Can you decide on a C-Section?

Question

I would like to know what leads to a c-section? What if the baby is too big? Will they still make you try naturally? Has anyone had bad side effects with the epidural?

Answer 1

this happened to my wife 3 months ago, she went into labor for around 9-10 hours and wasn't dialating past a 3 so the doctor gave her pictocin to try and help her along, but ultimately her pelvis was too small and she wouldn't be able to have the baby naturally. She said she felt no pain whatsoever during the c-section. she was numb waist down for about a day and a half. she went through some pain but it isn't much worse if at all than having a baby naturally. the only draw back is that she now has a scar below her bikini line. The only positive thing I could see from having a c-section is that there is no chance of having to cut your vaginal opening or any loosening of it for a better sex life.

with my first child my ex had him naturally and sex just wasn't the same, with my wife now sex is great and she is in perfect health. that's my $0.02

Answer 2

as far as the part about the epidural, i cant offer an answer bc i havent gotten one yet. (one week overdue and waiting). but i can help answer about the c section.
a lot of factors play into the need for a c section. like you said, what if the baby is too big? in most cases, unless there is another risk besides the babys size, a dr will let you try to deliver natural. babys of all sizes have been born naturally, so its not impossible (even though it could be more unpleasant). if you're labor doesnt progress, or you cant successfully deliver the baby, often a c section is done.
other reasons for a c section could be that the baby is distressed, you have other medical problems that could increase a risk to you or the baby during the delivery (hypertension, preclmapsia, and so on).
also, you can request a c section. its a lot more common than some may think. its not guaranteed that it is the best option, but you can ask your ob about it.
you can always ask your dr to go over risks you have that could lead to a c section, and you'll probably find out you dont have any at all. most c section deliveries are decided weeks before delivery, and are often done with induction as well. emergency c sections arent done unless there is a risk to the mother or baby during delivery. hope this helped! congrats and good luck to both of you!

Answer 3

If you live in the UK you CAN opt to have a c-section at any point during pregnancy regardless of what the Dr recommends (unless of course your labor is to advanced).

I have had 2 c-sections both due to complications generally spinal anesthetic is used rather than an epidural however you can opt for general anesthetic which is more risky. I had no side effects from the anesthetic itself.

It is not the easy option that most people think it is though. The first 24 hours after are horrible your movement is extremely restricted and this does effect your ability to care for your baby. Another nasty side effect can be nausea immediately afterwards as your hormones are releases in a "rush" this again reduces contact with your new baby. Obviously having limited contact with your child can in some cases effect how you bond with your baby, this is not to say if you have a section you will not bond with your baby.

This is your decision but please make sure you are fully informed not just about the procedure but also the emotional effects.

Answer 4

Most doctors (or most good ones) will only do a C section if it is medically necessary or if labor or delivery isn't progressing normally. You really don't want to have a C section if you don't have to. It's major abdominal surgery, can have lots of awful complications, and the worst: you can't hold your baby right when he's born! Sounds awful. I've given birth 4 times, 2 with epidural and 2 naturally, no medication at all. The epidural completely numbs you from the waist down, so you can't move around or walk, or get up to go to the bathroom, etc. during labor. You're stuck in a bed for the duration, and in my experience, the epidural significantly slowed down the whole process. Better to have it be quick and painful, if you ask me. If you're worried about the pain, just think that women have been doing this for thousands of years. Suck it up. Nobody ever dies from the pain. And the moment you see your new baby, you'll forget all about it.

Answer 5

Ususally the doctor decides if a c-section is needed or not. A baby can be deliverd by c-section if it's too big, breech, or if the woman has a vaginal disease that could harm the baby during delivery. There are several reasons why a c-section may be reccommended. I've had a c-section because my baby wasn't in the correct position for delivery, she was a foot breech, and my first baby was a butt breech baby....unfortunately it was too late for them to do a c-section with her, so I had to deliver her vaginally....(ouch!). I did have an epidural and the only side effect I had was a POUNDING headache over the next couple of days. Please don't let a c-section scare you because if your doctor was as good as mine was...heck a c-section is the ONLY way I'd go. I got a cute little bikini cut that you can't even see and boy is it small. The only thing is, sometimes it itches a little and it's been 3 years tomorrow since I had one done....good luck!

Answer 6

I had a c-section because my son was breech, was 35 weeks and had pre-eclampsia plus they couldn't stop my labor.

