section with Isla due to pre-eclamp & polyhydramnious.......however, I had been previously given permission from my consultant for an elective c-sec.

Due to my panic and anxiety I had an extreme fear of childborth that meant that if no consultant had helped me with this.....then I can promise I would have never had children!!! Something I desperately wanted to do, but my fear was too strong. I had an apt with my consultant BEFORE conception to talk everything through with, and if he hadnt have agreed to letting me have a choice, then I would have never have gotten myself pg.....Im so grateful to him, you could never imagine!!!!!!!!

He said that people with my level of fear, have very little chance of a successful birth due to fighting against the bodies will, and also the fear of birth could have made me quite unstable during pregnancy.

In the end, I actually did need one for medical reasons, but initially I was granted one out of choice, and meeting my consultant the day he agreed was like me winning the lottery ten times over, I would never have had Isla without that choice.

Am I a bad person? Actually no-one needs answer that, because I know im not xx

Well I think as a woman who has been through 3 C Sections, not by choice by the way, that its mad to go down this route! Choosing major surgery over what should be a "natural" delivery is in my eyes not the best way to go in the majority of cases. I understand that almost all women are probably terrified of giving birth but I think that is a normal feeling for any woman who has never given birth before. In my case, with Mollie I just didn't progress in labour, sat there twiddling my thumbs until they decided to give me a section. So then after much worry and talks with my Consultant at the time, I decided to go for a natural delivery with Emily. After getting to 9 cms dilated, her heart rate dropped and I ended up having a ruptured uterus!! It was touch and go whether me or her pulled through! Luckily we both did!! So there was never an option with Megan to try a natural birth and as most of you know she ended up coming 10 weeks early anyway!! God what was I thinking having 3 lol!! Anyway I just think unless there is genuinely a medical reason to have a section, I would not choose to have one! Although I'm just glad that all my girls were healthy in the end.

Lisam I totally agree, I was trying to say the same thing. I know two ladies who are just like you and both were refused elective c sections and ended up with emergency c sections. They both have a real phobia of childbirth. One of them now says she'd even prefer to be to sleep and just be out of it.

We're all different, and while natural childbirth is the preferred option for most of us it's good that ladies now have a choice

LisaMnGirls wrote:

Right, so im going to be the exception, and im preparing myself to be shot down.......!

I ended up with an emergency 'very much required' section with Isla due to pre-eclamp & polyhydramnious.......however, I had been previously given permission from my consultant for an elective c-sec.

Due to my panic and anxiety I had an extreme fear of childborth that meant that if no consultant had helped me with this.....then I can promise I would have never had children!!! Something I desperately wanted to do, but my fear was too strong. I had an apt with my consultant BEFORE conception to talk everything through with, and if he hadnt have agreed to letting me have a choice, then I would have never have gotten myself pg.....Im so grateful to him, you could never imagine!!!!!!!!

He said that people with my level of fear, have very little chance of a successful birth due to fighting against the bodies will, and also the fear of birth could have made me quite unstable during pregnancy.

In the end, I actually did need one for medical reasons, but initially I was granted one out of choice, and meeting my consultant the day he agreed was like me winning the lottery ten times over, I would never have had Isla without that choice.

Am I a bad person? Actually no-one needs answer that, because I know im not xx

I have to disagree slightly ..in that I don't think your case is the same ... the way I see it is you didn't really have a choice like the majority do, due to your anxiety etc - I think that is grounds for an elective c section...but i dont think for one minute you are bad and I dont think its without reason either, there was already a valid medical reason for you being granted one.

My issue is c section just cos a woman is 'scared' or whatever excuse thats not really an issue...we are all pretty scared at first and think its going to split us in half to have this baby - but you are probably at the extreme end of that!

When a woman is pregnant, even as late as actually in labour ... most of us will say alsorts that later we think are dumb! For example I NEVER wanted an epidural, but half way through having izzy I asked for one..cos I was scared it was gunna get worse (it didnt thank goodness!) - I was refused as quite frankly she was about to pop out but hey ho If I had been given it I would have been absolutely gutted that I gave in (knowing now that I coped fine without it).

Its a different story if its already really that bad..and THEN you ask for everything under the sun to make it stop ... but taking these measures without knowing its actually going to be too much pain to handle is dumb in my opinion - its like taking pain killers just in case you get a headache, but later that day you dont know if you could have gone without the painkiller or not cos you dont even know if you had a headache Very silly!

In the end I gave birth with no pain relief - none was offered, and when I asked none was available.
Women who chose to give birth in MW centres do not have access to epidural etc ... so they go without - even if part way through they were tempted like me yell for one

So my point being that if something is available - people will be more tempted to use it, even if its not their best option at the time - if its not available then more than likely they would have done it just fine! Therefore more people will have c sections just cos they can - not because they actually need it any more than they did when they couldn't have one!

I think the long term affects of this will be many new first time mums feeling they missed out, wished they'd tried naturally, maybe even getting PND because they feel they made the wrong choice...we all know how even small things during the birth can play on our minds and send us loopy thinking about it - so imagine making a huge mistake like that?!

I agree with Lisa. That is a medical reason. Actually I have a feeling that what they're actually proposing is people with an extreme fear should have a choice and not all mums and the BBC have just reported it slightly wrong

liberty wrote:

I agree with Lisa. That is a medical reason. Actually I have a feeling that what they're actually proposing is people with an extreme fear should have a choice and not all mums and the BBC have just reported it slightly wrong

Lol! C Sections have always been available for medical reasons. This is about giving a teeny tiny few people who would prefer a section the choice of having one. Like woman have a choice about pain releif, water births, home births!!!!

I read about this a couple of weeks ago and was chatting to my midwife about it who said the majority of midwives were against it as there's is so much more risk of something going wrong.

I'm lucky I'm still here after my section so this time this baby is coming out the way nature intended if it wants to or not! I would never ever opt for a section if I didn't need it, apart from the physical aspect nearly 3 years on, I'm still gutted I didn't experience childbirth, that I don't remember the first 3 days of chloes life, that my life was very much at risk and I'm lucky to still be here to tell the tale. I know mine was extreme but the risk is still there, and the recovery us none too pleasant either. I think it's stupid

I had this argument with my consulatant before having Amelia and was part of the reason I switched to a different one. I had a great labour with Ollie. Apart form the nearly dying bit. BUT there was no way on earth I was pushing Amelia out due to the fact that the riskiest time for a placenta to abrupt is during labour and I told him I would cut her put myself if he didnt let me have a section (I wasnt quite right in the head at that point lol)

Knowing that Amelia would probably come early his school of thought was that labour would be best as it pushes the fluid out of babies lungs. Mine was whats the point in that if shes dead. Obviously now I knwo I have a serious problem caryying babies but at the time it was thought that Ollies death as a fluke andthere was no reason to risk a section.

I still stand by my decision as I didnt want any risks to the baby. I knwo my case is exteme but the point still stands. There was no medical reason for Amelia to be born by C-sec but as I couldnt be induced then in my mind it was the safest option as every day she was in there was another day she could die at any point (in my head).

I begged for a c section with Ollie as I didnt think it was fair I had to go through labour on top of everything else. Knowing what I know now thank god they didnt let me as I cant imagine going through all that pain and having a permanent scar reminding me about it all.