tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post1247653050392509588..comments2024-03-05T19:29:18.578-07:00Comments on ARE THEY ALL YOURS?!??: The dangers of repeat Cesarean deliveriesZsuzsannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03062136377263894876noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-11896187412999656162017-08-02T14:05:17.071-07:002017-08-02T14:05:17.071-07:00I have had three C-sections in 4 years 2 of which ...I have had three C-sections in 4 years 2 of which were in the same year they are saying my uterus is thin and should not have anymore for a while and just like maybe one more what are your thoughts we do not know what to do Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-5101466446035391052015-04-15T18:03:24.962-07:002015-04-15T18:03:24.962-07:00I've had five kids four natural and one via c-...I've had five kids four natural and one via c-section, because she was transverse breach and too big to turn as she was over 9lbs at 37 weeks. My doctor made an attempt at turning her which on put her into distress so really a c-section was my only option at that point. If you can manage to give birth naturally go for it, but should things go a bit pear-shaped and you end up with a real medical emergency there's no shame in doing what's best for you and baby. Granted I'd much rather recover from a vaginal delivery than a c-section. Sadly my fifth was my last age, a serious medical condition, and nearly miscarrying with her convinced me having my tubes tied during the c-section was for the best. Maybe when my youngest is older if I have any baby urges I can foster some that need a loving home. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-49166739126676574812011-01-19T23:08:32.314-07:002011-01-19T23:08:32.314-07:00Great article, except for those of us that had no ...Great article, except for those of us that had no choice but to medically have a c-section. I have had three and I just found out I am expecting a 4th! And I am scared to death because all the articles like this on the web. I always wanted 4 kids, so I hope it goes well. Just keep in mind that a c-section 1st or 4th is not always a decision that can be "made" sometimes it's made for you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-52596928027757124292010-06-10T08:53:16.140-07:002010-06-10T08:53:16.140-07:00Heather, if you want to have a home birth, you wou...Heather, if you want to have a home birth, you would have no difficulty finding a midwife that would take you on. Just because they're not allowed to doesn't mean that they don't do it. Especially in your case, since you have already had a successful VBAC, I am certain they would not turn you down. <br /><br />Home birth really is a great option. Our first was born "naturally" at the hospital, and as far as hospital births go, it really was not a bad birth at all. Still, the difference at home was like night and day. I would never ever go back to the hospital again unless the baby's or my life depended on it.Zsuzsannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03062136377263894876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-51513556064487384522010-06-09T17:38:37.662-07:002010-06-09T17:38:37.662-07:00Thanks! Caroline was a VBAC (my 2nd twin Caleb wa...Thanks! Caroline was a VBAC (my 2nd twin Caleb was c-sec.), and I'm so thankful that my doctor never pressured me with another cesarean. I've thought about home births for the future, but that may not be an option for me I guess. Unless, of course, my hubby wants to do it! :)Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10986346008849839714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-33472018241385301202010-06-09T14:35:55.375-07:002010-06-09T14:35:55.375-07:00Heather, midwives in AZ are not allowed to attend ...Heather, midwives in AZ are not allowed to attend HBACs (home birth after cesarean). There are only a handful of doctors who will do VBACs at the hospital, and only a few hospitals in the whole state that allow them. I know one lady who lives in Prescott (or was it Payson) was threatened with a court-ordered Cesarean because she was refusing to go back for an automatic repeat cesarean. In the end, she moved down to the valley to be close to one of the hospitals/doctors that allow them. <br /><br />You can read more about that subject here:<br /><br />http://stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.com/2009/08/court-ordered-cesareans.htmlZsuzsannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03062136377263894876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-88455396768045183942010-06-07T19:28:19.692-07:002010-06-07T19:28:19.692-07:00I've seen this article, too. It makes me angr...I've seen this article, too. It makes me angry, how the medical world is today, especially concerning women and birthing.<br />I had to have a c-sec. with my very first baby, which could've been avoided if I hadn't been put through "the system," and then I went on to have 3 HOMEBIRTHS after that, totally unmedicated and completely natural in every way. So amazing, I can't even begin to tell you! Anyway, if there are to be more, I am hopeful this uterus of mine will hold up where the scarring is, I had each baby about 18 months apart so not a lot of time to heal but I am confident in my body's abilities and in faithful to God's plans. My sister is a doula and a HUGE advocate for women in these types of situations; it's often very hard for her to witness the system at work. You guys would have much to talk about!! ;-) <br />Love your blog!Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09135613529782522372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-64588161104056718572010-06-07T11:42:18.262-07:002010-06-07T11:42:18.262-07:00Zsusa,
