I had a C section with my daughter and will likely have to have one again this time. Is was scheduled because of health issues and was very uneventful with no complications. I recovered quickly for a C section as well. However, I would NOT choose a C section unless I absolutley had to for health reasons. It is a major surgery with a LOT more risk to the mother and baby than a vaginal birth and the recovery is brutal, even when it goes well. I do also believe it made breastfeeding that much harder for us.

This time I will not be scheduling a C section either. I plan to go into labor and book it to the hospital as soon as labor starts.
My daughter was taken at 39 weeks and was very small. I sometimes wonder how much better things would have been for her had I let her decide when to make the exit, lol.

As someone who has had 2 c-sections, I would not advise an elective c-section. If it is medically necessary for yours our your babies safety, that is one thing. It is major surgery and the effects can last years. I am hoping that this one can be a natural birth, but odds are not in my favor.

Never had a C section, but know plenty of folks that have. I would never choose an elective C section. I've had 2 vaginal deliveries, both with zero complications. I lived 30+ minutes from the hospital both times which didn't pose a problem since after getting there I was in labor 8 hrs with the first & 5 hours with the second. I now live 45+ min away from hospital, and the only thing I'd like to do differently is wait at home longer this time. Good luck with your decision.

I'm going natural/vaginal unless something goes wrong. I live close to an hour from the hospital as well and I'm nervous about making it there especially since I plan to hang out at home as long as possible. My thought is, when I start feeling like it's getting close I'll head to the doctors office (right across from the hospital) can get checked out and if they tell me I don't need to go to the hospital yet I'll probably check into a hotel rather than head all the way home. I have known many people who have gotten sent home a handful of times before actually being admitted so I figure being nearby in a nice hotel with a big tub would be nice...heck if the weather is good maybe I'll even hang out in the pool

Check out the WHO stance on c- sections as well as some general info. C- sections are a major surgery, and should be used as a tool to prevent major complications for mom and baby. It is also a surgery that can have lots of complications for mom and baby, which is why the WHO recommends a c- section rate of no greater than 15%. Maternal/ fetal mortality rates are actually much higher in our country than in many developed countries due to the higher surgical birth rates (32.8% in 2010). Complications for mom include increased bleeding, surgical complications like adhesions, urinary incontinence and infection and babies are more likely to spend time in the NICU (most commonly for respiratory problems from lack of squeezing in the vaginal canal preventing fluid from being squeezing from the airway). It is also banned in some states to have a primary elected c- section. It is definitely a major decision, and keep in mind that many first births are long (nothing like they are portrayed in media). Some women and babies need surgical birth for best outcomes, but that being said, it is important to fully educate yourself on your options. Good luck! (PS I was worried about my third baby being born at a hospital an hour away, and we made it with plenty of time, and I had a lovely birth)

http://www.childbirthconnection.org/article.asp?ck=10456

If I'm remembering correctly first time moms average labour time is 24 hours. You will have plenty of time to get to the hospital. Everyone's already listed the numerous reasons you don 't want a c-section unless you need to have one, but here's another. My sister had one and the epidural didn't work properly (not uncommon). She could feel it when they started to cut her and had to be put under a general anaesthestic. Everyone got to see the baby before she did. Even I, who live 5,000 miles away saw a picture before she was even awake again. She was devastated. Nothing is guaranteed, it is a major surgery and you never know if it could end up. My sister is fine physically but she hates that she had to miss the first 3 hours of her daughter's life.

That is so sad! I would be really bummed (well, more than bummed, I'd be devastated) if I had to be "out" for a c-section and thus couldn't see my baby for several hours afterwards. I had a vaginal birth, and they took my son away pretty quickly because his pulse-ox was low (he turned out to be fine) - they were supposed to return him quickly, but instead they did their whole workup and didn't bring him to me until I'd been moved to a regular room on the maternity ward - so about 3 hours after birth. At the time it seemed like not that much time had passed because there's so much going on (waiting for the epidural to wear off, "hosing me down" in the bathroom, etc.), but when I thought about it afterwards, I was PISSED!

