Serious Decision Time....C-section or not?
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Serious Decision Time....C-section or not?
I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now and talked again to my Dr. about this today...I'm no closer to making my decision. I've asked a few friends, but I can tell they don't want to impose their opinions, so I'm asking for your honest opinion! 
Background: When I gave birth to my DD, I fractured my tailbone. Delivery was wonderful, and a great experience. Recovery--another story! I had a 3rd degree episiotomy, horrible hemmeroids from pushing so hard and then the tailbone issue. I didn't realize I had fractured it, I just thought I was on the whimpy side! I went home with Percocet and was still in so much pain that I was in tears it hurt so bad! I couldn't sit easily. Again, I thought I was just a whimp. Recovery took a good year. Whenever I would go to someones house, I would have to sort of sit to one side or else I couldn't sit for long at all. I would have to move to the floor and sort of lean on my side. This took a good year to recover!
I've been really starting to worry about breaking my tailbone again. This time, I'll have to get my DD to school and won't have the luxury of just staying in bed if need be.
My Dr.'s have all said that I can opt for a c-section. They agree it would be whole other recovery, but certainly not a year. I would never, ever opt for surgery, especially since I had a wonderful birthing experience. I just can't go through that pain again. Since my tailbone has been weakened, it's more likely that it will happen again. (I fell down a flight of stairs years ago and did some damage to it before giving birth)
Anyway, I would love to know your opinion. As it stands now, I'll have another u/s at around 34 weeks to see how big this baby is, and then make my decision then. Then, if I decide to go ahead we can either schedule the c-section for 39 weeks or else induce....I'm just not sure!!
I've said before that my c-section recovery was a breeze, I didn't even need all the percocets the sent me home with, probably only took them for the first week, and felt FINE. My mom broke her tailbone with my sister and was MISERABLE. If it were me I'd go with the c-section. Good luck hon!
Eve, I think if it were me, I would do the c-section. Especially, since there is a high risk of it happening again. A year is a long recovery.
I had a c-section and then a vbac. I had a difficult c-section recovery, but I was still doing okay after a couple of weeks. That is much better, then a year. I chose to do the VBAC because I was a good candidate and I didn't want to have major surgery if I didn't have to. It turned out to be a good decision for me. I had an easy labor and recovery, much better then the c-section. However, my circumstances were very differnt from yours. If I knew that I could face a year recovery from a vaginal birth, I would go for the c-section. Just make sure that you have plenty of help for a few weeks after the birth. I know for some the recovery was a breeze. But, for me, I needed two weeks of help. For some reason, I had a hard time and it took me that long to feel somewhat normal(as normal as you can feel after just having a baby)
Well, I'll throw in a different opinion just to make things confusing. I had a horrible delivery the first time---baby's heart rate keep dropping, ineffective pushing, an episiotomy with turned into a stage 3 tear due to use of the vacuum extractor to get the baby out, etc. However, I realized that most of my problems were due to the epidural. I couldn't feel to push because I was too numb and couldn't feel what I was doing and the medicine is what made my baby's heart rate dropped.
Second delivery I was much more empowered, plus as my OB said, "the trail has been blazed once before" and I knew what to expect. I delivered my second with NO drugs and a TENS unit. I had practiced my Lamaze faithfully for 4 weeks before delivery. I had a wonderful labor and delivery. Just pushed a few times, had a very small episiotomy, and felt go enough to go outside and dig a ditch immediately after delivery, if I had been so inclined. I actually had some bleeding problems a few days after delivery because I felt so good that I was doing too much and was told to stay off my feet and relax a little more.
This delivery will likely be easier since your body has done it once before. I certainly wouldn't willingly go under the knife is there is no medical reason to do so.
Just curious...why is your choice C-section or induce at 39 weeks? Why aren't you going full term and see if you go into labor on your own?
I had no choice about having all C-sections and desperately wanted a VBAC but it wasn't to be. I really don't see c-sections as being the terrible thing that some people feel they are. If you have to make the choice between being miserable for a year (which means you have trouble being all the mom you can be) and recovering for a few weeks at most (I was off all meds in less than a week with all of mine), hands down I would choose the surgery. I know it isn't an easy decision but I hope you are able to find peace with whatever you decide. Good luck!
Won't get into a debate - we had trouble on this the last time . My honest opinion is that you seek sound medical advice and go from there.
