To "C" or not to "C"?

Question

OK, here's my story. I am 38 weeks pregnant. On Tuesday I had an ultrasound and they estimate that the baby weighhs 9lbs. 2oz. Keep in mind that this can be off by a pound. My doctor is going to induce me next Wednesday. He also said that I can opt to have a C-section if I want right away because of the size of the baby. The Dr. gave me the facts but no real advice as to what I should do. What do you think?

Answer 1

When I was pregnant, I almost had to have a c-section because my son hadn't turned. Then while I was in labor, my son was stressed and almost had to have an emergency c-section. I was scared to death! I'd have done it to save my son's life. In my honest opinion, I think doctors try to push the c-section in non-emergency cases because it costs more to do so than a vaginal birth. Unless you have an emergency, I would opt for vaginal birth. In most cases, you wont know if you should have a c-section or not til you're in labor.

Besides, the recovery time for a c-section is a lot longer then vaginal, and you'll be less mobile. Most women get put on bed rest after a c-section, and you stay in the hospital longer.

It's all up to you as the mother though. If you're comfortable with opting for the c-section then go for it. But if you would rather wait til you're in labor to see if it will be ok to birth your child then its your choice. As far as I know, you can still choose to get a c-section after you go into labor.

Good luck!

Answer 2

With my second son, I had an ultrasound on a Friday. They told me he was 7.5 lb. Yay! Considering my first son was largeish (8 lb. 4 oz.) I was thankful to be having a normal size baby! The VERY NEXT DAY he was born via emergency c-section and his birth weight was...(drumroll please)...8 lb. 11 oz. I don't know what I ate the night before, but it musta packed the pounds on him over night. :) They can be (and quite frequently are) wrong. You could have a little 7 lb. 1 oz. baby in there. My first birth was vaginal with an epidural and my second was emergency c-section. I would never (knowing what I know now) have a c-section ON PURPOSE. What many women fail to realize is that a c-section (although very common, safe, and generally performed under local anesthesia) is still MAJOR SURGERY. They're cutting through your skin and fat, abdominal muscles and your uterus. Recovery is a complete b*tch. I have had a few major surgeries in my life, so I'm no stranger to pain, and the c-section was by far the worst recovery.

If I were you, I'd wait until your labor starts (or until you're induced) and try try TRY to have a vaginal birth. They'll monitor the baby closely and if anything goes wrong can and will perform a c-section, but please don't have one on purpose...

If you're worried about having a large baby, keep in mind that (as I said before, and as you know) they could be wrong, and if you're petite and have a large baby, you could still have him vaginally with no problems. PLENTY of small women give birth to 9+ pound babies all the time with no adverse affects on either the mother or baby.

Answer 3

I had a Csection and they make for a painful recovery but well worth it considering what you get in the end. However let me advise you of this. I was induced at 38 weeks and the ultrasound showed my baby to be almost 9lbs. I ended up with a Csection because my pelvic bone was too small to have a vaginal birth. Anyway guess what my baby weighed? 6lbs 5ozs.

Just something to think about. Good luck either way.

Answer 4

Have the baby vaginally. Babies born by c-section are more likely to have health problems later in life or even die as neonates than babies born vaginally (twice as likely to die). Mothers are also more likely to die in childbirth than mothers delivering vaginally (3.6 times more likely). The instances are really tiny, but why take the risk unless you have to?

A big baby is not really a good reason to have a c-section. I have had two large babies, one was 9 1/2 pounds, and she was born sunny side up with her chin sticking out, no episiotomy, only a tiny tear, and 12 minutes of pushing. No big deal. My hips ached for a while after, but no big deal. Body weight does not mean the head and shoulders are bigger! In fact, sometimes because of the weight of the baby, the baby can get in a better position to be pushed out than a lighter baby.

Also my mom vaginally birthed an 11 pound baby. Again, not a big deal. It can be done without any trauma!

Also remember than induction can lead to higher chances of needing a c-section in a first time mother. Don't take that risk unless it is a medical necessity.

Answer 5

It's really your decision. My friend was induced 2 weeks before her due date because they told her that her baby was going to be really big. She was in horrible back labor for 12 hours before they finally did a c-section, and the doctor told her "we knew we'd have to do a c-section, we just wanted you to try vaginal labor first." And the kicker is that the baby ended up only weighing 7 pounds and 13 ounces, muct smaller than your baby.

If your doctor thinks you can deliver vaginally it might be worth a try, c-sections take so long to get over and you are limited in what you can do. If your doctor thought the baby wouldn't make it through the birth canal he/she wouldn't have given you the option.

Answer 6

The ends do not justify the means. There is too much risk involved! I was induced once two weeks before my due date because they estimated my baby's weight by ultrasound at 10 pounds. They knew I could have her at that, but did not want to allow her to get larger. Estimates of weight based on ultrasound can be off by two pounds. She was exactly eight pounds, my smallest baby! I am a health care professional myself, and regret allowing them to intervene because of those measurements. Unless you have gestational diabetes, I would not opt for a cesarean delivery. It is major abdominal surgery, and your doctor will get thousands more for that delivery. Keep that in mind! It is also incredibly difficult to get your abdominal muscles back into shape after a cesarean.

Answer 7

I would try to have a natural delivery...the contrctons are good for the baby. I delivered my son naturally...I was told he was a big baby...he turned out to be 8lbs 4 oz and 24" long...try it...if you don't dialate in a certain period of time then go for a c-section. Keep in mind though that it takes longer to recover from a c-section.

Answer 8

That's a big baby :) Hard to give advice what to do,because who knows, you might dilate enough to give birth naturally, but I'm sure it wont be painless. I had c-section ( I had to have an emergency C-section ), and I had pain for about a month or two,but I'm not sure if because the emergency C-section or all C-sections hurt for that long. But my scar is getting smaller and smaller, and its not noticeable, they make the incision very low.(I had a horizontal incision).
But my doctor told me that the next baby will be C-section also.

More about C-sections here:

http://www.umm.edu/pregnancy/labordelivery/articles/csection.html


Good luck!

Answer 9

Well, as a mother and an expecting one yes they can be off by a pound but, they are pretty accurate for the most part. Having a cesarean isnt that bad. I LOVED mine. No pain and having a baby! I am pro choice for painkillers! Now, with my twins i would like to have "El-Naturale" Labor cause that was my dream for my son however, i was really drugged up after i had my son and was barely able to hold him but, at that time LOL i didnt care. Now, i wish i hadnt but, it was so EASY having a cesarean. But, you should do fine no matter what you choose! Even if it is a large baby cause i have heard of numerous people having babies 9lbs+ and even a 13lb girl once. Vaginally that is so, totally up to you.

Answer 10

The recovery from a C tends to be worse and take longer but then you may end up having to do one anyway if the baby is to big. If Dr. didn't say you should definately have one, I would try to avoid it. Good luck hun!