I've had two vaginal deliveries and can honestly saw I'm hoping for a third. I wouldn't want a c section for anything other then a major medical emergency. Nothing like immediately getting to hold your little one the moment they are born and having them look at you, nothing else in the world compares. I was also about 45 min away from the hospital with both of my deliveries and the only thing I think I wished that would have been different was that I could have laboured at home longer but my water had broken with both and they want you at the hospital right away here when that happens.

Thanks ladies! I really don't want a C section after reading all your posts! I've done a lot of research and I realise how much better vaginal birth is. I live in northern Mozambique, we've been expats here for over 4 years, so I have to travel to South Africa for birth at 36 weeks latest, then have to make sure my husband arrives on time. I'm not scared of vaginal birth, I'd prefer it 100 times over c section, but it would also be terrible if my husband missed the birth of his first baby! Luckily he's super, said that he'd rather miss the birth if baby came earlier than have me struggle through a c section... lets hope it doesnt come to that!

Thanks for all your messages, its scary being a first timer in a country with so little resources... I have to travel 1600 km every time to see my gyne, luckily there is a flight, but only 3 times a week!

Ok, last question. What is your opnion on induction? I love hearing first hand accounts rather than the medical jargon. I know a lot of people are apposed to it, but like I said, I'm exploring all the alternatives!

Induction is another slippery slope. Many refer to it is a cascade of events that can increase your likelyhood of a surgical birth. There is no standard induction method, but methods include cervidil (inserted into the cervix to help it ripen and start contractions), a foley bulb that is inserted into the cervix and inflated to manually dilate the cervix . Both of these methods are commonly followed by the administration of pitocin which chemically causes contractions. I believe that babies should pick their own birthdays because new studies show that not just their lungs, but also their brains are still developing up until delivery. Just some basic info for you! (Just and fyi... pitocin HURTS! I had it during my first labor because I wasn't progressing quickly enough, and I chose to have a pain med free birth, so that really made it more difficult for me, my midwives that I see now lovingly refer to pitocin as a chemical crowbar! lol) Inductions, like c- sections have their time and place. I am so sorry that you have such a tough choice, mama! Good luck!

Chiming in a little late, but I figured I'd share my VERY LONG story, since I've had both an induction, a c-section, and a natural labor (only labor, not delivery).

My first pregnancy went perfectly until 35 weeks when I developed pre-eclampsia and was put on hospital bedrest. My condition was worsening, though my baby was doing fine. The doctors held off anything until 36 weeks, at which point they determined that the baby was healthy enough to be born and they didn't want to keep me pregnant any longer because of all of my complications (blood pressure getting ever higher, platelet count dropping so low they were giving me regular platelet steroid injections, etc).

They started an induction (so this part addresses your induction question) with cervidil. After 12 hours, I'd made very little progress and they gave me another dose. I was experiencing contractions (not at all painful - like MAYBE up to a 2-3 on the 1-10 pain scale) but still making slow progress with dilating/effacing. After those 12 hours on cervidil, I asked to try the foley bulb. It can't come out until you're at least 3cm dilated, so there's no time limit on it and there aren't drugs involved. At some point in there (the timeline is a little fuzzy) I was asked if I thought I would want an epidural at all (my original goal was to be as drug-free as possible); my platelets were so low that they needed to insert the epi port immediately because if they waited any longer, I wouldn't be able to clot. So the port was inserted, but no drug administered yet. The contractions were worsening, and at some point, my foley bulb came out. The doctor on call (not my dr) checked me and said I was at 4cm (later I was told I actually never made it past 3cm) and decided to break my water to help progress labor more quickly. I had no idea if I had a say in the matter and figured the doctor knew best anyway, so I just went along with what she was deciding. In retrospect, I would've asked to wait longer (if my body and baby could have handled it) and try walking the halls/using the birthing ball/etc.