Some doctors will let you lay in pain for hours then all of a sudden say well lets do a c-section. I would be asking if there is no way of having the baby naturally to go ahead and have a c-section done.
I have never had an epidural cause i asked to be put to sleep when i had my c-section. My sister now had the worst effects of an epidural. They had stuck the needle into far in her back, she still felt everything when she was delivering her daughter then afterwards had the worst headache ever and the doctors acted like it was nothing until 3 days later when she collapsed and went numb from her waist down -she couldn't move- so they flew her out to a university hospital in our state and they had to do a blood patch -where they take blood from your back and put it into your hand and she got better but do you know that when they put that epidrual in her back it cause air pockets in her brain (She had a cat scan done)
I would never ever get an epidural because of what happened to her.

Answer 7

The answer to your question depends on where you live. Talk to your O.B.G.Y.N. In Texas my wife requested one because, as in your case, the baby was too big for the birth canal. Her Dr. actually recommended it before we asked. The c-section itself was relatively simple. We made an appointment with the hospital a month before, and arranged payment, took blood, and one last urine sample at the hospital a day before. My wife didn't have any bad side effects from the epidural but I have read that if you get one, you increase your chance of getting shingles.

Answer 8

My first child was born naturally and when she was born I had complications and started bleeding internally, they had to sew me up on the inside to stop the bleeding, she was 8 pounds 15 ounces, my second child was going to be big so my doctor gave me the option of a c-section cause I was so scared to deliver naturally again, so when they did the c-section for my second child when they took her out she they told me if i did try naturally they would have had to do an emergency c-section anyway cause she was to big to come out naturally she was 9 pounds 15 ounces. Now I'm pregnant with my third pregnancy the doctor has already scheduled a c-section cause she figures my baby will be big again. I had a spinal with my c-section and now I get back problems.

Answer 9

Caesarean section is recommended when vaginal delivery might pose a risk to the mother or baby. Reasons for caesarean delivery include

* prolonged labour or a failure to progress (dystocia)
* apparent foetal distress
* apparent maternal distress
* complications (pre-eclampsia, active herpes)
* catastrophes such as cord prolapse or uterine rupture
* multiple births
* abnormal presentation (breech or transverse positions)
* failed induction of labour
* failed instrumental delivery (by forceps or ventouse)
* the baby is too large (macrosomia)
* placental problems (placenta praevia, placental abruption or placenta accreta)
* contracted pelvis
* previous caesarean section (though this is controversial – see discussion below)
* prior problems with the healing of the perineum (from previous childbirth or Crohn's Disease)

Note, however, that different providers may disagree about when a caesarean is required. For example, while one obstetrician may feel that a woman is too small to deliver her baby, another might well disagree. Similarly, some care providers may be much quicker to cite "failure to progress" than others. Disagreements like this help to explain why caesarean rates for some physicians and hospitals are much higher than are those for others. The medico-legal restrictions on VBAC, vaginal birth after caesarean, have also increased the caesarean


As for the epidural, I've known a lot of women who have had them, and seen more. The worst side effect I've really seen was severe bruising, but the woman had a preexisting condition.

In addition to blocking the nerves which carry pain, local anaesthetic drugs in the epidural space will block other types of nerves as well, in a dose-dependent manner. Depending on the drug and dose used, the effects may last only a few minutes or up to several hours. This results in three main effects:

* Loss of other modalities of sensation (including touch, and proprioception)
* Loss of muscle power
* Loss of function of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls blood pressure

Pain nerves are most sensitive to the effects of the epidural. This means that a good epidural can provide analgesia without affecting muscle power or other types of sensation. The larger the dose used, the more likely it is that the side-effects will be problematic.

Very large doses of epidural anaesthetic can cause paralysis of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm (which are responsible for breathing), and complete loss of sympathetic function, even to the heart itself, causing a profound drop in heart rate and blood pressure. This requires emergency treatment, and usually general anaesthesia. This happens because the block height is too high ("high block") and the epidural is blocking the heart's own sympathetic nerves, as well as the phrenic nerves, which supply the diaphragm.

It is considered safe practice for all patients with epidurals to be confined to bed to prevent the risk of falls.

The loss of the sensation of needing to urinate may require the placement of a urinary catheter for the duration of the epidural.

Opioid drugs in the epidural space are very safe (as well as effective). However, very large doses may cause troublesome itch, and rarely, delayed respiratory depression.

However, epidurals are very safe, and I honestly wouldn't recommend child birth without one.

Answer 10

I was in labor with my first one for 24 hours when labor had stopped. The doctor came in and told me he was prepping me for a C-section. Given at this time I was dilated to 9 and completely effaced. I got the epidural and my labor restarted. The doctor came in to do one last check before wheeling me away to surgery and I said, "No way, my labor started again." He was furious and stormed out of the labor and delivery room. I gave brith two hours later to a beautiful baby boy naturally.