For as long as I can remember, I had always thought that I would prefer to have a planned caesarean section over a natural birth. This had stemmed mainly from the traumatic stories I'd heard from many friends of mine who had had nightmare natural births, most with epidurals. My sister-in-law had a prolapsed uterus following her labours, which meant that she could literally feel her uterus inside her cervix, and had to undergo a hysterectomy to have it treated. Some other girlfriends of mine who had also had natural births had told me some horrific stories, where they had haemorrhaged or other dramas had occurred with the baby during the birth, such as the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby's neck causing the baby to lose air and it had all gone pear-shaped, or forceps or the suction tube being used to get the baby out, which is quite a distressing way to helplessly see your little baby be brought in to the world. Other girlfriends had told me that it's never the same again 'down there', which also concerned me! Also, for one reason or another, several other girlfriends had ended up having emergency caesareans, so all in all, I was more of a proponent for a planned caesarean than a natural labour.
Once I fell pregnant, however, I became more open to the idea of going with the flow and letting nature take its course. At one of the appointments with my OB/GYN he had said that the normal process was to go down the natural route, unless there was something that precluded this from happening. So at that point, I was becoming more willing to accept that I would probably experience a natural birth in all of its glory.
When the time came for the anatomy sonogram, it hadn't occurred to me that one of the checks the sonographer would perform, in addition to confirming whether the baby itself was anatomically correct, would be to check what position the placenta was sitting in. Towards the end of the sonogram, she said that she had noticed that the placenta was sitting low, and would conduct an internal sonogram to get a better view of its exact position. I was unable to recognise much on the screen, but she pointed to a large blob that she said was the placenta and that it was sitting quite close to the cervix. She had one of the OB/GYNs come in and explain to me what it all meant. She said that it was too early to be concerned about, as most placentas that are sitting low move up as the uterus expands throughout the pregnancy, but that they needed to make me aware just in case it came to the point later in the pregnancy where it had remained there so it wasn't a surprise. I had my appointment with my OB/GYN shortly after and we talked briefly about it. I asked him whether it was common and he said that it was not really common, but not uncommon. I've done some reading since, and if the placenta remains in a position that is close to, partially or fully covering the cervix, a diagnosis of 'placenta previa' is given, and this only occurs in around 1 in 200 pregnancies. My OB/GYN added that it would be checked again at around 36 weeks and it would be then that the call would be made as to whether or not a C-section is the recommended method of delivery.
Finding out that the placenta was sitting low made me wonder whether I would be truly happy if I had to have a planned c-section with the decision taken out of hands. One of my girlfriends has had two planned caesareans in the last few years and said that she has no regrets whatsoever. There was no stress or drama for either her or the babies, and her recovery was relatively quick. She was up and walking same day, and started exercising again after 6 weeks, with only a 9cm scar to show for it, and this will usually fade well. The added bonus is, of course, that there is no wear and tear 'down there';'The Fanny Saver', as many girlfriends of mine refer to it as! Other women I've spoken to, which include those who have actually had both, have said that if they had to do it again, they would have the caesarean any day. An additional plus would be, I imagine, that it's also a much less stressful situation for the father-to-be to be in, having heard how traumatised some of my girlfriends husbands were following their respective labours and deliveries!
One of my other very close girlfriends who recently gave birth in London had an epic labour of 50 hours, which encompassed water birth, hypnosis, induction and finally a c-section. She said that at the end of it all, the epidural and c-section were amazing. I think she is amazing for continuing that long without demanding a c-section! After managing through a hellish 50 hours of pain and agony from a natural birth, I think I'd be quite disappointed if I ended up having a caesarean in any case! She said that she didn't get the level of advice or care that she would have hoped for, and was actually discharged from the hospital the day after her delivery! Here in the US, the hospital stay is 2-3 nights following a natural delivery or 4-5 nights following a caesarean.
I'm almost more inclined now to once again prefer a safe, planned c-section. I've done a lot of reading about the operation as well as the recovery, so am not naive or ignorant to it. I know that the pain around the incision and other abdominal discomfort will be immense, but I think I am prepared to put up with whatever I need to post-birth if the trade off is not going through the stresses and risks associated with a natural birth. It's no right of passage for me to experience child birth, and if the placenta remains in a low-lying position it is out of my hands anyway, but I'm now completely fine with that. With the extra time in hospital, I will also get a good chunk of post-delivery care from the doctors and lactation consultants, which will be great.
