Normal versus C Section??

Question

Im 28 wks preggo now with my first.I have been getting mixed views about whether going normal or c section. I have heard that normal is actually really bad after delivery because you are all torn up and it really hurts for atleast 2 weeks and you can't go to the bathroom because it really hurts. C section on the other hand is easy ..atleast the vagina is intact and for the stiches on the stomach doctors give u pain meds so you're fine.Also can you ask for c section delivery prior to labour or insurance won't cover it? Please advise

Answer 1

Some insurances won't pay for a voluntary c-section. And I can tell you, a section is not fun either. Go with the flow and get through the pregnancy. The risks are higher with a c-section, possible death, hemmoraging, etc....

Answer 2

first of all vaginal delivery is no more "normal" than a c-section.
A c-section is major abdomianl surgery. You do not just get some meds and are "fine" The recovery from a c-section is far more than 2 weeks. Going to the bathroom is just as painful after a c-section and passing a bm is far worse.
Where in the world did you ever get the idea a c-section was easy?
You are very misinformed.
- mom of 3 with # 4 on the way........... BTW I have had 2 c-sections and another expected in March,.

Answer 3

Vaginal births are better for the baby. I had a vaginal birth, two cuts/episiotomies, and tore (4th degree tears, the worst you can have), but I wasn't in a lot of pain at all. I was sewn up very well and could do just about everything right away. I took stool softeners and never had a problem going the bathroom. Some people with c-sections can't drive for a long time, lift anything, etc., and then are stuck with scars. I want a vaginal birth again but am discussing with my doctor ways to prevent so much tearing, one way is massage the vagina and cervix to help it stretch better during birth and possibly inducing a little early so the baby isn't so big. Good luck!

Answer 4

My suggestion is to have a vaginal delivery. You tend to heal much quicker. It is hard to use the bathroom, but that doesn't last long. I only bled for 2 weeks after and I was in minimal pain. I didn't even need the meds the doctor prescribed me. Why put your body through unneccessary surgery? It will be hard to walk around, carry your baby and do everyday things with a c-section. Also, in many cases once you have a c-section once you will always have to. Personally, I think it takes away from the experience of giving birth. If it were me, I would have a vaginal delivery planned and take a c-section in case of an emergency. Think it through and do your research sweetie. Good luck :)

Answer 5

i would not ask for a c section. You do not always rip when you have a baby vaginally. With my first I was cut because the doctor didn't think she would fit but then i changed doctors. With my second I had two very tiny rips and i could barely feel them. A lot of women will just stretch to where they need to be. You have just as bad of a chance with a c section. You could get an infection, horrible pains, pain meds might not work....all that stuff. Don't go for a c-section just because something "might" happen.

Answer 6

I had two C-sections and had absolutely no problems afterward. They were done because my cervix wouldn't dilate
past 3 cm. With my second daughter I thought I would try to deliver vaginally, but the same thing happened so I had a C-section. I don't know if you can just request a C-section.
I always thought they were done for a specific reason, not
just because that what someone requested. I have never felt cheated by having Cesareans. I did, at least get to experience labor both times. It does hurt, but it's all worth it.
Good luck.

Answer 7

i have had three vaginal births and one c-section, in that order.

My view is that c-sections should be reserved for emergency situations. That being said, my c-section was performed becasue my daughter was breech and my doctor was concerned that since she was my fourth that i may dilate and result in a prolapsed cord before we could make it to the hospital should i be allowed to go into labor on my own....and yet i still don't feel that it was entirely necessary, being that i was delivered in my 39th week.

Anyway, yes, vaginal birth may result in tearing, and i think the first time i got something along the lines of 12 stitches or more (i didn't ask how many stitches the second time, and i didn't tear the third time)....but it was healed in a few weeks and didn't interfere with any of my normal activities while caring for my newborn. They may give you medication to prevent swelling and may give you something for the pain if it is severe enough.

As for the c-section, i could barely move post-op. Caring for my infant was difficult to say the least. I breastfeed, and it was nearly unbearably painful just to roll myself over in bed, let alone get up in the middle of the night to feed her. After two weeks they removed the staples on my incision, which was good, becasue they were causing a pinching, stabbing type pain every time i moved and while i was standing. I thought it would alleviate a lot of the pain, but the majority of it was still there. I ran out of vicodin and motrin about a week after my staples were out, and they would not refill my prescriptions.

My fourth child is now 6 months old, and my incision, although has healed well, still hurts every now and then, and defiantly when one of my children are climbing on me and happens to press on it.

