Is it possible to elect to have a c-section, even though I've never had one before?? (This is my first preg.)

Answer 1

It is going to depend on your dr. Some doctors will not do an elective c-section for a first pregnancy if there are no medical reasons for it.

Speaking from experience, I have had 2 c-sections, try natural once. I have never gotten to experience natural childbirth and I would give anything to be able to go thru that process.

Answer 2

I think the first question you should ask is 'why am I thinking about having an elective c-section?'.

I'm not saying don't have one - that's between you and your doctor (and unfortunately, probably also your insurance company!), but if you are thinking about having a c-section because you are afraid of going through a vaginal birth, I think you should slow down and examine all your options.

Have you taken a childbirth class yet? See what either your doctor's practice group or the hospital you plan to use has to offer. There were a bunch of women in the class I took before my daughter was born who were just petrified of giving birth - but by the end of the six weeks of class, they were all feeling WAY more confident about labor, because NOW they had a feeling for the whole process, and all of the options that were available to them - natural birth, epidurals, what happens in a delivery when there needs to be some intervention (forceps, vac extraction), and yes, c-sections.

I gave vaginal birth a good try - 2 1/2 hours of pushing, with no results, so I had an unplanned c-section. Was it OK? Yes. Was it hard to recover from? Definitely. It IS major surgery, and having had it has influenced my possible choices for my second baby (due Oct. 19).

TAKE A CHILDBIRTH CLASS! Don't make your decision in a state of ignorance. Knowledge is power.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Talk with your doctor. Some will allow you to opt for a c-section but usually doctors only perform c-sections when it's medically necessary. I had a c-section and really, I'd rather have gone through a natural delivery. It's a much longer (and more painful) recovery and there are many risks involved such as infection, (really, really painful) cramps and lots of bleeding, etc. My periods have been horrendous ever since my c-section. So if opting for a c-section is something your doctor will allow, definitely consider all the pros and cons before deciding.

p.s. For any woman concerned about "stretching out" her vagina because of a natural birth, come on. There are exercises you can do to tighten yourself back up and most women (and their men) say sex is more enjoyable after a vaginal birth.

Answer 4

Normally, these are not performed unless medically necessary. They take longer to recover from and leave you vunerable to better possibility of infections. Also, your insurance won't cover it if it is by some chance, elective.

If you're worried, nervous or scared about normal birth, talk to your doctor. Don't listen to other womens' birth stories, each individual is different. And don't have a C-Section just because some celebrity did.

For a normal birth, there are things like an epidural for pain management, that will help you through.

Main thing you need to do is to talk to your doctor about why you would want a C-Section and how you feel.

Answer 5

A lot of first-time mothers seem to think that the option of a C-section will somehow "save" them from what they fear will be an excruciating childbirth experience if they try to do it vaginally. But a C-section is even more painful, in reality! You have to go through major surgery, introducing much higher risks to both you and your baby, plus once the baby is born, instead of recovering for a few days and then being able to care for your baby (after a vag. birth), you must deal with recovering from the major surgery, the pain, being immobile and weak, and possibly unable to fully care for your baby for *weeks* rather than days.

Definitely talk with your doctor about the risks vs. benefits of having a c-section. It is NOT a decision to be made lightly, and unless your doctor is fond of performing them for the insurance kick-backs, hopefully s/he will correctly inform you that vaginal birth is preferred in almost all low-risk births. The ACOG (Amer. College of Obstetrics & Gyncecology) is *against* the option of elective C-section because the risks generally do not outweigh the benefits.

If your doctor(s) is not supportive of an elective C-section, your best bet is going to be to educate yourself about the different birth choices available to you with a vaginal birth. You may choose a medicated birth, a drug-free birth (lowest risk to baby *and* mother in the average birth), or something in-between where you might labor naturally as long as you feel able, and then opt for an epidural or other pain meds. Knowing your options is going to be the biggest factor in having the kind of birth you want, or envision yourself having.

Some good books to read are:

A Good Birth, a Safe Birth (Diana Korte)

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (Henci Goer)

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide (Penny Simkin)

Gentle Birth Choices (Barbara Harper)

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (Ina May Gaskin)

Mother's Intention: How Belief Shapes Birth (Kim Wildner)

These books will inform you, educate you, help you become a *thinking*, discerning woman who can make choices intelligently with all of the information you need to do so, rather than making decisions based on what sounds good, or feels good, at the moment.

Congratulations on your pregnancy, and best of luck!

Answer 6

Unfortunately, a lot of doctors these days are allowing patients to opt for C-sections without medical cause. Its easier on the doctor's schedules, so they figure, what they heck. Well, allow me to open your eyes. There are MORE risks and possible complications associated with a section. Recovery time is LONGER. It is NOT PAIN FREE as many have come to think. I've had one. I will do everything in my power to avoid a future one. I think it is 100% wrong for a woman to elect for a C-section. Furthermore, I think its irresponsible of doctors to allow them to do so. Best of luck.

Answer 7

Well, with my first pregnancy as I began to get closer to my due date, I got scared and called my doctor and asked if I could have a c-section and the doctor said "no". I should let nature take its course and if something comes up where I need a c-section he would peform it at that time. Now that was some years ago so it may have changed.

Answer 8

You need to give this VERY careful consideration before making this decision. A c-section is a major surgery, no matter how "routine" it may be. It will take longer to recover, you will need at least 4-6 weeks to heal, the numbness around the incision will take a year to go away, for some it never goes away. I encourage you to do a lot of research before you decide.

http://www.modern-psychiatry.com/c-secti...

http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_n...

Answer 9

WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THAT????
It is major abdominal surgery which takes weeks to recover from and you will be at greater risk of infection, possibly have difficulty looking after your baby in the early days because you will not be able to move quickly enough to comfort him/her. You would be better off trying a natural birth, which hurts for a few hours, but the recovery is easy!

A C-Section is not the easy way out!

Answer 10

Women should avoid purely elective cesarean deliveries if they are planning to have other children later on, an expert advisory panel concluded Wednesday.

Cesarean (C-section) births raise the risk of placental complications in later pregnancies. For that reason, experts strongly recommended that women planning on becoming pregnant later avoid C-sections when doctors see no medical need to perform them.

A cesarean delivery on maternal request, or CDMR, is defined as a C-section on a mother's request of a full-term, single-child pregnancy without a medical reason for doing so.

"If a woman is planning to have several children, we clearly feel women should not opt for cesarean delivery at maternal request," says Mary E. D'Alto, MD, head of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University and chairwoman of the panel.