To the women who have had both vaginal delivery with an epidural and a c-section. Which do you recommend?

Question

I have friends who have had vaginal deliveries with an epidural, who wish they would've had a C-section. They had stitches, which made it painful for them to go to the bathroom. They don't feel the same way about their bodies and tell me that kegel exercises helps alittle (This is after three- years). Many celebraties are having scheduled C-sections, which leads me to believe that they know something we don't know. Celebraties have money to get the best of everything and they are choosing C-sections. This is why I want to hear from women who have had both a vaginal delivery with epidural and a C-section. What do you recommend?

Answer 1

I have had 3 c-sections and am pregnant with baby # 4 which will also be a c-section. That said, my first two were emergencies. I tried to have a vaginal birth but my body is not made for it. My doctor told me after the second that some women will just always have c-sections. I wouldn't elect to have one the first time unless it is medically necessary as your insurance may not pay for it (costs $10,000+ for a c-section).

As far as the after effects, I was only in a recovery room 1 hour, the babies were in there with me. I was up the next day in the shower, walking around. All of my children have been born at night. Also, I didn't take any pain medicine afterwards. Maybe I have a higher threshold of pain than others but it just wasn't that bad. I also breastfed all of my children so that wasn't an issue either. And none of the babies were groggy. My 10 month old daughter was extremely alert right after she was born. We even have a photo of her a few hours after she was born and she looks like she is smiling. Also, I have never in my life had a yeast infection, so that was news to me that someone else mentioned that about the antibiotics they give you. You only get them for one day and then the IV comes out. I went home 2 days after the surgery with all of my children and just took it easy.

A c-section is major surgery and shouldn't be taken lightly. The celebrities who are electing to have it done have the money to pay for it and don't want to be bothered by labor. I don't agree with this logic. It should only be if you can't have a vaginal delivery or if you or the baby are in distress and the baby has to be born quickly.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

My first was vaginal with an epidural and second was c-section (emergency). I wouldn't recommend a c-section to anyone. The discomfort you feel while giving birth vaginally (I also tore and needed stitches) is nowhere NEAR the pain and discomfort of healing from a c-section. Many women take c-sections too lightly. True, most times women are awake and alert, but this is still MAJOR surgery. They cut through your skin and fat, abdominal muscles and your uterus. For me, it was hellish. The pain meds they had me on in the hospital made me very ill. Then, once I went home, they prescribed a different drug which did nothing for me, so I lived on Advil and Tylenol for about a month. I could do nothing...no lifing anything heavier than my baby, no taking the stairs more than once a day, no driving, no shopping, no nothing. It's funny how much you realize you rely on your abdominal muscles after having a c-section! Everything hurt...standing up, sitting down, oh, and forget trying to lie down in bed or get up from a lying down position. Once I got in bed, I couldn't get comfortable no matter what I did. The worst part lasted about two weeks, then it gradually got better. With my vaginal birth, my epidural took away about 90% of the pain (made my contractions no more painful than bad menstrual cramps), and once I delivered my baby, the pain was gone and forgotten. Since I was numbed from my epidural, I didn't feel myself tear, and didn't feel the doctor giving me stitches. The tear did hurt a bit while going to the bathroom (urine stung it), but my ob/gyn gave me a container of those Tucks pads (used for hemmorhoids) to use after using the bathroom, and they were very soothing. Also a little water bottle that I was to fill up with warm tap water and rinse myself off. Nice, also. The pain/uncomfortableness from tearing lasted only a few days.

I would highly recommend having a vaginal birth with an epidural.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

My first was a c-section and I would NOT recommend a c-section. Why? Because it is still considered to be major surgery and so there are risks involved. When you get the c-section you have to sign waiver papers. You don't have to do that when the baby is born naturally!

Recovery from a c-section can be nearly twice as long as after a vaginal delivery. And your sewn-up midsection hurts just as bad if not worse than stitches. And remember, all women don't get stitches when they deliver vaginally, but ALL women who get a c-section do get cut open and sewn up.

What woman doesn't feel the same about her body after pregnancy and delivery? Your body won't ever be the same. You can help it get back in shape and stay healthy but some things can't be avoided. For instance, my hip bones have widened and as far as I know I can't move them back into place! My breasts are still bigger, too, and my husband loves that.

One more thing about the c-section. Because of the massive anesthesia given, you will be wheeled into a "recovery room" MINUS your little newborn where you will lie for at least 4 hours while the medicine wears off. I was miserable! My husband was holding and bathing our new baby and I was stuck helpless and numb all over in that recovery room. I sure envied those moms who delivered vaginally and got to hold and cuddle their babies right off.

There are also restrictions about what you can and can't do in the weeks following your c-section because again, you just went rhough major surgery. Women are also given large doses of antibitotics for a c-section because medical personnel are fearful of possible infection. As you know, antibiotics lower your immune defense, and also set pregnant women who want to nurse up for getting yeast infections. Nasty and painful (been there done that)!

If you want to nurse, c-section will delay your milk coming in and the drugs will make your baby sluggish and sleepy the first few days. With the added risk of yeast infection in the breast, c-sections sure make it tough for first-time breastfeeding moms.

Go natural if you can! Get pain medication if it's too much to bear, but for goodness sakes don't view a planned c-section like you would setting up an appointment for a manicure. It is risky and painful and expensive!

C-sections should be reserved for emergencies or for those women who were cut in such a way that uterine rupture is likely.

My second baby was a VBAC - Vaginal Birth After Cesearean. I was so proud!!! My third is due in 4 weeks and I'm going natural again....God willing.

Answer 5

Well as far as i know...vaginal delivery is the best way (yeah u cud get epidural) i had c-section. and its really difficult to cope! and u've got to be careful for a little longer time than vaginal delivery. the stitches here is on lower abdomen. u can't sneeze, cough, poop (for more than 10 days) properly. i had taken tonnes of painkillers!

Answer 6

A doctor will refuse to give you a c section unless you absolutely need it they have other forms of anesthetics you can ask for I got the epidural for all three of my vaginal births I do recommend it because it is the most effective.