Why a C-Section?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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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!

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
If the mother has a negative experiance even if she was able to choose how she delivers, it DOES affect how she parents.

I visited your site which is very cute! I was just curious if you would elaborate a little on this statement please. :)

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.
I had a patient in Canada given a section for "maternal anxiety".... She was scheduled for a section on the Friday, but came in Thursday night in labor. By the time they had her in the OR with the epidural in place, she was fully dilated and the baby was right down. We couldn't even get a cath in her because the baby was so low. Did we try to deliver lady partslly? Nope. Pulled the baby back up for the section. It was hands down, the stupidest thing I have ever seen. That night we had to divert a high risk patient to another hospital much farther away because we wouldn't have enough post partum rooms available. The fact that this woman was going to take up an extra 2-3 days on post partum really steams me. Elective surgeries sometimes affect a lot of other people, and especially in Canada where we all pay for healthcare it does upset me to see people waste resources.

I think it's interesting that the notion of "controlled risk" is also one reason women choose elective c-sections with no medical indications. People don't trust women's bodies anymore. They overestimate the amount of control the doctor has in an operating room too imo. They obviously haven't experienced some of the emergencies in the OR that I have.

Excellent post, Tracy.

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I DO NOT agree with this statement. If the mother has a negative experiance even if she was able to choose how she delivers, it DOES affect how she parents. :o

Thank you.

Just for the record, I am in full favor of elective CS.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
I just feel that Asoldierswife05 needs a little more information, that's all...at least give labor a try for a few hours. If it is going south quickly and you are making absolutely no progress, than fine, have the c-section...but your body's amazing abilities might just surprise you, which I hope you would realize as a nurse.

Well, I am glad to see how concerned

you are about how I chose to deliver:uhoh3:

I don't think a c/s is something that I just want to decide to do in the heat of the moment, if the lady partsl delivery doesn't work out...:rotfl: It is serious surgery with risks and complications, and I would like to prepare myself and my hubby mentally & emotionally prior to.

I'm not pushing delivery by c/s on any posters in this discussion...therefore, I simply don't understand why lady partsl delivery is being pushed on the elective c/s supporters.

Yes, as a nurse I understand that our bodies can do incredible things and am constantly in awe of God's design. But as a nurse, I also realize that there is a diverse culture of people in this world with a variety of oppinions, values, and beliefs. Therefore, I chose not to judge others decisions, nor do I PUSH my personal beliefs upon them.

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After 27 hours of labour and a high forceps delivery, I can honestly say I would rather have had the c-section I requested and was refused. Guess I live in the wrong province Fergus. At 16 hours the OB students wanted to do a section and my Dr. refused saying SHE felt I could deliver lady partslly.

Had a hospital stay of 8 days, due to incontinence, a torn cerevix, suspected fractured tailbone, and a few other goodies from my lady partsl delivery.

Sometimes we know our bodies better than our Dr. I would have saved our healthcare system a corrective surgery and later a hyst. due to prolapsed uterus that my gyne felt was due in a large part the damage done by lady partsl delivery.

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After 27 hours of labour and a high forceps delivery, I can honestly say I would rather have had the c-section I requested and was refused. Guess I live in the wrong province Fergus. At 16 hours the OB students wanted to do a section and my Dr. refused saying SHE felt I could deliver lady partslly.

Had a hospital stay of 8 days, due to incontinence, a torn cerevix, suspected fractured tailbone, and a few other goodies from my lady partsl delivery.

Sometimes we know our bodies better than our Dr. I would have saved our healthcare system a corrective surgery and later a hyst. due to prolapsed uterus that my gyne felt was due in a large part the damage done by lady partsl delivery.

Wow, Fiona! So sorry to hear about this. I agree with us knowing our bodies better. Was this your first birth?

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After 27 hours of labour and a high forceps delivery, I can honestly say I would rather have had the c-section I requested and was refused. Guess I live in the wrong province Fergus. At 16 hours the OB students wanted to do a section and my Dr. refused saying SHE felt I could deliver lady partslly.

Had a hospital stay of 8 days, due to incontinence, a torn cerevix, suspected fractured tailbone, and a few other goodies from my lady partsl delivery.

Sometimes we know our bodies better than our Dr. I would have saved our healthcare system a corrective surgery and later a hyst. due to prolapsed uterus that my gyne felt was due in a large part the damage done by lady partsl delivery.