I have a question about your advice to Rac...Zsusa,<br /><br />I have a question about your advice to Rachel about having a VBAC at home with a midwife.<br /><br />I recently heard that it is against the law in AZ for a midwife (or doctor, for that matter)to attend a VBAC home birth. Have you ever heard that? I don't even know where to look for that info.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10986346008849839714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-10011883031021754752010-06-03T04:08:23.432-07:002010-06-03T04:08:23.432-07:00This is great information! There is so much confu...This is great information! There is so much confusion out there. I had a successful VBAC at home!tibbahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11408594863229540942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-14859699289939018332010-06-02T23:04:47.912-07:002010-06-02T23:04:47.912-07:00Kimmie, among skilled midwives, delivering breeche...Kimmie, among skilled midwives, delivering breeches and twins naturally is a common occurrence. They actually know how to do it, while OBs usually never learn about these cases during their training because it spells automatic cesarean anyway. The midwife I see now has had only one hospital transfer (it resulted in a c-section) in the last 5 years, which is a rate of less than 1%. Even in that case, she said they had not exhausted all their options, but the mom finally just wanted to go to the hospital and get it over with. No doctor can even hold a candle to that. And no, most midwives don't pick and choose healthy clients. They usually never turn anyone down. Instead, they educate women how to have a healthy and safe pregnancy.<br /><br />ssbean, the medical profession always has a favorite card they like to play of why women need c-sections. A few decades ago, it was cephalo-pelvic disproportion (babies head too big to fit through the mother's pelvis). The current favorite by far is "low amniotic fluid". For starters, they have no way of measuring that within a reasonable margin of error. Secondly, if your fluid was in fact low, you should have been told to rest and drink lots of fluids. Thirdly, the fluid will be low at the end of your pregnancy because there simply is only a limited amount of space left in your abdomen to accommodate baby, uterus, placenta, and fluid. The vast majority of women who are induced with their first end up with a c-section. The mistake was for them to induce you in the first place. Good luck for a VBAC, please read my tips above on how to increase your chances of having one. <br /><br /><br /><br />Kerri, our first was born sunny side up, and it definitely hurt much worse, especially because I was also being induced with pitocin. Thankfully, by God's grace, I was still able to have him "naturally" (what they consider natural, anyway). I have never heard of this leading to a c-section, but then again, nothing surprises me any more. My nurse at the hospital coached me into various positions that helped bring the baby down, but that was back when the c-section rate was about 10% lower, in the low 20s (only 8 years ago). If you have this problem in the future, chiropractic adjustment (particularly by someone skilled in the Webster technique) is very helpful, as are various exercises you can do at the end of your pregnancy. A skilled midwife can determine the babies position simply by palpating your abdomen long before you go into labor.<br /><br />Karen, thank you. Your birth story was pretty rough, but I am glad you hung in and made it through.Zsuzsannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03062136377263894876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-5515153198357518642010-06-02T23:04:37.830-07:002010-06-02T23:04:37.830-07:00Katie, best of luck on your VBAC, I will be prayin...Katie, best of luck on your VBAC, I will be praying for you.<br /><br />Rachel, your best chance of achieving a VBAC is to have a home birth with a skilled midwife. Your next best choice (but not nearly as good) would be to find an OB who not only says that they "allow" VBACs, but who is actually a VBAC advocate, and has patients that successfully have them. Plus, you definitely want to have a doula at your birth in addition. Going to the hospital to give birth without a doula is like going to court without an attorney.<br /><br />Mamame, no doubt, some C-sections are necessary to save the life of mother and/or child. However, I believe that rate should be somewhere around 2% or less. Most conditions that today are given as a reason for C-section could have been prevented in the first place. True cephalo-pelvic disproportion is extremely rare, and usually only seen in women who either have injured/broken their pelvis in the past (i.e. in an accident) and it did not heal properly, or women who had poor nutrition during their growing years to the extent that their bones (including the pelvis) did not develop right. Many cases of CPD can be solved by proper chiropractic care, although I certainly am not disputing that there are true cases of this condition. I would advise anyone who has been given this diagnosis to get a second and third opinion, especially if it is not diagnosed until labor, and particularly if the labor is medically induced (those drugs can make the baby act in all sorts of disadvantageous ways).