If it were me (which it's not) I would opt for the C. I am not an advocate of surgery or of unnecessary medical intervention, but I believe in doing what is medically warranted (a good chance of re breaking your tail bone sounds like medical necessity to me) and that which will give mommy the best result - a healthy baby and a healthy mommy.
You've already gone through the pain of recovering from a broken tail bone - so only you know if you are willing to risk that again. I would not.
Like Pam I had a horrible first delivery with my son and my second delivery was a breeze - but we didn't break any bones during our first deliveries so I don't think we can honestly compare our experiences to yours.
Whatever you decide, don't cave into pressure that you have to do this "naturally" for it to count. It counts no matter what you do .
Just make the decision that you and your doctor feel most comfortable with.
Ame
If there was a chance that I would break a bone. I would go with the c. You will have other things to overcome with the c but not a broken bone. Good luck!
I think the most important thing to ask yourself is 'will i be able to take care of my family after giving birth?' If the answer is a maybe with a vaginal delivery then I would probably opt for the csection.
C-Section all the way baby! DS was a C-section DD was a VBAC so I have done it both ways. I agree with Beth, if there is even a little chance I am going to break a bone I would have a c-section.
You have my number call me if you want to talk.
I had a very easy recovery with both my c-sections, I took Tylenol for pain every once in a while.
I was told not to drive for a few weeks after the procedure, not sure why. So you might consider that if you will need to drive you dd to school. You are also not supposed to lift anything heavier than your baby...I tore myself open 2 times because I didn't listen to that.
Eve, scheduled csection is a breeze. I would never risk breaking my tailbone and being in that much pain with Sydney and the new baby. Emergency sections are harder than the scheduled ones. I've had both. You need to do what's best for you.
Thank you all so much. I still have a long way to go before I decide, but I thank you all for the support and opinions.
Pamt-I totally appreciate your honesty. Believe me, I was completely happy with my delivery of DD. It was only the recovery that was not fun. (I would gladly take an episiotomy, and hemmeroids and all that jazz over a c-section! Just not the fracture. On a scale of 1-10, the pain was a 20.)
Delivery at 39 weeks is due to the fact that I may go into labor before hand and also the size of the baby. A larger baby usually equals a break in my case, and my Dr. seemed to think that boys tend to be a bit bigger in size. Although, DD was only 7 lbs and I still fractured. Believe me, if I don't end up with a c-section, I'll be calling you to put me on your prayer list!
Now, I think my next question for all of you will be what exactly is involved in the recovery from a c-section? Did you have staples or stitches? Did you have any complications? Thanks again.
Some questions: did your doc say that you are at risk at breaking it again? A friend of mine had the same thing happen with baby 1, but had no issues with that for babys 2, 3 or 4. I thought hers broke because it was "in the way" and once it does that it heals a little straighter.
I will second PamT's comment. Once your body has been through birthing, it is SOO much easier. Your body has been there, done that and almost always it is a better experience. My first got stuck of my pelvic bone, she had to be readjusted int here (they used forcepts) then she came out so fas that my episiotomy was the whole way. NOT fun, horrible recovery, it was 4 months before I was allowed to have sex and closer to a year before it didn't hurt terribly. I have had 2 and 3 with no issues.
Next question? Why induction? It is almost always harder to deliver when your body isn't ready? I have had two inductions for blood pressure reasons, one I was only 37 weeks, it was very very slow and a lot more painful in general. This was baby 2, recovery was great, I took my dd trick or treating about 36 hours after I delivered. My 3rd was an induction, but my cervix was already dialate to a 3. I would probably choose a section, then to induce when my body wasn't ready.
Also I would reccomend taking birthing classes again. you may or may not need it, but if you do and don't remember it really sucks
Usually, the 2nd delivery goes much quicker, with much LESS pushing than the first time around.
With my oldest, it was 2 hours of intense pushing. With my 2nd, it was a matter of 4 pushes, and he was out.
Do your doctors say that there is a good chance you will break your tailbone again? My daughter broke her arm, which was injured before that. She now does gymnastics and power tumbling without a problem.
If you are scared to delivery vaginaly again, I would sign up for the c-section. It's completely in your hands. Luckily, with modern medicine, we as patients can make a lot of the decisions.
I was induced with my first and it didn't work, hence the emergency section.
I've had both staples and stitches. I prefer the stitches, but really it doesn't matter much because you are on pain medication and still in the hospital when they come out. It didn't hurt to have the stitches/staples taken out. They will have you on your feet within 24 hours (or sooner) after a c-section. If you nurse, the football position is one of the more comfortable ones.
