re: c section or vaginal?

Quoting MyPurrrtyBabies:" My first 2 kids were vaginal and my 3rd was c-sec. When they told me I had to have a c-sec with my 3rd(bc ... [snip!] ... was awesome for me and so were my vaginal deliveries, I truly had an angel watching over me when I went through recovery."

Your so lucky you got to at least have your first 2 naturally. I went through labor for 4 days they finally gave me a cervidel to try and get me to progress then they started me on pitocin. I went through that for 18 hours (14 of them unmedicated) and never got past 5cm. When they did my c-section she was stuck with her head turned in my pelvis. I was so upset I wanted so badly to have the natural birth. I get one more try and then I will never get to experience a natural birth

Quoting Carissa's mommy:" Your so lucky you got to at least have your first 2 naturally. I went through labor for 4 days they finally ... [snip!] ... upset I wanted so badly to have the natural birth. I get one more try and then I will never get to experience a natural birth"

I'm sorry you went through all of that and for so long *hugs* My 1st was vaginally but with an epidural so I didn't really experience much there since i felt NOTHING at all BUT my 2nd was vaginally with NO epi and NO pain meds, its was an amazing-misery..it went so fast, got to the hospital around 5 pm and had her 2hrs later, but I pretty much experienced most of my 2nd's labor at home, was hurting all morn then finally went in , in the afternoon. She was out in a 7min push!

Everything went right/normal/perfect with my 1st 2 kids, I went into labor on my own , baby came 1-2 days before my DD, everything was great, including my pregnacy with them.

My 3rd was backwards.! My morning sickness was worse, I lost 17 lbs in the first trimester. I developed carpal tunnel at 24/25 wks and that is when I said goodbye to sleep, I would wake up EVERY SINGLE night 3-4x a night in pain and could not sleep I would cry too bc it was awful and I was so exhausted with missing sleep bc of the carpal tunnel and running a business 6days a week 10-12 hrs a day and take care of 2 kids. I couldnt even really comb my daughters and my hair, tie shoes. It went away went DS was born, some women develop carpal tunnel in pregnacy wehn the baby is pressing on a nerve and there is nothing you can do till baby is born.
Then I went 41wks and had to be induced. I was upset and disappointed. I just wouldnt go into labor on my own(they think maybe, maybe they calculated my dd wrong) So they induced me at 41wksdue to the placenta possibly aging, and my inducement was going good and fast(went from 2cm to 7 in just a few hours) and it was with NO epi , the pain was brutal hell, At 7cm they turned off the pitocin bc baby was in distress and once they turned off the pitocin everything stopped, no more contarctions no more dialting, plus when they broke my water meconium appeared...plus the worry that my baby was big and he was 9lbs 13oz...so with ALL of that they decided c-sec to be best...I went through so much pain for it to end in c-sec, I was trauamtized by it for a week...but my recovery did go very well......

Well I guess I just shared "My Labor Story"  
Please excuse any typos, I was typing fast!

thanks everyone

<blockquote><b>Quoting aubriesmom:</b>" the first week after my c section was hard....is recovery from vaginal easier? "</blockquote>




vaginal for me was not bc i tore

Quoting aubriesmom:" For those of you that have had a c section and a vaginal birth...which do you prefer? i know theres up and downs to both..."

I really wish I never had to have the c-section I had. Not to say that everyone or even anyone would ever have the issues I have so far, but just in general with the pain issue and recovery time....it does not even compare. I had major tears during my vaginal birth that required surgery and still I would have rather had another vaginal birth as oppose to a c-section. I have had nothing but pain and serious indigestional issues since I had my c-section two weeks ago. I do not know why anyone would elect for a c-section surgery unless they felt it was necessary.

Quoting Cameron and cayleighs mom:" I had 2 vaginal deliveries and just had my first section due to baby being breech. I would rather deliver ... [snip!] ... Who ever said csections were the "easy" way out is absolutely retarded.... do not do it unless it is medically necessary."

Agreed. I just had my 1st c-section on the 16th and I am medically smurfed from it at the moment. I have not been able to hold any food in since my surgery..not to mention that the pain has been horrible and it kept me from doing a lot of the things I wanted to be able to do with the baby in the very beginning.

My first baby was vaginal and I was torn so horribly that it tore right through my rectal muscle, hence why I had a c-section this time, and had to have two surgeries to repair the muscle, and even with that, still I would rather vaginal birth because the c-section was just horrible for me.

