Why a C-Section?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Hi everyone, I was just wondering why so many women are choosing to undergo ceasarean delivery without even a trial of labor? Don't they realize it is a major abdominal surgery and they will be in severe pain for several weeks? I know that it is a very necessary procedure sometimes, but it just seems so overdone and unnecessary sometimes. I'd love to hear from you!

My comparison is not between abortion and elective c/s :lol2: but for the act of CHOICE which many posters during this respectful debate have been against.:idea: I am glad you support choice, and I wish others were more open minded. Thank You!:D

Your post seemed to equate the two though. I am all for choice, but not in every instance. For example, I don't think women should CHOOSE to use drugs and drink while pregnant. Does that make me judgemental? Sure. Like all people, I make judgements about what I think it right and wrong. I personally think it's wrong to schedule an elective surgery with real medical risks to mother AND BABY who obviously isn't giving consent and because it does affect other people too. That doesn't mean I don't look after those women with the same care I do others, it just means I'm human and have opinions like everybody else. Being open minded doesn't mean you don't ever have informed opinions.

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Excellent post! It should be completely up to the MOTHER since it is HER body and HER baby...only SHE will have to suffer the after effects of the type of labor she chooses, not the health care workers passing judgement based on their personal feelings.

No, not only SHE will have to suffer the after effects of the type of labor she chooses - so will the BABY. That is why so many practitioners have problems with elective sections. Generally speaking, sections are rough on babies.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
No, not only SHE will have to suffer the after effects of the type of labor she chooses - so will the BABY. That is why so many practitioners have problems with elective sections. Generally speaking, sections are rough on babies.

If you read my entire post, I acknowledged this point.;)

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My comparison is not between abortion and elective c/s :lol2: but for the act of CHOICE which many posters during this respectful debate have been against.:idea: I am glad you support choice, and I wish others were more open minded. Thank You!:D

BINGO!! Although, I may not agree with someone having an elective c-section "just because"...its not my choice, if its not happening to me. I believe in choice all the way around.

I don't personally take offense to any of the negative talk regarding women who choose c-sections, it just reminds me though of how judgmental women really are towards other women. I mean this, in any aspect of a woman's life. Elementary school thru adulthood!

I had a c-section, my son is circumcised, I was not able to breastfeed so he got GASP formula! You would not believe the backlash I got from so many people because of these things. As a 1st time mother, it made me feel so inadequate and a "horrible mom". I ended up with PPD, which was only compounded to be worse since I took the rude comments to heart.

Fast forward to today...I don't care what people think about all that because my baby is healthy and happy...and so am I. But, just to reiterate...it was all women who were making those judgments on me and making me feel bad.

Its great to have opinions! :) But, if it is directed right at someone...think about what impact you might be having on that person's life. I am a good person...but I let strangers make me feel like a complete nothing as a mother. It still hurts if I think about it too much.:madface:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
Your post seemed to equate the two though. I am all for choice, but not in every instance. For example, I don't think women should CHOOSE to use drugs and drink while pregnant. Does that make me judgemental? Sure. Like all people, I make judgements about what I think it right and wrong. I personally think it's wrong to schedule an elective surgery with real medical risks to mother AND BABY who obviously isn't giving consent and because it does affect other people too. That doesn't mean I don't look after those women with the same care I do others, it just means I'm human and have opinions like everybody else. Being open minded doesn't mean you don't ever have informed opinions.

I respect your personal oppinion on elective c/s but I don't believe that is should not be an option for the mother.

BABY would not be able to consent to a c/s or anything else for that matter:lol2: just as a ten year old would not be able to consent to having a tonsillectomy!!! So to me, I understand and acknowledge those who are concerned for the effects upon the baby, however, I do not think it is a valid argument for the mother to not have the choice of an elective c/s. She will have to make many choices for her child throughout the years regarding health and safety, so who is going to stand in her way then?

Being open minded would be the ability to express your own opinion without attacking another for theirs, which SOME posters have done through out this debate. Just because one would not choose to have an elective c/s, does not mean it should be prohibited as a choice for another.

I did not equate abortion with c/s. A woman is granted by law the right to choose whether or not she wants to bring her baby into the world after conception, so why on earth should the choice of method of delivery be denied to her? Does this mean I believe that abortion and c/s are along the same lines morally, spiritually, medically...absolutely not. But do I contend they each present an argument about legal rights and options? Absolutely.

The choice to use drugs during pregnancy is illegal. That is hardly a good argument against the right to choose an elective c/s. This is about a mother's right to choose what she wants to happen to her body when she delivers her baby. If c/s had proved to be extremely harmful to babies, and only deemed appropriate for a medical emergency, then they would be banned as an elective procedure. But they are not banned. They are available to us who would like them, regardless of our reasons.

That is the joy of living in America! Peace to you all!:kiss

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I respect your personal oppinion on elective c/s but I don't believe that is should not be an option for the mother.

