Is that C-Section Really Necessary??
Aug 28 '00
I am still euphoric after my recent VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) with the birth of my son in June--what a difference between a C-Section and a "regular" birth, in so many ways! When my daughter was born via C-Section three plus years ago, I was just thankful she was born healthy and I was ok, too. I had some real fears and worries about going the VBAC route--uterine rupture being one of them (only 1 in 100 they told me, but the mortality rates should that occur are as high as 40%--a frightening statistic). But ultimately I am extremely happy with the way things turned out.
But after speaking with several nurses about my experiences with my daughter, and then reading articles on the subject, I have some real doubts that my C-Section was really needed. One article I read recently in "American Baby" magazine said that up to 40% of all unplanned C-Sections are done for "failure to progress" in labor--it stated that if the doctors and patients held out a bit longer for nature to take its course, many C-Sections could be avoided. I feel I fall into that 40% category.
Having a C-Section, for those of you who've done it, is no cake-walk. In addition to the usual recovery, you are also trying to heal from major surgery. I know I spent a great deal of time that first month with my daughter on the couch, and relied heavily on my mother to prepare meals and help with the usual household chores. With my VBAC, I went home after a day and a half, and although I was sore, I was able to do many of the things I had become accustomed to doing--and I even took a 1/4 mile walk down town to see the 4th of July parade within the first week! That NEVER would have happened with my C-Section.
So what happened to me? For the detailed story, look at my previous entry under "Birthing Methods" entitled, "I'm No Failure". But in a nutshell, my water broke without a sign of contractions, at which point I was induced. I labored all day, but at the end of the day I was only at 1cm--so my doctor opted for a C-Section.
With this birth, nearly the same thing happened--I was a week overdue, and my (new) doctor told me we would induce. I went to the hospital on a Monday morning, and they began the pitocin around 9am. I had contractions all day about 2-3 minutes apart, but at 6pm I was again only at 1cm. I knew what that meant--I thought--but my doctor told me that they would shut off the pitocin and start again in the morning. The nurse said, "Be patient; sometimes this takes a couple of days." A COUPLE OF DAYS! I burst into tears, imagining a week of laboring hopelessly in the hospital, only to be whisked into the operating room for an quick C-Section--again. Why was I torturing myself this way, I thought.
The nurse explained that the way the pitocin works is to mimic contractions--which in turn stimulate the pituitary gland. It is this gland that actually signals the cervix to start dilating, not the contractions themselves. Sometimes the pituitary gland takes a while to respond, thus the "couple of days" sometimes necessary.
The next day, they began the pitocin again, early in the morning. This time, my body responded by starting to actually dilate, and by 10pm, my son was born. Not only was I ecstatic from the birth, but in awe that I had been able to deliver vaginally. My son, all 8 lbs., 11 oz. of him, was just fine.
So I began thinking: was that first C-Section really necessary? I know the added factor of having my water broken complicated the matter, but the nurses at my son's birth told me many women there spend much more than 24 hours with ruptured membranes and don't require C-Sections.
I have come to the conclusion that I am partly to blame for the outcome of my first birth experience--and there are some things others can do to reduce the chances of a C-Section:
*Go to an OB/GYN. This may seem obvious, but I didn't do that with my first baby--I LOVE my family practitioner, and I just assumed that I'd be able to give birth naturally without medical intervention. Bad assumption. Since I required a C-Section, an OB/GYN I hadn't even met with before came in and performed the surgery. As a side note, I found out that particular OB/GYN had examined my medical records when I was admitted, and predicted to the nurse I would end up with a C-Section. Was he correct in assuming I really needed one, or was it a self-fulfilling prophesy. Needless to say, I got another OB/GYN for my second pregnancy.
*Go to the largest, best equipped hospital in the area. For my daughter, I went to a small, local hospital because my family practitioner was affiliated with it, and it was nearby. For my son, and the VBAC, I opted for the largest hospital in the state, almost an hour away,because it is a teaching hospital and also has the best NICU in the state--and with the VBAC attempt, I wanted lots of experience for all the staff I'd be dealing with.
*Talk to your doctor about the possibility of delaying a C-Section if it isn't a medical emergency. In the middle of my labor with my son, my labor stalled--the doctor came in and told me if things didn't progress soon, we'd have to consider "other options". I knew what that meant--a C-Section--and wanted to keep going. A few hours later, if he had said I needed to have one, I'd have jumped at the chance--anything to get that baby out! In the middle of hard labor, most women wouldn't argue they wanted to keep going--so talking about it in advance is important. Of course there are plenty of situations where a C-Section is the best and only real option--so keep an open mind, hoping for the best and preparing for the possibility of surgical intervention.
Who knows if that first C-Section I had was really necessary? I've long since healed from it, and my daughter is precious to me no matter how she arrived in the world. But armed with a little bit of knowledge and planning ahead may prevent an unwanted and unnecessary C-Section. I know I felt a whole lot better the second time around, and if this helps even one woman avoid dealing with the added complications of a C-Section, I'll be glad.
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Epinions.com ID:
sgian
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Member: Suzanne
Location: Maine
Reviews written: 60
Trusted by: 58 members
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