Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (Full Version)

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manda59 -> Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 9:32:41 PM)

Couldn't resist it. [;)]



solo_soprano22 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 9:36:28 PM)

Lol. I actually think it's a good idea. :)



clag4christ -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 9:36:36 PM)

ROFL!!!

Well timed! Touche! [8D][;)][:D]



nicole6598 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 9:58:52 PM)

LOL Manda you are a tease [:D]
There is a point to it though!



Hazel2 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 10:01:29 PM)

Yes please! Manda, you made me feel so much better going in to my second C. It made such a difference. I think I've started two or so threads on Cesareans in the past because I had questions and I was scared scared scared.



manda59 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 10:22:46 PM)

With my first child, the emergency Caesarean section delivery probably saved his life. I had been in labour for over 12 hours, was only 4cm (less than 2 inches dilated, and the foetal monitor was showing that he was in distress (his heartbeat dipped and stayed low after every contraction).

I guess you can't get much more "unnatural" than a section delivery - but without it I might not have had a live baby.

After the section, they examined the placenta and found it was infarcted.

I was so grateful to my Egyptian registrar for deciding that this was what was best, and for his gentle and kind manner as he sat on my bed and explained it all to me beforehand, and when he came to see me the next day to make sure I was all right.



nicole6598 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 10:57:21 PM)

what does "infarcted" mean Manda?



solo_soprano22 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 11:02:05 PM)

Click on the word; she linked it. ;)



solo_soprano22 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 11:06:03 PM)

My sister had to have to C-sections because they were both in danger (both her and the babies). Neither child was induced or anything, but had they not done the surgery, I'm sure both my nephews would either be dead or badly damaged neurologically. Sis might not be here either.



nicole6598 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 11:24:07 PM)

LOL thanks, then I had to look up the other word it mentioned [:)]



solo_soprano22 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/10/2008 11:27:10 PM)

I was about to just say it means death of tissue....but then I figured that's why she went to the trouble of linking. [8D]



PrudentWife -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 6:10:56 AM)

I had an emergency C with my first, and would never consider any other way. I labored for 30 excrutiating hours and pushed for three. My baby was posterior, and I had severe pelvic separation, making my contractions horrible. I did get an epidural, which didn't work. Labor was the absolute worst experience of my life.

This time I'm electing a C for no medical reason, just to avoid that pain again. I personally didn't find anything beautiful, liberating, or empowering about labor. It was torture and something that I never want to do again!

Outside of this forum, I have never met a woman IRL who regretted her c-section. I have also never met a woman outside this forum who ever desired a VBAC. Everyone I know (even women who had vaginal deliveries before their C) is like me and would never go through labor again.

I knew at my 1st OB appointment this time that I wanted a C. I asked my OB if she'd ever had a woman change her mind about scheduling an elective C and want a VBAC. I also asked her if a patient had ever scheduled a C and then went into labor and wanted a VBAC. She said never in her years of practice. C sections can't be that horrible if most women are voluntarily electing to undergo them repeatedly.



LaurainAL -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 8:36:41 AM)

Great idea.

With my first I didn't even realize that I was having contractions. I was 36 weeks. When the Dr. checked me and said that I was already 3 cm dialated my first reaction was "Great! Can I have my drugs now?"



solo_soprano22 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 8:39:43 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PrudentWife

I had an emergency C with my first, and would never consider any other way. I labored for 30 excrutiating hours and pushed for three. My baby was posterior, and I had severe pelvic separation, making my contractions horrible. I did get an epidural, which didn't work. Labor was the absolute worst experience of my life.

This time I'm electing a C for no medical reason, just to avoid that pain again. I personally didn't find anything beautiful, liberating, or empowering about labor. It was torture and something that I never want to do again!

Outside of this forum, I have never met a woman IRL who regretted her c-section. I have also never met a woman outside this forum who ever desired a VBAC. Everyone I know (even women who had vaginal deliveries before their C) is like me and would never go through labor again.

