Healthy women schedule C-sections to prevent vaginal stretching

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Has anyone personally encountered this, or known a doctor who would do it?

There's been press about this in the past few years, along with a "too posh to push" philosophy, and it seems very disturbing on so many levels. I don't have a link handy, but one story even said that in Brazil, the C-section rate for middle class women exceeds 90%! :down: It's actually considered disgraceful in some circles to deliver lady partslly, according to the source.

Every woman I have ever known who has experienced both has said that a lady partsl birth is MUCH less painful, even a very traumatic delivery vs. a c-section with no labor at all.

Keep in mind that this is not a criticism of necessary c-sections.

Specializes in Midwifery.
I have also experienced lady partsl birth (twins born lady partslly) and a c-section. I would take that lady partsl birth over and over rather than try to recover from major abdominal surgery while caring for a newborn! OUCH! Having your belly cut is never more comfortable than some stitches down below! !

I find the majority of women who have had both prefer lady partsl birth! There are studies to show that very few women actually ask straight out for CS ( and they often have a morbid fear of birth or have had a bad expereince with the previous.) I think what that means is careprovidors influence womens "choice" and then blame women for the freaking rise in the section rates!:uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3:

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I have had three babies...one lady partslly and two C-sections.

I would have a C-section any day of the week before another vag delivery. I labored hard for 36 hours and pushed for four. It took me four days to get out of bed, I was in pain, it was an awful experience. My second child was breech, I had a scheduled C-section, within hours after surgery I took a shower and was cruising the hallways. My third child was also a c/s and had a great experience with it as well.

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i just laugh when they say they dont want to get all stretched. What, the weight of the baby and uterus does most of the stretching anyway, blah, noobs. I just dont get it. If they want an elective, make them watch a video of one first, then make them pay.......mmmhhwwhwhwhwhahahahahahahahah:rolleyes:

Remember the Discovery Channel show "The Operation", from the mid-1990s? By far the most popular episode was the c-section. I did not know that they take the uterus out to sew it up and clean it! That completely freaked me out.

Every 12-year-old should be required to watch that, IMHO.

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Remember the Discovery Channel show "The Operation", from the mid-1990s? By far the most popular episode was the c-section. I did not know that they take the uterus out to sew it up and clean it! That completely freaked me out.

Not only that, after they make the initial incision, they take both hands and riiiiiiiiiiipppp the belly wide open to get to the uterus. It isn't pretty.

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Specializes in Midwifery.
I have had three babies...one lady partslly and two C-sections.

I would have a C-section any day of the week before another vag delivery. I labored hard for 36 hours and pushed for four. It took me four days to get out of bed, I was in pain, it was an awful experience. My second child was breech, I had a scheduled C-section, within hours after surgery I took a shower and was cruising the hallways. My third child was also a c/s and had a great experience with it as well.

In your situation I would choose the same route! Some women just don't birth lady partslly easily, but they are not as common as they are made out to be.

A 36 hour labour is a shocker:uhoh3:. After that an Elective would have been a breeze.

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i have been a l&d nurse for over 5 years and i can argure both sides of this debate. the end result is "a women's choice"......

in this contry if you can have all the risks of surgery ie anesthesia, bleeding, infection to inject saline into your boobs, suck fat out of your a$$, or cut pounds of fat off your stomach.....all just because you want to, then why can't you have an elective cs?

my take on this is that there are two lives involved in the process, not just mom.

this topic has concerned me for a long time. i even wrote an ethics research paper on the subject. i'm a nursing student, but one of my prime areas of interest is women's health. i worry that if i was to seek a position in ob that i would go crazy trying to keep my mouth shut and not beat the education band wagon. my first child was born via "emergency" c-section. it was a total nighmare. it took me 3 months to feel right again, and i was very depressed about having what felt like a "surgical removal" rather than a "birth".

my second child was born with a hard fought for vbac. i read everything i could get my hands on. i even hired a midwife to act as a doula/advocate for me in the hospital. after fairly long labor the md told me he'd give me (and the doula) 20 more minutes to push before a section. that was the incentive i needed! that kid came flying out!

the third time was a charm. i exercised hard all though the pregnancy and had an awesome, short labor and delivery. it was an incredible and positive-spiritual experience. i was ready to go home an hour later and cook everyone dinner. (not that it happened : )

the last baby was born 4 years ago. you would be hard pressed to find an md here that would allow for a vbac now. so, if a woman has an "elective" section there is no going back with future pregnancies. i really do believe that education is the key!

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

My hospital must be in a minority. We have TOLAC/VBACs all the time. That is something I'm really proud of.

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As I nurse, I tell my patients that a natural child birth is preferable, but after living with the carnage that is my lady parts after two children delivered naturally, I tell my friends and family to go ahead and have the c-section. Honestly, the number of serious problems either way are so low either way, you're more likely to get into an accident waddling around the delivery room. Sure, it's a couple more days and a scar, but they have come a long way and that is a small price to pay for a decent continued love life. I'm not saying that everyone lady partsl stretching is permanent after giving birth naturally, I'm just saying that it happens an awful lot to the patients that I have personally worked with.

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Specializes in L&D.

Just have to add.

I gave birth lady partslly to 4 babies which ranged in size from 10.15-11.8

Hubby has no complaints about my lady parts.

Just saying. Thats BS to even allow ppl to choose csections without medical need IMO!

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I had a 10lb'er sunny side up baby with a 4th degree tear, labor was a whole hour and a half with an epidural. the 2nd was a 10lb'er who almost came out in the parking lot an hour after I said "hmm, I think I might be going into labor?" The 3rd was a bullied section---and I would NEVER wish that on anyone. The recovery was horrible. The pain was insane. My feet got so swollen I couldn't stand up for 2 days. I always have to smirk when the ladies who request a section, or make up lies to get a section, say "Wow I can't believe how much this hurts!" Really? You just got gutted. You didn't think that would hurt?? But I guess I have been very lucky---4th degree tear...3 10lb babies in 3 years---and I do not pee myself when I laugh, sneeze or run! :yelclap:

I think paying out of pocket is a great idea.

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I never wanted a cs, but after three lady partsls....I can see the pro side of remaining intact. Let's empower women and our patients to make their own decisions based on what is important to them. Our job is to provide information, not pass judgement.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.

I would never chose to do that. I had my first baby and he was 9 pounds, I labored for 7 hours and pushed him out in 15 minutes with minimal damage. My second I barely made it to the hospital labored maybe 3 hours, most of it at home, and pushed 3 times and he was out. It was not bad and yes labor is painful but its part of life and I would never give it up. It almost made me feel like I had worked for my baby and even made him that much more precious in my head if that makes sense. My lady parts also survived and I have had absolutely no issues with my love life except mya ctual children prevent most of the fun and romance. People act like a c section isn't surgery or something. It is and its unatural and bothers me greatly that our society thinks so much of themselves that we feel its okay to play God and want to control everything. Sometimes we need to trust in life, God, the universe or nature and let nature takes its course-it's what is meant to be. Yes, I know there are medically nec. sections done and it's great that can be provided but choosing major surgery over a safer natural birth for convenience or cosmetic reasons is crazy.

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