c-section vs natural birth?

[lolathechecker]

ok, so im faced with a decision now and i thought i'd ask for everyones opinion. first of all, i do NOT want to have a c-section. but my doctor says its safer for the baby, the other doctor i talked to said there's only a 10% chance of the membranes cyst rupturing. so she said that as long as the hydrocephalus wasnt too progressed i shouldnt have any problems. but she doesnt actually deliver babies, so i had to transfer my care to this other doc. and he "strongly suggests" a c-section. and i dont have any real reason to oppose one i guess, other than the fact that i just flat out dont want one. i want to be able to have natural birth the next time around, and vbac is not an option in oklahoma. (malpractice insurance wont cover docs who perform it in oklahoma) also, i kinda think if i have natural birth, they may let me hold her after shes born. my new doctor says that all babies who are born by c-section are put immediatly into an incubator. then i figure they'll wisk her away and i wont be able to ever hold her. the doctor said it would be several days before i could hold her anyways. and i think thats going to be the most depressing thing ive heard so far. any how, what do you guys think?

also: here are my two latest ultrasound pics. the first one is her face, and the second one is looking up her back at the cyst (not 100% sure on the angle) these are not very good quality. they are pictures of pictures.:)

[Barb]

AHhhhhhh, so cute!!! I remember those days.

I think you have to weigh all the risks and do what feels right to you. There have been many sb babies born both ways so......................

I know that doesn't hep much. It is a difficult decision, one of the first of many to come. You have to trust your instincts and do what is best for your family.

[littlemansmommy]

I am actually trying to make the very same decision. My OB says whatever gives me the most peace of mind. He said 5-6 years ago C-section was strongly reccomended but that now they are not sure it is necessary. My perinatologist seems to feel that they want to avoid a C section at any cost and deliver vaginally simply because it would be avoiding major surgery for me and should not cause harm to our little boy. We are going to talk about it at our next appointment. I don't know about you but I kinda wish someone would just tell me what is really best. I am glad you posted this.

Something my husband and I did was take a tour of the NICU at our hospital. The nurse there showed us around and gave us a run-down of what post-delivery might be like (compared to what most situations like ours are) Things like if I would be able to hold him or not. She told me about what would happen after a c-section, where my husband would need to go, who could come in and out, we got to see equipment that our baby would probably use...it really helped us get a good idea of what is in store. If you haven't done that yet I would try and see if you can do that.

[lolathechecker]

i just did the tour a few weeks ago. the nurses were all really nice and it gives you some peace of mind knowing that it's a real place and not just some scene from a horror movie. we decided to go with a c-section, simply because thats what my doctor is more comfortalbe with, and it gives us more control over everything. plus, i just found out that she isnt grownig properly, so they are thinking about doing the c-section early. like within the next two weeks. :eek: it seems so close.... but im scared of the whole major surgery thing and i plan on having more kids, but oklahoma insurance wont cover vbac. so im gonna have to have c-section again and again.

[littlemansmommy]

I know it all seems so scary and I am not sure if they will have me do a c-section or not. But, this is the happiness I hold onto, we get to carry our babies in our tummies, feel them move and will be meeting them soon. So many people will never have that feeling. I have so many friends that have infertility struggles so it helps me to just be thankful that I am able to carry and deliver a baby...even if it is not the way I would have hoped. To encourage you, I have had lots of friends say that they preferred the c-section...plus, now you will get to stay an extra night or so in the hospital with your baby :)

[kali]

I had a vbac when I delivered my son, it was hard, and didnt think I could do it. I am glad I didnt have a c section becasue I needed all the strength to care for my baby. I also had a tour of the hospital, but mine was after birth. I wandered the hospital and got to meet other mothers who have just delivered children with sb, and mothers of older babies who needed shunts . by the way breastfeeding is harder and less successsful after a c section. goodluck

[Dodger67]

vbac?
Please help those of us unfamiliar with baby/birth related abreviations.

[Barb]

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

--geez, doesn't every guy know that one :p

[StrictNon-Conformist]

Yeah, the closest I can come (and I've done it several times!) is passing kidney stones naturally after having uretoscopy or shockwave lithotrypsy! (at least female physiology is designed to give birth through the birth canal: I'm not aware of kidney stones being accounted for very well) :D

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

--geez, doesn't every guy know that one :p

[Barb]

I have had kidney stones too and believe me, doesn't even compare although my husband would try to disagree. :rolleyes:

Lola, you are getting really close to delivering now aren't you?

[lolathechecker]

hopefully either wednesday or thursday. im tired of being pregnant. the doctor was worried about intrauterine growth restriction. he said her chest circumfrence was the same at both of her two week measurements. so they are wanting to deliver early. im ready, but nervous. will post news as soon as i get some.:D

[ZoesMom]

I just had my baby by c-section 3 weeks ago. I chose a c-section because everything i have read says that you could risk further paralysis to the baby and most of the time babies with SB are breech. Mine was breechand never turned. And also with hydro the heads sometimes get to big for a vaginal to be an option. I didnt get to hold Zoe after she was born but she was NOT put into an incubator. My husband got to hold her after she was born and carried her to the NICU. We didnt get to hold her again until after her back was closed. I also just noticed that you live in Tulsa. So do i. What doc are you going to? Who is your perinatologist? What hospital will you be delivering at? Just to let you know i DIDNT want a c-section either because of everything that comes with it but you know what it was worth it to hopefully make sure she has the best life she can. And with the hydro even if it seems to start out good dont let that make up your mind cause Zoes was doing great until about week 34 and then it really started to progress fast. At my first ultrasound where it was measure it was 2.1 cm at the second one it was 2.6 cm at the third it was 3.5cm and at the last one it was just over 4 cm. Let me know if you want to talk more since I just went through it and we are in the same town.