I knew at my 1st OB appointment this time that I wanted a C. I asked my OB if she'd ever had a woman change her mind about scheduling an elective C and want a VBAC. I also asked her if a patient had ever scheduled a C and then went into labor and wanted a VBAC. She said never in her years of practice. C sections can't be that horrible if most women are voluntarily electing to undergo them repeatedly.


Actually, I find that to be true of all the women I've met IRL also. I don't think I've met one who was another way about it, maybe except on here.

Sometimes some women's experiences make me think of Mary Shelley. She despised pregnancy/childbirth after what she went through all those times...with her babies dying and her almost dying...and all the complications. Plus it was back when modern medicine wasn't that great. (If I'm thinking of the right person.)



lexie -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 8:47:47 AM)

My OB told me his labour philosophy was to go with the flow. I said great, my labour philosophy is to give me the epidural.

Everyone I know IRL with babies (which isn't actually a lot) did it naturally and they all think I'm crazy and a wimp. My response is yes I am. Honestly, I just wanted to get my baby into the world. I don't have a high tolerance for pain and I didn't see the point in making myself miserable. I got to where my contractions were two minutes apart and then I asked for the epidural, and I am so satisfied with the way everything was done.

I think its great if women want to have natural childbirth, but it's not for everyone. Similar to what Prudent said, I found it was the actual point when my child came into the world that was beautiful, liberating and empowering, not the 17 hours before it. But that is how I personally feel and realize others will feel different.

While I laughed my head off when I saw the topic of this thread, I think it is needed. I found very little support in having an epidural, and I still get comments and interesting looks when I say I had it. Honestly, a lot of women treat me as if I just gave in to what the doctors and nurses suggested, and that I let the medical profession bully me into having my childbirth a certain way and that is not true at all. Just because I did what is suggested, doesn't mean I did not arrive at the decision on my own.



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 8:54:06 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PrudentWife

I had an emergency C with my first, and would never consider any other way. I labored for 30 excrutiating hours and pushed for three. My baby was posterior, and I had severe pelvic separation, making my contractions horrible. I did get an epidural, which didn't work. Labor was the absolute worst experience of my life.

This time I'm electing a C for no medical reason, just to avoid that pain again. I personally didn't find anything beautiful, liberating, or empowering about labor. It was torture and something that I never want to do again!

Outside of this forum, I have never met a woman IRL who regretted her c-section. I have also never met a woman outside this forum who ever desired a VBAC. Everyone I know (even women who had vaginal deliveries before their C) is like me and would never go through labor again.

I knew at my 1st OB appointment this time that I wanted a C. I asked my OB if she'd ever had a woman change her mind about scheduling an elective C and want a VBAC. I also asked her if a patient had ever scheduled a C and then went into labor and wanted a VBAC. She said never in her years of practice. C sections can't be that horrible if most women are voluntarily electing to undergo them repeatedly.


That's interesting, I find the opposite to be true about VBAC's. I didn't even women who who didn't attempt a VBAC until I came to Crosswalk. My mom had a c-section followed by 2 VBAC's, and so did my MIL, although neither of them had bad labors at any point in their childbirth careers and I wonder if that has alot to do with it... Their c-sections also weren't with their first baby. Hmm...

I had a pretty "un-natural" childbirth. I was induced for health reasons, and because of the wicked high levels of pitocin I was on, plus my elevated blood pressure I didn't have much option as far as the epidural went. I did like it though, I had apparently had a great Anesthesiologist, my Epi. took great and last like it was supposed to. But other then that and the monitoring, my labor was pretty complication free, it was just looooong, 17 hours from when they broke my water and then 30 minutes of pushing.

I would not mind trying for a natural birth, but because of my blood pressure I most likely won't ever have that option. I've not experienced anybody, other then my MIL(who had all natural births except for her emergancy-C), and my SIL and cousin(neither of whom have ever even been pregnant) who are negative about epidurals, most people I know IRL have had them. My Mom had 3 with her 3 augmented labors, and then she had 3 natural ones.

I did however, go through a little bit of "letdown" about having to be induced, and needing an epidural. I have a pretty high pain thresh hold and I think if I was allowed to get out of bed, and use the labor tub I would have done alot better.