Eve, I had an emerg section. I had a not quite 2 year old at home, and I was breastfeeding. I was certainly in pain, but I took them both to the mall to have pics taken when the baby was 11 days old. It hurt, but was certainly manageable. I can remember the 3 week mark being the magic time as far as feeling so much better. I started my daycare back into full swing when she was 6 weeks old.
I had dissolving stitches, and had no problems.
I had an emergency after 14 hours of labor and 2 scheduled. The scheduled were much easier to recover from. I had staples and they were removed before I even left the hospital. I was seriously freaked out about them removing them but didn't feel a thing. I was kept an extra day with each birth because I'd pop up with a low grade fever that they wanted to keep an eye on. That was my only complication. I don't know if you've had an epidural but that feeling was really hard for me to relax with. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I also had the shakes pretty badly after each of the births. I don't know if that is a c-section side effect or not but it was disconcerting. The epidural and pain meds made my face and neck itch for about 24 hours. That was one of the reasons I tried to get off them so soon. Yes, the pain is certainly there but manageable and, as long as you move often and as soon as possible and take it as easy as you can, recovery can be pretty straightforward.
I had internal stitches with tape across the actual incision. The tape came off itself within 2 weeks and it was no big deal. I also took my pain meds for the first week and after that I felt pretty good...just had to watch stretching out the area too much or it would get a little sore.
I ditto lots of others here on this, but I would definitely do a c-section over breaking a bone that takes so long to heal and really hinders your movement and how well you can take care of your family. A c-section is NOT a big deal! Do what's best for you and best of luck
I had a horrible 1st delivery. (28 hrs of labor and I thought I would die when they used that darn vacuum- talk about going against the flow of nature...) Episiotomy... yuk
2nd delivery- again vaginally. 13 hrs labor. Lordy the kid was big and tangled up in the cord. I pinched a nerve in my hip and couldnt stand up for weeks. It hurt so bad. ripped, i was not happy about that since the doc assured me i wouldnt need episiotomy. Let me just stop here and say that I did not EVER want to give birth again after this.
Little surprise #3 arrived via Emergency C-section. The recovery was pretty tough for *me*. I had stitches on the inside and staples (12 large ones) across my tummy. I was absolutley miserable after this. lol Isnt that what you wanted to hear? Honesty? Now having said all that, I will tell you that I have had lower back issues that kept me in bed for days and also am sure I fractured my tail bone as a kid. I *still* remember that pain!!! It is downright irritating. So if you are high risk of breaking a tail bone- I'd go with a C-section. Its not that bad as long you know what to expect. (cant sneeze, cough, laugh, move fast, hard to get out of bed, that first bowel movement made me cry, etc... ) But it doesnt last that long. You heal quickly.
(the reason I told about all 3 deliveries is so that you could see how diff they all were. there is just no way to know how it will go)
Good luck!! I am very happy for you!!
I just re-read my post and it is awful Eve!!! I am sorry, but I am ROFL. I didnt mean it to sound so negative.
I'm gonna go have a beer now.
I had staples the first c and steri-strips with the second c. No complications with either one. Was moving around pretty good with both of them, by the end of the first week. The second c was a little bit easier than the first one.
With the first one, I didn't finish the percocet, with the second one, I did, but didn't need any more than I was prescribed.
If I had to face fracturing a tailbone, I think I would rather have a c!
Wow, Eve. You poor thing!
I had a C section and staples. I wasn't allowed to take the staples out until 6 weeks.
I can't *imagine* a broken tailbone kind of pain. The c-section was hard, but after 2 weeks, I think I could have taken care of a family. (Minus the lack of sleep.)
I just don't think it would be worth it to risk the tailbone breaking again. My neighbor also had that happen and she said that she would have rather opted for a c-section.
Are you having a boy? Sometimes their heads are bigger. When Connor came out, we were VERY happy we went with the C section. His head was the "size of sputnik"! I also was not dilating past 5cm and there was myconium when my water broke.
I hope that, whatever you choose, that you don't feel guilty about your choice. You do what's best for your family and your own health and just make sure you surround yourself with loving help.