If you're afraid of the pain of a vaginal birth, you shouldn't have gotten pregnant, becasue a c-section is about 100x worse during the healing process.

Oh, and about the surgery it's self, it was quite uncomfortable as well. Yes, i had a spinal epidural, or perhaps a spinal block...i'm not sure, i was too upset about having to have surgery at all that i wasn't paying a lot of attention to the key details, anyway...i could feel them cut my skin. It feel like pressure and burning. Once they were past the skin i couldn't feel anything as far as them slicing me up. I felt them pulling and tugging. My husband wouldn't look while they were delivering the baby, but he looked back after she was out and they were closing me up. He said they had all my insides out of me. I felt a lot of burning and tugging to the right side of my abdomen, and looking at my scar i'd assume that it's because the incision was longer on the left than the right, so there was more pressure where it ended when they were holding it open and digging around.

And then of course, i've already described a portion of the horrors of attempting to heal from major abdominal surgery such as a c-section, while also trying to meet the demands of an infant.

Answer 8

You have a lot of misinformation on C-sections.


NO obstetrician worth his/her salt will allow you or any other patient to choose a C-section. It's not an elective surgery where you get to decide to have one or not when you're pregnant.

C-sections are chosen when problems during vaginal delivery come to light. Such as fetal distress, mother's blood pressure too high, baby's too big to fit through the pelvis AFTER proper mesurments on an ultrasound, etc. They're major surgery involving cutting into your muscles & uterus. There's risk of infection, bleeding & worst of all, a permanent scar.

When I was a couple days overdue with my son, I was offered C-section or vaginal birth. I chose vaginal as I didn't want all the complications from a C-section. I'd had 3 ultrasounds to determine fetal size & due date. I also had gestiational diabetes which can cause a fetus to grow larger than normal. I got lucky & got to have my son vaginally. Had the measurements been a few centimeters larger, I would've had to go with the C-section ONLY for my baby's safety. It's harder for obstetricians to push a stuck baby back through the pelvic opening once stuck in the vaginal/pelvic canal.

I'm glad I had my son vaginally. His shoulders got stuck as he was coming out so I had to have an episiotomy. Otherwise, he would've came out just fine & I wouldn't have torn or had to be cut. Yes, I hurt afterwards. I was sore for about 3 weeks. My obstetrician stitched me with dissolvable stitches too. When I went in for my 6 week check up, they were almost gone. I took Advil or Tylenol for the pain. I was given stool softeners in the hospital too & continued to take them for 10 days after delivery so that I wouldn't have any problems with my bowels. When my son was 3 months old, I had a final check up with my obstetrician. Everything had healed well.

Your insurance will pay for the C-section ONLY if your obstetrician decides it's medically necessary for you to have one.

Answer 9

I will admit I had an easier time after my c-section then my VBAC. But I could not drive for several weeks, and I think the surgery precipitated latent celiac disease and now I can't eat gluten - as in wheat, barley, rye, triticale, spelt, as in pasta, canned soups, bread, cookies, cake, ice cream cones, etc without horrible cramping and diarrhea as well as decreased nutritional absorption of things like calcium and B vitamins. What I am getting at is that the c-section takes a huge toll on your body, more so then you might think. Plus my 2nd baby was 10lb 5oz and I pushed him out relatively quickly (1hr 20min) so there was some tearing.

Your fertility goes down a little with each c-section and the chance of uterine rupture increases. The mortality rates of mother and infant increase with each c-section. You could get an infection in the wound site and risk horrible scarring as well as death later. For your infant you raise the risk of asthma and allergies, you might have a hard time nursing as the milk takes longer to come in after c-section. While you heal quickly from a vaginal birth your incision scar from a c-section will be numb for years and you will experience adhesions ripping along the muscles as you move.

Its not a good idea to go with c-section even if you have the choice the first time - you working against your body and your future as well as your infants. Unless there is good reason to deliver via c-section no one should go that route, its not good for you or your infant. Oh yeah, and you risk having your NERVES cut with c-section - as in a numb vulva and vagina. FOREVER. Do you want to risk that as well?

Answer 10

recovery with a c section is alot more complicated than with a vaginal.....but you already know that. I have had 2 c sections and one of the only great things about it is that c section babies have round perfect heads coming out since they do not have to squeeze through the birth canal. In a few days it wont matter but it will look good in those first baby pics after baby is born! But I'm not sure why anyone would request major abdominal surgery. I would have gone vaginal if I could have, but my first baby was stubborn and breech. Either way, congrats on baby!