_Cinderella_ -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 9:10:03 AM)

For a while I thought if I ever had kids I would want to go all-natural and maybe even at home. Now my current thought is, "Labor sure does sound painful." I don't talk to that many people with babies IRL, but two I know who had a c-section with their second child both said it was "much better" then doing labor/vaginal delivery.



BlessedMamaofmany -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 9:27:12 AM)

I agree that there is defintely some unwritten rule that moms who go it natural *must* be better, and deserve a medal [8|]
I have done both. I have run the gauntlet from natural, to epidural, to induction, to semi-natural.
I am all for natural childbirth, but not in the way most think. What I mean when I say natural, is women being educated about their own bodies, making informed decisions, and doing what is best for them and thier child, based on thier own unique situation, and BEING EDUCATED. That's what's natural. Women being treated like ignorant cattle who are too stupid and emotional to make thier own choices is not natural.
Sandy



agapetos -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 9:31:13 AM)

quote:

I had an emergency C with my first, and would never consider any other way. I labored for 30 excrutiating hours and pushed for three. My baby was posterior, and I had severe pelvic separation, making my contractions horrible. I did get an epidural, which didn't work. Labor was the absolute worst experience of my life.
You have to remember though that you went through a really bad time. You may well have felt the same way if your baby had been born by c-section and there had been complications.

One of my best friends had pre-eclampsia with her first baby (he was born 12 weeks early by emergency c-section), she had it again with her second (another emergency c-section) and her 3rd was born vaginally, about 2 weeks late! She said that she'd go through labour again if she ever fell pregnant again.

Women have a lot of choice now and health care is so much better than it has ever been. It can be very hard knowing what is right to do. I'm really glad that manda started this thread.

It's important that we care and support each other as much as we can, and accept other peoples decisions without making them feel guilty or that they are doing the wrong thing.



solo_soprano22 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 9:42:19 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: BlessedMamaofmany

I agree that there is defintely some unwritten rule that moms who go it natural *must* be better, and deserve a medal [8|]
I have done both. I have run the gauntlet from natural, to epidural, to induction, to semi-natural.
I am all for natural childbirth, but not in the way most think. What I mean when I say natural, is women being educated about their own bodies, making informed decisions, and doing what is best for them and thier child, based on thier own unique situation, and BEING EDUCATED. That's what's natural. Women being treated like ignorant cattle who are too stupid and emotional to make thier own choices is not natural.
Sandy


That was a reason why I thought this thread was a good idea. :)



manda59 -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 10:55:17 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: PrudentWife
Outside of this forum, I have never met a woman IRL who regretted her c-section.


I don't regret my section - however, I do regret that no-one prepared me for how it might feel emotionally afterwards.

In my ante-natal classes, it was brushed over. Even when we visited the maternity unit at the hospital, when we saw the operating theatre, the sister said "here's where you'd go if you had a Caesarean, but none of you are going to have one of those, are you?" And that was it.

After I'd had my section, out of nowhere came feelings of powerlessness, failure and depression. My baby felt like a stranger to me, I had big problems with the gap in my memory from when I went under the general anaesthetic to when I woke up with a baby beside me. It took a long time to adjust, and there was no-one to help me understand what was going on.

My one consolation was that all my "bits" were unstretched and uninjured. [;)]

quote:


I have also never met a woman outside this forum who ever desired a VBAC. Everyone I know (even women who had vaginal deliveries before their C) is like me and would never go through labor again.


With our second child, I felt like I wanted to try for a vaginal delivery. Mainly because of already having a child to care for, and wanting my recovery time to be quicker. My doctor was supportive, said they'd monitor my scar during labour, and that they'd recommend an epidural so that if it turned out that I needed a section after all, it could be done by epidural and not general.

Having been in on-off labour for three days, then going in and having had a half-failed epidural, and then an episiotomy, and then a ventouse extraction due to maternal exhaustion, I managed the vaginal delivery. The only good thing about it was that I got to see my baby right afterwards (when she'd been cleaned up, I wasn't interested in cuddling her when she was all slimy and bloody!); she and I bonded right from the start. I missed that so much with my first child.