<br /><br />Sally, your story is unbelievable, and you should consider filing a complaint against your OB. For one, being artificially induced is nothing like experiencing true labor, and most women/babies do not respond well to it (hence the astronomically high c-sec rates after induction). It's like saying that honey and aspartame are the same because they both taste sweet - one is natural, the other artificial. Secondly, your OB clearly wanted to pressure and scare you into a cesarean all along for whatever reasons.Zsuzsannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03062136377263894876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-34594912833837306082010-06-02T19:55:51.343-07:002010-06-02T19:55:51.343-07:00My birth may not have gone as well as I planned it...My birth may not have gone as well as I planned it would(induction) but I am SO happy I refused the c-section they wanted to give me! I can honestly say I have you to thank Zsuzsa. Everyone else thought I was nuts for refusing, I was scared and didn't know what I was doing and I'm sure I would have caved into getting one had I not known better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-35178372787884854062010-06-02T17:24:04.420-07:002010-06-02T17:24:04.420-07:00After having 3 natural deliveries I had a c-sectio...After having 3 natural deliveries I had a c-section last yr. because my son was "sunny side up" and after 3.5 hrs. of pushing we were making no progress and I was in extreme pain. They had tried a vacuum and that did nothing. So we agreed to the surgery. It was something I never thought I'd have to have and after the research I've done I think it could have been avoided. When a baby is sunny side up the position the mom is in is very important. I obviously was in the wrong position and was in so much pain I was afraid to move. If I have another baby I will use a different doctor (why didn't she know this?)and try a VBAC.<br />Thanks for educating others in so many different ways.Kerrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08475250423946240723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-24285838162546443142010-06-02T14:03:49.194-07:002010-06-02T14:03:49.194-07:00Thank you for posting this. I am pregnant w/ my 2n...Thank you for posting this. I am pregnant w/ my 2nd child. I had to have a c-section with my daughter. I had low amniotic fluid, but they were patient and allowed me to be induced, however my body and baby were not ready, so after 72hrs with still no progress, it was time to get her out. I'm praying that God will allow me to have a VBAC this time.ssbeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00583369875611674726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-21552854496051875512010-06-02T12:03:20.508-07:002010-06-02T12:03:20.508-07:00A majority of my friends have been talked into c-s...A majority of my friends have been talked into c-sections. I myself was also. I naturally delivered a set of twins, then 7 years later was coaxed into a c-section with my second set of twins. They were both in breech presentation. I should have fought them, I should have gone ahead with a natural birth. They scared me into thinking my babies could die. <br /><br />I have a friend having a c-section in two weeks, just because she's had one already, and they did ask if they could tie her tubes since they'd be in there anyway. <br /><br />I know a woman who just naturally delivered breech twins, her 11th and 12th children and they are wonderfully perfect and healthy. <br /><br />If I'm ever blessed with more children, I'm having them at home away from the c-section knives.Kimmiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640887220425915790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-83601835581012024502010-06-02T11:36:27.963-07:002010-06-02T11:36:27.963-07:00Wow. That is scary. I have really been trying to e...Wow. That is scary. I have really been trying to educate myself for this upcoming birth of our second baby as our first was a cesarean and I want to avoid a second at all costs.<br /><br />Part of the reason I had the first one is because during an oxytocin test (which is when oxytocin is given to the mother which stimulates mild contractions to see how baby will respond to true labor contractions) my daughter's heart rate would drop very low during a mild contraction and then come back up afterwards. (I wasn't told that I was being given an oxytocin test either...which I believe I should have.) They told me that the baby wouldn't handle hard contractions well at all and that I would have to have a c-section. <br /><br />I also felt like the cesarean was orchestrated in some ways. The reason is because the day before I was scheduled to be induced, I received a call from the doctor who would be on call during that time. She "wanted me to know" that I was high risk for a cesarean because #1: my baby was big<br />#2: The baby hadn't dropped (which I was told that she had at a prior visit.)When I told her that I wanted to go into labor and try to deliver vaginally, she said "We can torture you if you want to do that". WOW!!!!!!!!!!! How unprofessional is that???? <br /><br />I was also shocked because I hadn't heard the word cesarean throughout my whole pregnancy and had gone through 7 sonograms (due to my Lupus). I was also told by one of the doctors that I had a big pelvis and a perfect body to deliver the baby. So, as you can imagine all of this was very disheartening to hear.