Eve, ultimately you should do what is best for you. SOme of you may be surprised, but in this case I would consider the c. I broke my tailbone when I was 8 years old. I had problems after that, severe ones. It was never taken care of because my parents didn't know what I did to break it and when I complained about pain they didn't think it was any big deal. They never got it checked out. I could never do situps or run or a bunch of things as a child. Then in 1994 I gave birth to Kyle and it shifted the already broken bone. It was the most excruciating thing I have ever gone through. It got better until I was pregnant with my twins. I couldn't even walk. I lost them at 4+ months, still couldn't walk. My tilted uterus must have done something. When I went to a surgeon I found out that I had broken it at a 90 degree angle when I was 8. After losing the twins I still couldn't walk, sit, anything. I finally had it removed not to long after my loss. It was the best decision I ever made! Even with it removed it took a year to feel better! I know the pain a broken tailbone can cause, and you will have a new baby and Syd to take care of. If it were me, I would do the c and then get that bone out asap! And no, you shouldn't feel guilty at all!
Ladies, unless you have had a broken tailbone you have no idea how extreme the pain is!
Since you said it is likely to happen again, I guess I would go with the c section. What would the doctor do if they were in the same situation.
All things considered, I'd go with the C-section too. I fractured my tailbone when I was around 14 or 15 from falling out of a tree (don't ask! LOL), so I know the pain from that.
Never had a C-section, but have had several abdominal surgeries - I had interior stitches, exterior staples which were removed after a few days, and the steri-strips after that. I WILL say that it was very painful - after all, they cut through muscle, etc. And as was said above, you have to be careful when stretching.
But when having ANY surgery, the quicker you get up and moving around, no matter how painful, the quicker you actually heal, plus the movement prevents stiffness and further weakness.
You will be fine, good luck!
I would probably opt for the c-section.
I would go with my gut and schedule a c-section, too.
Wow, how did I miss this?!
Eve, you need to do what's right for YOU. I remember anguishing over the decision between c-section or VBAC with #2. It was tough but I chose what I knew was right for ME and was at peace with my decision regardless what other people said. Each situation is different. Although I have never broken my tailbone, I did bruise it once. YOUCH! It took several months before I was able to sit down without any pain so I totally understand your concerns. Yes, there are cons to c-sections but that's the only way I've been able to deliver and my children and I are fine. I'd be happy to give you more details. And, don't forget that we're close by and able to help!
I'd be signing the paper work for the C & none of my 3 were delivered that way. You have to do what's best for you. Good luck making your decision!
Thank you, everyone. I've made no decisions. It's still really tough to decide on surgery when I had such a good experience up until the recovery. I'm going to wait until I talk to my Dr. again. I'm just sort of praying on it, and hopefully my answer will come.
Can anyone tell me how soon you got to hold the baby and if there was any skin to skin contact? Also, how soon were you able to nurse? They layed my DD right on my tummy when she came out. She was only away from me for moments and then I was able to nurse right there on the spot while the Dr. was stitching me up. It was wonderful! I hate to lose that time with the baby....
Thanks again. I'm sure I'll post some more questions for you all soon.
They placed Shane in my arms before Maddie was even out (they are 2 minutes apart), and I got to hold both of them together while they started to close my incision. They did whisk the kids off pretty quickly, but part of that was because they had trouble keeping their temperatures up. I wasn't able to nurse until I was in recovery, but I'm not sure how long that took. My ex-husband was with them the entire time they were away from me. HTH, Eve!
Oh Eve, right away, you are awake through the whole operation, you don't lose any of that.
I had c-sections and my kids were put on my chest the minute they came out. I was only numb from my chest down and fully awake for the whole experience (had an epidural). I didn't nurse right away cause my colastrum didn't kick in for a few hours, but I don't know if that had anything to do with the c-section or not. In talking to friends, our experiences right after giving birth were pretty much the same. We just had different recuperations after the birth.
I only got to peek at my babies right away, but as soon as I was in recovery I got to see Sarah and when I got to my room, I got to hold Emily. So, I did get to see Sarah sooner, but they did sedate me for Emily's surgery, so I was kind of out of it for a while (after Emily was out). I got to nurse Sarah right away. (in recovery)
Jann, on a random note, my colostrum came in when I was about 5 months pregnant. I was in the shower and going "What the...?" before I figured out what was happening!!
I was fully awake during both c-sections. I got to kiss both babies after delivery but was not able to nurse right away. I had to wait until after they sewed me up, but both times it was within an hour, or less, after birth. No skin to skin contact until that point.
I had an emergency section, so didn't see or hold Meghan until I came out of recovery. She had a rocky start, so wouldn't have been given to me right away anyway.
WOW, Crystal, that would have flipped me out too! LOL
Mine came in on my wedding night. I was about 5 months along also and it was quite the surprise. Since it was an intimate moment, I couldn't figure out what was leaking and thought our roof was leaking!
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