My verdict? The natural delivery was slightly better than the section, but not by much. My recovery time was quicker, but the after-effects (stress incontinence, haemmorrhoids from pushing, other loss of sensation 'down below') have lasted much longer (they're permanent).

Sure my section scar is permanent, but it's neat and hides under my pubic hair.

I understand that a section is major surgery, and carries added risks because of that; I also understand that a Caesarean is more risky for the baby too, and is not a 'natural' way of coming into the world.

But to me, there really is not much between the two. It has to be personal choice.



PrudentWife -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 11:03:57 AM)

Ryanne, I've never met anyone IRL who was opposed to epidurals either. But after having my daughter I recalled how many women told me that with one or all of their deliveries the epidural 'did nothing for them.' I have a sneaky feeling that epidurals are not effective far more often than anestesiologists want to admit.

My best friend has always worked in the medical field. She's not an MD, but she's seen enough to have opinions on certain things. She hasn't had kids yet, but she wants to have elective c-sections when she does. She just doesn't have the desire to experience labor, and she is comfortable with the risks of surgery. I say do whatever floats your boat.



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 11:07:56 AM)

I have no problem with repeat c-sections, it had just never occurred to me that woman would choose that, kwim? Kinda like I had never experience woman who felt judged because they work outside the home, all the woman I know feel judged because they stay home[8|] Different strokes for different folks[:)]

I will end up with another epidural, I just want it to be later then it was with Gabby(I had it at 2cm), I really feel like they didn't even let me *try* to manage my own pain.



PrudentWife -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 11:15:55 AM)

Manda, I had no desire to touch a slimy baby either [8D] They wiped off my baby's face and wraped her in a blanket for me to hold before they cleaned her up & checked her out. I'm sorry you had such a bad surgery experience. Mine was not that bad.

I already had an epdidural & IV in place during labor. When I decided I wanted a c-section they shaved me down there. They took the baby monitor off. The anesthesiologist came and gave me more drugs and they wheeled me into surgery. They took off my hospital gown & covered me in blankets. They set up a screen and started washing my region in iodine. DH & the anesthesiologist were at my head the whole time. I thought they were counting the instruments, like you see on TV, and then I heard baby crying. It was so completely fast. They let me hold my baby for a minute, then they took her to the corner to check her out. Dh went and talked to her, since she was crying and his voice calmed her.

After what felt like 2 minutes, they gave me the baby back and I was being wheeled back to the LDR room. They put the baby under a heat lamp for about 5 minutes until her temperature rose, then she was mine to nurse and mother.

The whole ordeal felt like less than 30 minutes, but probably was about an hour.



pbaribeault -> RE: Do we need an UNNatural childbirth support and discussion thread too? (1/11/2008 11:50:36 AM)

My first C-section was an emergency... in our medical system the doctors will generally not perform a C-section for no reason (healthy pregnancy, no prior C, ordinary size baby, etc.).

When they told me I'd need a C, I was just getting into the difficult part of labour, and was concerned about how bad it would be if as it was sure to get worse than it was, although I had an epidural at that point, so it was more fear of the idea than fear of the pain. I felt like I'd been given a 'get out of jail free' card when the doctor came to discuss it with me, but there was really no choice.

In my case the baby was in the "brow presentation" position. (meaning her head was craned backwards on her neck, and she was being pushed out face-forward instead of top-of-head-forward) In this position, the baby can not pass through the pelvis. At the time the C sounded pretty ordinary, a normal response to a simple complication.

It took me a few weeks later to wonder... What exactly would have happened in that situation without a C-section? It hit me like a ton of bricks that if the baby can not pass through the pelvis, the baby dies, and probably mom too. Myself... one of those women who would have died in decades previous, because childbirth is a risky thing... Crazy.

I contemplated VBAC with my 2nd, but went with a follow-up C-section. The risks were equivalent, and I already had a scar and knew what to expect for recovery. It went really well, and I never felt too much as if I had chickened out of a wonderful experience of labour.



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