BABY would not be able to consent to a c/s or anything else for that matter:lol2: just as a ten year old would not be able to consent to having a tonsillectomy!!! So to me, I understand and acknowledge those who are concerned for the effects upon the baby, however, I do not think it is a valid argument for the mother to not have the choice of an elective c/s. She will have to make many choices for her child throughout the years regarding health and safety, so who is going to stand in her way then?

Being open minded would be the ability to express your own opinion without attacking another for theirs, which SOME posters have done through out this debate. Just because one would not choose to have an elective c/s, does not mean it should be prohibited as a choice for another.

I did not equate abortion with c/s. A woman is granted by law the right to choose whether or not she wants to bring her baby into the world after conception, so why on earth should the choice of method of delivery be denied to her? Does this mean I believe that abortion and c/s are along the same lines morally, spiritually, medically...absolutely not. But do I contend they each present an argument about legal rights and options? Absolutely.

The choice to use drugs during pregnancy is illegal. That is hardly a good argument against the right to choose an elective c/s. This is about a mother's right to choose what she wants to happen to her body when she delivers her baby. If c/s had proved to be extremely harmful to babies, and only deemed appropriate for a medical emergency, then they would be banned as an elective procedure. But they are not banned. They are available to us who would like them, regardless of our reasons.

That is the joy of living in America! Peace to you all!:kiss

I would never force my decision on someone else or attack them for their beliefs, just as I would expect the same thing from them.

Ok, take drugs out and leave only alcohol in my post.... it's legal, it isn't banned. I still think it's wrong for a pregnant woman to booze it up. I can't stop her and I recognize that, but I have an opinion. Can't help it. I don't think my opinion on this issue is any different.

As far as tonsillectomy or other surgeries, I think you would be hard pressed to find a surgeon willing to perform unecessary surgery on a child simply because of the mother's desire for it. You can't present with a healthy 10 year old and demand the doctor remove his appendix. It just wouldn't happen. Women get to make the choice in sections without the MDs considering the baby's health as much as the woman's wants because childbirth is so medicalized in general and because they want to keep their business and avoid a lawsuit. I agree with Dayray, that's the future of OB so don't feel attacked, you're probably in the majority as far as society is concerned. Some of us L&D nurses giving some opinions on a bb based on our experiences isn't any threat to that.

Just OT, but many many harmful OB practices are not banned. OB is one area of medicine that is the least evidence based. Just look at episiotomies or continuous EFM on low risk women. Both routinely done are harmful, but they are done all the time at some places.

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Not everyone thinks a lady partsl birth is desireable. It's hard to believe, but some people prefer surgery, with its risks, to the earthy, funky, painful, unpredictable, lady parts-stretching natural process.

I think people should be free to choose which ever kind of birth they way (just as they are free to have their breasts enlarged, their noses fixed, their tummies tucked, and their sons circumcised), and I think they should be free to pay for it out of pocket if that's what they want. ;)

Altalorraine

If it is elective it sure should be an out of pocket payment. I never thought of it that way, but I am sure their OB/GYN would state it was "necessary".

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As far as tonsillectomy or other surgeries, I think you would be hard pressed to find a surgeon willing to perform unecessary surgery on a child simply because of the mother's desire for it.

Not exactly true....circumcision, ears being pinned back, removal of extra digits, etc.

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I dunno...so many younger women I see these days (around my age or younger) appear to be sticks and don't seem to have enough hip room to give birth anyway. Dunno why that is, but it makes me wonder...

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If it is elective it sure should be an out of pocket payment. I never thought of it that way, but I am sure their OB/GYN would state it was "necessary".

How about gastric bypasses, preventive mastectomy or breast reduction...those are elective. Should birth control pills not be covered, because those are elective. I don't NEED them, but I would prefer not to get pregnant right now.

Where does one draw the line at what to cover and what not to cover?

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Not exactly true....circumcision, ears being pinned back, removal of extra digits, etc.

Exceptions to the rule though. Extra digits and ears being pinned back is generally seen as correcting a deformity. They are along the lines of skin grafts for burn victims or the repair of a cleft lip/palate. They are elective, but also corrective. Circumcisions are in a class of their own. It's a deeply ingrained cultural matter, just like birth. There are certainly examples of elective procedures a doc will do just because the mother wants it done, but there are hundreds more that they wouldn't do so I don't think it does anything to support the argument that sections are only the mother's choice because she is the baby's decision maker. It's just another issue entirely.

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How about gastric bypasses, preventive mastectomy or breast reduction...those are elective. Should birth control pills not be covered, because those are elective. I don't NEED them, but I would prefer not to get pregnant right now.

Where does one draw the line at what to cover and what not to cover?

I've never had a health plan that covered pregnancy or birth control pills unless they were medically necessary for another reason. Breast reduction isn't really elective for many since it is done to correct pain. Gastric bypasses are elective for some people. My insurance company wouldn't pay for it for me since I'm a normal weight (ok, I could stand to lose about 20 lbs, blame it on the cookies at work!). Preventive mastectomies would not be covered for everyone either I imagine. Where do we draw the line? I don't know. I know that we do draw a lot of lines already. I would have no problem with another one being drawn at c-sections with NO medical indication. Of course, it would never happen because docs would just make up a reason.

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