At one of my last appointments with my OB/GYN, I asked him what the options were if I was actually quite partial to a caesarean. He said that if the placenta has moved when it's checked again at 36 weeks, it will also be then that we could have a chat about whether I then want to elect for a caesarean. More recently, we've been talking as if I am having a c-section whether or not the placenta has moved, as I've become so used to the idea of having it. I did have some concerns about having a caesarean after reading articles that said that babies born by planned caesarean before 39 weeks are more likely to have breathing problems than those delivered vaginally or by emergency caesarean. My Dr reassured me, though, that they do them after 39 weeks in any of the 7 days leading up to the due date, so at this stage our little boy will be born between the 19th and 25th of July. The actual date will be determined in early July when my Dr knows his schedule for the hospital and we will then book it in, which seems quite bizarre!
Once I fell pregnant, however, I became more open to the idea of going with the flow and letting nature take its course. At one of the appointments with my OB/GYN he had said that the normal process was to go down the natural route, unless there was something that precluded this from happening. So at that point, I was becoming more willing to accept that I would probably experience a natural birth in all of its glory.
When the time came for the anatomy sonogram, it hadn't occurred to me that one of the checks the sonographer would perform, in addition to confirming whether the baby itself was anatomically correct, would be to check what position the placenta was sitting in. Towards the end of the sonogram, she said that she had noticed that the placenta was sitting low, and would conduct an internal sonogram to get a better view of its exact position. I was unable to recognise much on the screen, but she pointed to a large blob that she said was the placenta and that it was sitting quite close to the cervix. She had one of the OB/GYNs come in and explain to me what it all meant. She said that it was too early to be concerned about, as most placentas that are sitting low move up as the uterus expands throughout the pregnancy, but that they needed to make me aware just in case it came to the point later in the pregnancy where it had remained there so it wasn't a surprise. I had my appointment with my OB/GYN shortly after and we talked briefly about it. I asked him whether it was common and he said that it was not really common, but not uncommon. I've done some reading since, and if the placenta remains in a position that is close to, partially or fully covering the cervix, a diagnosis of 'placenta previa' is given, and this only occurs in around 1 in 200 pregnancies. My OB/GYN added that it would be checked again at around 36 weeks and it would be then that the call would be made as to whether or not a C-section is the recommended method of delivery.
Finding out that the placenta was sitting low made me wonder whether I would be truly happy if I had to have a planned c-section with the decision taken out of hands. One of my girlfriends has had two planned caesareans in the last few years and said that she has no regrets whatsoever. There was no stress or drama for either her or the babies, and her recovery was relatively quick. She was up and walking same day, and started exercising again after 6 weeks, with only a 9cm scar to show for it, and this will usually fade well. The added bonus is, of course, that there is no wear and tear 'down there';'The Fanny Saver', as many girlfriends of mine refer to it as! Other women I've spoken to, which include those who have actually had both, have said that if they had to do it again, they would have the caesarean any day. An additional plus would be, I imagine, that it's also a much less stressful situation for the father-to-be to be in, having heard how traumatised some of my girlfriends husbands were following their respective labours and deliveries!
One of my other very close girlfriends who recently gave birth in London had an epic labour of 50 hours, which encompassed water birth, hypnosis, induction and finally a c-section. She said that at the end of it all, the epidural and c-section were amazing. I think she is amazing for continuing that long without demanding a c-section! After managing through a hellish 50 hours of pain and agony from a natural birth, I think I'd be quite disappointed if I ended up having a caesarean in any case! She said that she didn't get the level of advice or care that she would have hoped for, and was actually discharged from the hospital the day after her delivery! Here in the US, the hospital stay is 2-3 nights following a natural delivery or 4-5 nights following a caesarean.
I'm almost more inclined now to once again prefer a safe, planned c-section. I've done a lot of reading about the operation as well as the recovery, so am not naive or ignorant to it. I know that the pain around the incision and other abdominal discomfort will be immense, but I think I am prepared to put up with whatever I need to post-birth if the trade off is not going through the stresses and risks associated with a natural birth. It's no right of passage for me to experience child birth, and if the placenta remains in a low-lying position it is out of my hands anyway, but I'm now completely fine with that. With the extra time in hospital, I will also get a good chunk of post-delivery care from the doctors and lactation consultants, which will be great.
At one of my last appointments with my OB/GYN, I asked him what the options were if I was actually quite partial to a caesarean. He said that if the placenta has moved when it's checked again at 36 weeks, it will also be then that we could have a chat about whether I then want to elect for a caesarean. More recently, we've been talking as if I am having a c-section whether or not the placenta has moved, as I've become so used to the idea of having it. I did have some concerns about having a caesarean after reading articles that said that babies born by planned caesarean before 39 weeks are more likely to have breathing problems than those delivered vaginally or by emergency caesarean. My Dr reassured me, though, that they do them after 39 weeks in any of the 7 days leading up to the due date, so at this stage our little boy will be born between the 19th and 25th of July. The actual date will be determined in early July when my Dr knows his schedule for the hospital and we will then book it in, which seems quite bizarre!