In no way do I consider a section for failure to progress an "elective" procedure. Patients should not be forced into forceps IMO. I doubt I'd want to deliver using them either. Your case would not be considered elective by anyone I work with and I'm sorry you weren't supported. I'm hoping this was done a long time ago and the healthcare workers in that particular facility have learned better.

I will say, I agree with you to a point on the last bit about patients knowing their bodies better than the doctors. Sometimes they do. You obviously did. But, I can't tell you the number of women I've had who were absolutely shocked when they were able to deliver lady partslly without complications because they came in so fearful. I've had women convinced they needed a section after having 3 or 4 contractions. Get the epidural in and let them rest a bit and many change their minds. Unfortunately women seem to love to terrify other women about labor and birth, especially older women who like to tell their stories of enemas, shaves, being left alone for hours, then cut from top to bottom with no analgesia, etc to any pregnant women they see. If I had a nickle for every woman who came in terrified and left saying "Well, I don't know why my mom/aunt/sister/friend made it sound so bad" I would be a very wealthy nurse.

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Unfortunately women seem to love to terrify other women about labor and birth, especially older women who like to tell their stories of enemas, shaves, being left alone for hours, then cut from top to bottom with no analgesia, etc to any pregnant women they see. If I had a nickle for every woman who came in terrified and left saying "Well, I don't know why my mom/aunt/sister/friend made it sound so bad" I would be a very wealthy nurse.

Isn't that the truth? Even after baby comes people will say really inappropriate things to scare you!!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Women like most people, love to tell war stories. You can shut it down by requesting you be allowed to experience your birth in YOUR way w/o the scary stories. I am very protective of my pregnant patients in this regard and will happily ask well-meaning friends and relatives to leave their war stories at the door, if they are upsetting my patient.

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Women like most people, love to tell war stories. You can shut it down by requesting you be allowed to experience your birth in YOUR way w/o the scary stories. I am very protective of my pregnant patients in this regard and will happily ask well-meaning friends and relatives to leave their war stories at the door, if they are upsetting my patient.

Unfortunately most of the damage is done long before then. Nowadays women are the worst culprits when it comes to medicalizing childbirth IMO. Who wouldn't be terrified when all the stories they hear are trainwrecks?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

That is where a good class in childbirth preparation would be handy, fergus.

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Specializes in Postpartum.

This has been a really interesting thread to read. Thanks to all who have given thier input.

I had my first daughter 3yrs ago and was striving for a natural, unmedicated childbirth. I was 13 days overdue when I went into real labor (after days and days of off again/on again labor). I labored at home for about 12 hrs, got to the hospital at 7cm. I progressed to 9 an hour later and stayed at 9 for 12 more hours. 4 of those were still unmedicated, walking, in and out of the shower, on the birth ball. I got an epidural and pictocin and labored for 8 more hours before having a c/s. In terms of "birthing" it was a dissapointing experience. I felt like I failed and definitely had some trouble bonding with my baby at first- I was fatigued and drugged up and just wanted everyone to leave me alone.

With my second daughter I really wanted a vbac, I switched to a midwifery practice as I thought that would increase my odds. I knew if I was overdue again they would not be able to induce because of my past c/s. The baby went from vertex to breech to transverse when I was 36-37w. I saw a chiropractor and the baby was vertex by 39 weeks and (finally!) stayed put. I really believed that positioning was what went wrong with my first delivery, so I tried to do everything I was supposed to do to encourage good positioning for labor. I ended up being 10 days overdue, no contractions to speak of and with a high, firm, closed, cervix and I just went ahead and scheduled the c/s. I was dissapointed, but at that point I was more scared of a failed trial of labor and an unplanned c/s than just planning it, getting a good night's sleep beforehand and getting on with it. Again, it wasn't an ideal birth, and the recovery was pretty painful- but I knew what to expect this time, so that helped somewhat. The great thing was that the nurse brought Charlotte right from the OR to the little pre-recovery room room (don't know what it is called- it's the room where they observe you for a while before you go to your real room) and I was able to nurse her within 30 min of surgery. Then they wheeled the both of us (me in a guerney, her in a bassinette) off to our room and she stayed with me and my husband most of the time we were in the hospital. The nurses were great and so helpful.

I think women really need to become as educated as possible about childbirth and try not to make decisions from a position of fear. With Vbacs being banned at hospitals w/o 24 anesthesia, I would love to see far fewer primary c/s for first time moms. Once you have that first c/s, the trend seems to be heading (backward) in the "once a c, always a c" direction.

-Jess

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