I had a vaginal delivery with Peyton and had no major complications, however with this baby, I'm leaning towards wanting a c-section and I'm wondering if anyone else ever felt this way.

I have a couple of reasons for wanting a c-section. First of all, my selfish reason is for pain. I am really dreading pushing a baby out again. I remember how incredibly painful Peyton's delivery was. Now, I know that some people have serious issues with c-sections and that it is a major surgery with recovery time but I have also heard about people having no problems recovering from having a c-section.

My second reason is scheduling issues. I honestly have no clue what we're going to do with Peyton when I go into labor. We don't really have any family nearby. Ok, that's not entirely true. Jeff's mom and brother live about 20 minutes away but his mother is about 75 and completely not capable of watching Peyton. Not to mention that I would never leave Peyton alone with her. Jeff's brother is completely untrustworthy as he's an alcoholic and does drugs so we are SOL there. If I had a scheduled c-section, then I could fly my mom up here a day or two before and Peyton could stay with her (my mom is planning on flying up as soon as the baby is born anyway). If I go into labor early on a weekday, my dad would be able to drive down here (he lives about 4 hours away) in time to pick Peyton up from school but I don't know what we'd do if this happens on a weekend. Also, 2 of my close friends are due in May and June so I can't really ask them to watch Peyton when they'll have a newborn of their own. We don't have any other friends that I would trust to watch her.

I really want to ask my dr. about this but I'm not sure how crazy I am for even thinking this. Has anyone else ever wanted to go the c-section route over having a vaginal delivery? Help!

Im just wondering.. Wouldnt a c-section have more pain involved in recovery and such than a vaginal delivery?

I don't know. :dunno: I've heard some people say that their recovery from a c-section was a breeze. I guess I really wouldn't know if a the recovery would be worse for me or not until it actually happens, kwim?

Ok so heres my opinion. Ive never had a c-section but labor and delivery were both so easy for me for my vaginal birth. Recovery was nothing, I was out and about 2 days later forgetting I had just given birth. I wouldnt chose a c-section next time around. Plus I dont think my OB would give me a c-section unless I needed it. I thought thats how alot of Drs were but your may be more open.

Mary had a a c-section with Frances after delivering Joe vaginally and her recovery was much, much worse. But everyone is different. Keep in mind that you are going to have a toddler running around as well as a newborn this time.

As for having someone to watch Petyton, we had exactly the same problem. We hired one of Joe's daycare teachers to be on-call for us. This way if Mary went into labor during a weekday, she could just take him home at the end of the day. It turned out that Mary went into the hospital on a Friday evening, so she stayed over at our house with Joe until the next afternoon.

Dennis

We were in a similar situation with no close family members who could be trusted with Maggie alone... My dad ended up staying with us for a couple weeks around my due date, and then my mom came down after that. There were a few days we weren't covered, but it ended up not being much of an issue.

I liked the idea of having someone here for a little while before I had to go into labor so Maggie would be with someone she was used to having around when I wasn't there. Would it be possible for you to have your mom come in for a few weeks?

jenn, a c-section is major surgery. it took me weeks to recover. for the first few days i could barely move around and painkillers were my best friend. getting out of bed, a chair, anything that involves your abdominal muscles is a slow and painful process.

i am not looking forward to my next one at all (but i have to have one, no choice).

i have heard very few people say their section was a breeze...and honestly, i don't believe people when they do say it.

Jenn - Alot of times, 2nd and more babies are MUCH easier labors and easier to push out than first babies... I know that was my experience, even with twins :dunno: I would definitely think that recovering from a c-section would be worse than labor and delivery, especially with an almost 2 year old... JMHO...

Dennis, that's a good idea about hiring a daycare worker to be on call. There is one lady that Peyton just LOVES so maybe I'll talk to her about it and see what she says. I think she lives pretty close to me also so that's a plus.

Sheila, I can't have my mom come stay before the baby because she's coming after the baby and can only take off about 2 weeks. I'd rather her time be spent here after the baby is born. I might end up asking my dad to come down and stay with us for a week or two but he can be a pain sometimes about leaving his house. My other option would be to have my grandmother stay with us for a couple of weeks before my due date but I think she'd be bored out of her mind since Peyton would more than likely be at school during the day. I'm not even sure if she would do it. :dunno:

I know that a c-section is major surgery and that makes me nervous, too, but honestly I'm more worried about Peyton being taken care of while I'm in labor than my recovery. I know, it sounds silly now, and I'm probably not thinking straight with all these hormones running through my body. I'm just so worried about nobody being around to watch my little girl and I'm freaking out about it. :mope:

Maybe if the teacher is ok with the idea of being on call for you it might work out.

