1. Please give me your full name, how you want to be identified (full name, first name only, anon, etc.), your general location, number of children, number of cesareans, number of VBACs, anything else pertinent to your story.
Anon
2. Did (do) you ever believe that you might have a cesarean? When did you first think that a cesarean was a possibility for your birth?
When I was 2 weeks past my due date and scheduled my induction, I knew it was a possibility since the cesarean rates are high after inductions.
3. When did your practitioner bring up a discussion about cesarean? Before labor? During labor? Was it a surprise?
We discussed it when we discussed by birth plan before labor.
4. If you had a cesarean, do you think you could have done anything to prevent it?
Yes, I had one and no, I don't think I could have prevented it.
5. If you had a cesarean, did you or your baby experience complications? If yes, which ones and how did you feel about this?
No, no complications.
6. If you had one good piece of advice for pregnant women or women considering having a baby, what would it be when it comes to cesarean prevention?
My advice would be don't ever eliminate it as a possibility. You don't know how labor is going to go for you.
7. What is one sure way to have a cesarean?
Ask for one.
8. Did you try to prevent a cesarean? If so, how? (Did you switch doctors or midwives? Did you pay out of pocket for a homebirth? Did you stay home longer than you normally would have? Hire a doula? Stuff like that...)
No, I was not going to risk my baby's life by having a home birth where immediate medical care wasn't available at the time of birth. I have a good friend who had an uneventful pregnancy and labor (no intervention) and was at low risk for any type of compliation, and it turns out the baby had a serious birth defect. The baby would have died if she hadn't been at a hospital. No way I would risk that.
9. Advice for pregnant women in talking to those offering birth horror stories?
Do your research yourself. Almost all people and all books have a bias, and omit research that supports the opposing point of view.
10. Where did you get a positive view of birth? Where should others turn?
I believe it is most important to get a REALISTIC view of birth. Neither horror stories nor pollyannas do you any good when you are in labor and trying to cope with all that entails.
11. If you have had a VBAC, what resistance did you have? (If any.)
I have no intention of having a VBAC. I will get a repeat C. I would take the recovery from a C-section any day compared to natural birth. Not to mention the long-term side effects of natural birth such as incontinence later in life that can be avoided by C-section.
12. What is the hardest part of having a VBAC?
N/A
13. Anything else you’d like to add?
My only regret is waiting so long to have the C-section.
By Guest (not verified) at Tue, 10/23/2007 - 1:12pm |
Cesarean's: A New Book
1. Please give me your full name, how you want to be identified (full name, first name only, anon, etc.), your general location, number of children, number of cesareans, number of VBACs, anything else pertinent to your story.
Anon
2. Did (do) you ever believe that you might have a cesarean? When did you first think that a cesarean was a possibility for your birth?
When I was 2 weeks past my due date and scheduled my induction, I knew it was a possibility since the cesarean rates are high after inductions.
3. When did your practitioner bring up a discussion about cesarean? Before labor? During labor? Was it a surprise?
We discussed it when we discussed by birth plan before labor.
4. If you had a cesarean, do you think you could have done anything to prevent it?
Yes, I had one and no, I don't think I could have prevented it.
5. If you had a cesarean, did you or your baby experience complications? If yes, which ones and how did you feel about this?
No, no complications.
6. If you had one good piece of advice for pregnant women or women considering having a baby, what would it be when it comes to cesarean prevention?
My advice would be don't ever eliminate it as a possibility. You don't know how labor is going to go for you.
7. What is one sure way to have a cesarean?
Ask for one.
8. Did you try to prevent a cesarean? If so, how? (Did you switch doctors or midwives? Did you pay out of pocket for a homebirth? Did you stay home longer than you normally would have? Hire a doula? Stuff like that...)
No, I was not going to risk my baby's life by having a home birth where immediate medical care wasn't available at the time of birth. I have a good friend who had an uneventful pregnancy and labor (no intervention) and was at low risk for any type of compliation, and it turns out the baby had a serious birth defect. The baby would have died if she hadn't been at a hospital. No way I would risk that.
9. Advice for pregnant women in talking to those offering birth horror stories?
Do your research yourself. Almost all people and all books have a bias, and omit research that supports the opposing point of view.
10. Where did you get a positive view of birth? Where should others turn?
I believe it is most important to get a REALISTIC view of birth. Neither horror stories nor pollyannas do you any good when you are in labor and trying to cope with all that entails.
11. If you have had a VBAC, what resistance did you have? (If any.)
I have no intention of having a VBAC. I will get a repeat C. I would take the recovery from a C-section any day compared to natural birth. Not to mention the long-term side effects of natural birth such as incontinence later in life that can be avoided by C-section.
12. What is the hardest part of having a VBAC?
N/A
13. Anything else you’d like to add?
My only regret is waiting so long to have the C-section.