<br /><br />Well, the doctor got her way and I ended up with a cesarean (6 hours after being admitted to be induced and no labor experienced.) My daughter weighed in at 8 pounds and was 21 inches long. I believe the Lord had His hand in everything and trusted Him for leadership. I have now switched doctors to one who does VBACs on a regular basis and am hoping for a birth that I so desperately wanted for my first. Thanks for the post (and for putting up with my lengthy comment!) :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08408209728726490363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-61513017022791470182010-06-02T06:25:31.701-07:002010-06-02T06:25:31.701-07:00It is vitally important for women to be informed a...It is vitally important for women to be informed and proactive in their birth choices but sometimes things are taken out of our hands and a choice is needed to be made out of necessity. Unfortunately for me, I cannot give birth vaginally. True cephlo-pelvic disproportion is the case and after getting to full dilation with my first, the baby was moving UP during the contractions - the baby never even made it out of my uterus due to a large head and my fused pelvis. I was afraid but knew that God is in control of my fertility and He made me this way so He would bless us with a healthy child. I went on to have 5 more pregnancies, 3 more births and was given the doctor's blessing to "keep on going". Each of my other deliveries were c-sections as well and I healed very well with each one of them. Women need to educate themselves as to the truths of birth but they do not need to fear a c-section should it be necessary. I know numerous women who almost lost children because they refused a c-section and it wasn't until their husband stepped in after mom could no longer make a choice that the birth was able to happen. C-sections should never be done out of "convenience", "fear of birth pain" (it's SO much better to have your entire middle section cut open *rolling eyes*) or whatever and we need to be sure we have a doctor who is skilled in complications and able to handle difficult births if necessary. But I also thank God for the skills of my doctor and the way He made my body to heal well so that I could also experience the joys of motherhood and raising 4 gorgeous children for the Lord.Mamamehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06105473640753152838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-55030397114816239472010-06-02T06:09:47.262-07:002010-06-02T06:09:47.262-07:00I am also a huge advocate of natural birth and avo...I am also a huge advocate of natural birth and avoidance of unnecesareans, so I suppose it is ironic that I ended up with what was a very necessary C-section. My son is only 3 months old, but I am already doing everything I can (losing weight, etc.) to get a natural VBAC next time. I am only hoping that my experiences give me some credibility when advocating for natural childbirth with other women in the same boat. I'm devastated that I didn't get the natural birth I wanted, but I did stay in control of the situation the whole time, so that's encouraging. I can't help but feel like my body failed me and that I failed as a woman by not being able to deliver naturally, but I know that God is sovereign, and I WILL have a VBAC this next time! (will be a while due to LAM, but we'll see)Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07194952449748731855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-57677957167862203832010-06-02T04:54:21.581-07:002010-06-02T04:54:21.581-07:00Thanks for posting this. I've had one C-secti...Thanks for posting this. I've had one C-section and am praying SO HARD that the Lord allows me to VBAC here in 1.5 months with my midwife. I want to have as many children as the Lord wants us to have and just hope that my mis-education during the first pregnancy doesn't mess that up. I'd appreciate your prayers--thanks again for the encouraging post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3454355557116314654.post-35108191625399177332010-06-01T23:38:43.641-07:002010-06-01T23:38:43.641-07:00This does not surprise me at all and I am very gla...This does not surprise me at all and I am very glad that I armed myself with knowledge *before* I got to the delivery room. Luckily for me my husband was on board with my decision to go to c-section only if I (or the baby) was going to die. Also, I was very lucky to find out about hypnobirthing and prepared myself mentally for labour. <br />You might also find the following link very interesting<br />http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/parenting/pregnancy/natural-births-better-for-babies-20100530-wnl5.html<br />hope things are looking up for you and that the morning sickness is abatingAlicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04080737213758433563noreply@blogger.com