Jenn, the other advantage of using a daycare teacher is that if you go into the hospital during the day, she can just take Peyton home. We also did a test run with her about 2 months before Mary's due date so she would be familiar with the house and know where everything is since there was a chance we wouldn't be there when she came. It really worked out great - a bit pricey, but well worth the money.

Dennis

Thanks Harmonie! Hopefully something works out.

Dennis, do you mind if I ask how much you paid your daycare teacher? I'm just wondering what I should even think about offering to mine if we do go this route.

Jenn, Have you talked to your doctor about inducing labor? My doctor mentioned it to me, saying that it is a lot easier for the patients to have a scheduled induction, that way your mom could fly in the day before you are induced. Plus, recovering from an induction isn't as bad as recovering from a c-section.

Dennis, do you mind if I ask how much you paid your daycare teacher? I'm just wondering what I should even think about offering to mine if we do go this route.

We gave her $200. She was on call for about 6 weeks and then she watched Joe from about 8 p.m. (he was asleep when she came) until about 3 p.m. the next afternoon.

Dennis

Jenn, Have you talked to your doctor about inducing labor? My doctor mentioned it to me, saying that it is a lot easier for the patients to have a scheduled induction, that way your mom could fly in the day before you are induced. Plus, recovering from an induction isn't as bad as recovering from a c-section.

:nod: I was induced and had a vaginal delivery. Things went smooth for me.

I can totally understand being worried about who will take care of Peyton when you go into labor...but having a c-section will make that tougher in the long run--especially after you come home from the hospital.

My c-section was horrible and so was the recovery. I lost twice the amount of blood that you're supposed to lose and spiked scarily high temperatures after the operation. I was kept in the hospital for four days after the operation and should have stayed even longer. Walking was really painful for weeks afterward.

I'm already worried about having to have a c-section for the next baby--I'll be away from Katie for so long and then I won't be back to normal after I return home.

I've had two c-sections and honestly, recovery wasnt bad for me. By the time I was discharged, I was perfectly mobile. Though lifting was another story. Try explaining to your 2 yr old that you cant pick them up....its doesnt go over all that well!!!

Honestly, I wouldnt do an elective c-section. I dont think there are a lot of doctors (outside of hollywood) who will let you do an elective c-section if you have no medical reason to do so.

I have both a c-section (1st time) and a vaginal delivery (2nd time). For me, recovery was much easier with the vaginal delivery.

I wouldn't recommend a sceduled c-section. I had a c-section with Vincent and even though I recovered fairly quickly (I felt pretty much back to normal within a week after surgery), I am going for a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) this time! My recovery from my c-section was very painful during my hospital stay (I was there for 4 days). Pain meds were my friend! Not to mention the risks of complications from a c-section, which is MAJOR surgery, are far greater than with a vaginal birth! The odds of dying from a c-section are four times greater (1 in 4000 births vs. 1 in 10,000 for vaginal). So, unless the surgery is absolutely necessary (for the mothers sake and/or the baby's sake), I wouldn't opt for one!

Thats another thing. Dont you have to stay longer for a c-section than a vaginal birth?

If you want to plan the delivery so that Peyton will be cared for, I would definitely try to go the induction route, versus c-section. I was induced, and had a wonderful labor and delivery!

Thats another thing. Dont you have to stay longer for a c-section than a vaginal birth?
:nod: The average stay for a vaginal delivery is 1-2 days, whereas with a c-section, it's 3-4 days!

I just wanna mention that there are also risks with inducing labor. A lot of times, if your body isn't ready when they induce you, you'll end up with a c-section if labor doesn't progress. Just something to think about.

I think that asking to be induced (as long as you are starting to dialate) would be a much better choice. Then your mom could fly in a day before or the daycare provider could watch Peyton.

I had a c-section with my daughter and the recovery was at least 3 weeks, not to mention the extra days you'll have to spend in the hospital away from your daughter. I was induced and actually think the induction was going okay. But my daughter's heartrate kept dropping and when I was at 5 cm they said she would not be able to take much more labor so I had the c-section.......and I started my induction being totally closed at 42 weeks!

I'm scheduled for a repeat c-section this May and am not looking forward to it. I don't want to be away from my daughter for 4 days, not to mention those first few painful days. And even though we have my daughter's care planned for, that does not mean this baby won't decide to come early and then all the planning in the world won't matter!