Quoting MyPurrrtyBabies:" I'm sorry you went through all of that and for so long *hugs* My 1st was vaginally but with an epidural ... [snip!] ... my recovery did go very well...... Well I guess I just shared "My Labor Story"   Please excuse any typos, I was typing fast!"

Yeah from the 4 day long labor DD passed meconium too. They were going to let me keep laboring until 24 hours after my water was broken but I spiked a fever and had been stuck at 5cm for 10 hours so they called it a c-section

Why the smurf would anyone want to have an elective (unnecessary) C-section? Longer recovery time, more pain...

Vaginal all the way!

My first was a natural text book birth. Everything about my vaginal birth was perfect and beyond amazing!!

My second was an emergency c-section. I was put to sleep and wasn't allowed to see my daughter until I could move my toes which was two hours after her birth, I felt like I missed my own child's birth and cheated out of that amazing birth experience I really wanted to have again.

In terms of the actual act, a vaginal birth is without a doubt WAY better than a c-section.

As far as recovery goes.. a c-section is in my opinion easier. With the c-section, I was sore for a couple of days and then right back to my normal self within a couple of days. With the vaginal birth, I was sore "down there" for what seemed like weeks.

I want my third to be a VBAC, I'm dying to experience that amazing vaginal birth again  

Quoting aubriesmom:" well i had to have an emergency c section with my first. was your vaginal recovery easier?"

100% easier. If I have more children I will do a vbac!! But it is a personal choice so do a lot of research;)

well, it seems its different for everyone. these comments really do help though. my baby wasnt even in my birth canal... she really didnt want to come. i was over due and had to be induced and even then i didnt go over 6. so i dont even know if i could have VBAC. my mom had to have 2 c sections, my sister had an emergency c section and so did i. it would be nice to experience both. even better if i could do it and not tear or be cut. but who knows...all i can do is try. it seems like the 2 girls that i work with that had vaginal births got back to their original size easier then me and the other girl i know who had a c section...no pooch like i got. but that might not have anything to do with it. thanks everyone

Quoting BuggyBoo:" Agreed. I just had my 1st c-section on the 16th and I am medically smurfed from it at the moment. I have ... [snip!] ... to repair the muscle, and even with that, still I would rather vaginal birth because the c-section was just horrible for me."

I know what you mean. Beside the obvious painful recovery, I have a bladder infection or kidney infection they are testing now but just started antibiotics, extreme swelling from my hips down (10 + pounds in water retention), the left side of my incision is bulging (going to the doctor tomorrow), and severe panic attacks every day. I'm just exhausted because I can only sleep sitting up, my nipples feel like they are going burst, and wow the list goes on. Vaginal was so much easier and my first was face up and his head and arm came out at the same time so lots of tearing!!! I am just mentally scarred because of this. I thought I was going to die and these panic attacks make me feel the same way...

Quoting Cameron and cayleighs mom:" I know what you mean. Beside the obvious painful recovery, I have a bladder infection or kidney infection ... [snip!] ... I am just mentally scarred because of this. I thought I was going to die and these panic attacks make me feel the same way..."

I know how you feel I had TERRIBLE swelling over my incision area I am 10 weeks PP now and the swelling just finally went down. I also get really bad incision pain still 2 1/2 months after the surgery and when I get my period it feels like my uterus is going to fall out. I also got a bladder infection from the catheter and my incision got infected 2 weeks PP and I had to have a 1 inch cut made in the right side of it to open it and let it drain. I would never elect to have a c-section. I am going for a VBAC next time. Also I feel like I lost out on a huge part of my birth experience because of it DD was almost 20 minutes old before I got to even see what she looked like and that was just for 10 seconds then they whisked her away.

Quoting Carissa's mommy:" I know how you feel I had TERRIBLE swelling over my incision area I am 10 weeks PP now and the swelling ... [snip!] ... 20 minutes old before I got to even see what she looked like and that was just for 10 seconds then they whisked her away."

yep!!! I got to see Ava for maybe 5 minutes then dh and her were taken back to the room. I missed him cutting her cord, foot prints, weight etc. She was 40+ minutes old before I got to hold her  

Quoting Cameron and cayleighs mom:" yep!!! I got to see Ava for maybe 5 minutes then dh and her were taken back to the room. I missed him cutting her cord, foot prints, weight etc. She was 40+ minutes old before I got to hold her  "

They didn't even give me the certificate that had her foot prints on it   I feel like I missed everything because they let me hold her for 2 minutes and then came and took her to the nicu because she had a fever I didn't get her back for almost an hour. When I did get her back we had to be super careful with her because she had an IV in her hand my birth experience was awful