They also started pitocin when they broke my water. After that, the pain from the contractions doubled. I held off as long as possible, but eventually the pain grew so bad (after having 3 back-to-back/overlapping contractions that lasted a total of about 10 minutes) I had to have the epidural administered into the already-existing port. The doctor checked me at that point and guess how far I'd gotten?!

ABSOLUTELY NO PROGRESS.

About 20 hours after getting my water broken, the doctor on call (still not my doctor) said that due to lack of progress, the baby was experiencing decelerations in her heartrate and they would need to perform a c-section. The c-section went perfectly, and my baby was a perfect 6lb8oz 19" long girl, but after the surgery they briefly showed her to me and whisked her over to clean her up. Thankfully my husband was able to be with her and take pictures, as I was still lying on the table getting stitched up, etc. Then I spent an hour in recovery, during which the drugs wore off. I was exhausted (2.5 days of non-progressing labor will do that to a body!) and the drugs wearing off made me freezing cold and super-shaky. The nurse asked if I wanted to try breast-feeding, which I did want, but I was afraid to hold her because I just knew I'd drop her due to exhaustion and the shaking.

As far as recovery goes - it seems to take forever. You're experiencing the normal post-partum bleeding for a couple weeks after delivery coupled with the fact that it's hard to even bend over and reach down there thanks to the giant incision in your stomach that is healing. Coughing and laughing both cause excruciating pain unless you stay doped up on pain meds. And the scar will always be there. There's also a nice little flap of skin that hangs over my scar that I doubt will ever go away.

Since that delivery, I've had twins also via c-section, because my hospital (which happens to be a different one than with my daughter) will not perform VBACs on twins. With them, I went into labor naturally (water broke all over our bathroom floor/toilet) and definitely had strong contractions. (The difference between these contractions and my pitocin-induced contractions was huge, though. These I could breathe through, practicing methods I'd learned from the class, etc. The pitocin ones just seemed to envelope me completely in pain.) Calling the dr, getting my husband, the babysitter arriving, making the 45-min drive to the hospital, checking in, getting prepped for surgery, and having the babies took 2 hours and there was no real worry that they were going to just be born before they could be taken (though maybe that would've been nice!). So I think you'll be fine if you start heading to the hospital when you're experiencing contractions. I wouldn't wait for your water to break, though.

I'm currently pregnant with our 4th (and, most likely, last) child who will also be a c-section baby, due to the high risks associated with attempting a VBAC after 2 c-sections. She will be a scheduled surgery, as long as she stays in there long enough to make it to the surgery date. I wanted to fight for a VBAC because the ACOG actually states that someone in my condition would still be a reasonable candidate for one, but after talking to my doctor and to my sister (who also happens to be an OB/GYN) I've come to realize that a repeat c-section would actually be the safer route for both my baby and me.

If I had it all to do over again, though, I would've fought a lot more with my first daughter to try for a vaginal delivery. Since the induction was medically necessary, I would've requested the foley bulb first, rather than the drug (cervidil) and gone from there. My daughter wasn't experiencing any negative consequences from the induction until after my water was broken, so I think things could've been stretched out a little longer if they'd held off on my water. I don't know if the outcome would've been the same, but I think everyone just tried to do the 'fastest' method of getting her out instead of the 'best' method.

In the end, a healthy baby and a healthy mom are the goals. But if you can avoid surgery and even an induction, definitely try to go that route!

I would NEVER choose a C-Section over regular birth. I had to have a an emergency C-Section with my last one and the recovery was horrible. I am not one to slow down or 'not be able' to do something, it took 6 months to really be back to doing everything normal. It's been 2 years, and I still don't have any feeling in my lower tummy.

I'm really praying for a Vbac this time around! BUt of course, we'll do what we need to do for ahealthy baby