Jenn, my SIL had an "elective" C-section with her second child. She had horrible tearing and healing issues after her first, and was NOT up for another vaginal delivery. Her recovery *was* a breeze, and she would do it again if she hadn't had a tubal while they were in there! :lol: It helps if you have DH/family/etc. to help with lifting--and caring for Peyton--while you're recovering. Some people heal faster than others. BIL and SIL were able to schedule the time, so she got her regular doctor, her parents knew exactly when to come, and they had daycare all worked out.

Talk to your doctor and see what s/he says. I've been following the "issue" in women's magazines and I know it can be very heated and divisive. However, some OB/GYNs look (favorably) at a c-section as another choice a woman can make in her labor plan.

And, of course, take this all with a grain of salt, since despite the fact that I'm a research fiend, I haven't had kids yet. :)

I had a c-section, after being induced (I was 2 weeks and a day over my due date)..They induced me on Sunday night, and finally on Tuesday night around 8:30, after being fully dilated and effaced, and pushing for 2 hours, Trey was stuck and we did a c-section.

Honestly, my recovery was a breeze. And it really was, I'm not just saying that :lol: To give you any idea of how good it was, we were dismissed on that Friday, and I went home and started packing up our house with the help of my mom, since we moved to another house the day after Trey and I were released. I was on a demerol drip from about 10 pm Tuesday night till 9 am Wednesday morning, but after that, it was just plain ole ibuprofen or tylenol for me. They prescribed pain killers for home, and I never even got them filled. I had a hard time getting out of bed the first day, but once I got the hang of it, I was fine. I actually asked to go home on Thursday, but since Trey was a little jaundiced, we stayed an extra day.

I had little pain at all those following weeks, and my incision healed wonderfully..you can't even tell its there anymore unless you're really looking for it

And I didn't have any help at home at all..my mom was down on the Friday we left the hospital, and left the next day because she got sick with a cold when we were moving. Robb went back to work on Monday, so I was on my own :lol: And I did just fine

Thanks everyone for all your comments!

I know that a c-section is major surgery and would not take it lightly. Also, I'm not worried about being in the hospital for 3-4 days because my mom will be in town for about 2 weeks and can bring Peyton to the hospital to visit me and will help me out with Peyton during her stay.

There's a possibility we'll end up moving closer to my family within the next 2 months so this might all just become a non-issue for me anyway, which would be a relief! I'll know more in the next week or so but just in case we stay in the same area I'm going to talk to my doctor about an induction and see what they say about a planned c-section. I just want to go over all my options with them.

Plus I dont think my OB would give me a c-section unless I needed it. I thought thats how alot of Drs were but your may be more open.My Dr. recently told me last week, that since I gave birth to my daughter (2 yrs. ago) they 'changed' things (not sure if it's everywhere or just NJ :dunno: ). She said that now you can elect to have a c-section whether it's your first birth or not, and whether you have a medical condition or not..... It use to be (she said) that you needed a medical condition to have a c-section...but not no more.

Anyway....to answer the question: I am only 6 wks. preg. today. Through thorough research and talking with my dr. and DH, we decided that I will most likely have a scheduled c-section. I know the risks are low for uterine rupture (and can be higher depending on what kind of cut/scar you have on your uterus), but it's still a chance I don't want to take. My Dr. leaves the choice to me of course, and we will most likely have a scheduled c-section. VBAC vs. c-section is and always will be a highly controversial topic. There are lots of articles on the internet arguing both sides to this both for and against VBACs and c-sections.

I delivered Alexia via emergency c-section. Was I scared? Hell ya! I wasn't expecting or had planned out that I would need one....I had prepared myself for a vag. birth only. However, I honestly could say that it wasn't bad at all! Honestly! And keep in mind that I am the WORST when it comes to pain....DH can vouch for that, as I just about cry when I get a blister from burning myself on the stove, or even stubbing my pinky toe real hard on something! :lol: I really am bad when it comes to pain. I was honestly very pleased with my c-section with lexie. Granted, the following day I couldn't stand for $hit!! I felt like a feeble old woman all hunched over that couldn't stand straight! :lol: The worst part about it all, that I tell pple was a phlemy cough I had prior to the c-section. Well, it made it very hard...nearly impossible...to cough without it hurting. That really sucked...big time! I drove 6 or 7 days later. Luckily, DH will be taking off all the time I need so I'm lucky in that aspect. :)

Just do what you feel is right....and don't let anyone (family/friends) judge you otherwise. Regardless, as long as you have a healthy baby in the end that you can hold, is all that matters. :)

Good luck! :)

I too had an easy recovery from my c section.( Believe it or not Kim :P) But I think being induced is a better option. I am going to try a vbac for my next baby, though I did like the fact that my stitches were on my stomach and not my crotch! It is true that you stay longer for a c section if it is Peyton you are concerned about.

Good luck!