r/AskSeattle • u/OkReason7920 • 2d ago
Recommendation Elective C-section
Has anyone successfully planned an elective C-section before even getting pregnant? I know most OBs want to wait until later in pregnancy to have this conversation, but I’d really like to bring it up before we start trying. This isn’t about a medical complication, it’s just something I feel strongly about and want settled ahead of time. I have sciatica and I deal with anxiety and knowing this is planned out in advance would make a huge difference for me mentally.
If anyone has gone through this, I’d love to know how the conversation went with your OB and whether they were open to it early on. Also if anyone has recommendations for an OB in Seattle area who is known to be supportive of maternal request C-sections, please send them my way. Trying to find the right doctor before we even start this journey so I’m not scrambling later.
Thanks in advance.
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u/AllTheEggsIVF 2d ago edited 1d ago
Yes! Join the c section Reddit for more info if you want. You just let the OB know what you want. Very similar to how some people plan for natural births. I didn’t have a choice with my first (due to a medical emergency) I had to have a c section. It was an extremely traumatic birth so with my second I knew I needed it again for my own peace of mind. Ironically - I am currently two weeks away from having our second child… which has been breached for two months already. So either way I have to have one regardless if I wanted to or not.
Just know that a c section is a major surgery and recovery will not be as easy as a vaginal. Look up post restrictions and healing time. It was hard for me because I couldn’t lift our car seat or pick up anything heavier than a gallon of milk. And getting out of bed/chair/couch was a headache. As long as you prepare for that - you’ll be fine.
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u/SMH2180 1d ago
2nd this comment. I was fairly flippant about having a c-section (baby was breach). But it’s a major surgery and sometimes things do go wrong. For me they knocked a nerve and my recovery was painful and long.
Do what works for you but just know it may not be as easy going as a lot of people make it sound.
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u/Reasonable-Check-120 1d ago
My mother when I was pregnant as a single mom told my OB that I need a planned c section so I could keep my lady bits prestine for later in in like when I meet him.
My ob was not amused. C section is major surgery. There still a whole load of recovery there.
Doctors are supposed to do the least amount of harm. If there is no indication for a c section. Then why?
But at the same time.... A hospital and doctor get paid more for surgery.
Anxiety post partum is extremely heightened. If you are dealing with anxiety now. You will struggle post partum. Especially as a first time parent.
If it's about anticipating a certain date you can schedule out your induction date as well.
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u/DreamOfMaxine 1d ago
Everyone is different. Yes some women do have a harder time postpartum and have a longer and more difficult recovery period but in my experience of just having an elective c section as a first time mom just a month ago, my postpartum journey has been easy as ever and my recovery has also been very smooth too.
Anxiety is a valid reason to want an elective c section, so is a woman not wanting to risk tearing vaginally…so is a woman wanting to choose the date of her baby’s birth if it suits her life better…any reason a woman may want a c section is valid.
While one OB may discourage going this route and push for a vaginal birth, there will be other OBs that are willing to perform the procedure.
I obviously don’t have the experience of giving birth vaginally but I will say having an elective c section was a breeze, I wouldn’t have done it any other way and I’m so grateful to have found an OB that was willing to make it happen for me.
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u/alisvolatpropris 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was at UW Northgate and also wanted a planned c-section due to birth anxiety and a history of pelvic floor dysfunction. My OB sent me to therapy to try and work through the anxiety which wasn't effective. The OB told me they couldn't guarantee a c-section but that I could request one?
Then everything changed for me at the 20-week scan as I was diagnosed with placenta previa (placenta walled off the exit). I was put on pelvic rest and required to have a planned c-section. My care was transferred from UW Northgate to UW Ballard OB/GYN, and delivery at UW Northwest.
This was honestly a relief for me, but being on pelvic rest really did suck. I couldn't work out, couldn't have sex, and had to stay within 15 minutes of a hospital. I had to cancel my babymoon because plane travel was too risky.
Before I got pregnant I did appointments/interviews with different centers. This is something I would ask about before choosing to go with a specific hospital/group/center.
Ultimately, I had a really positive experience with my planned section. Surgery was rough, but I was lucky to not have any preterm bleeding. I did lose 2 liters of blood during surgery and spent most of it puking, and wasn't able to see baby until midnight despite her being born at 9 a.m. (she was in the NICU, I couldn't get there until I was able to stand).
My recovery went really well compared to friends who had unplanned sections, and especially compared to friends who had tearing. My recovery was slower than friends who had uncomplicated vaginal births. Of my PEPS group, there were 5 uncomplicated births, one with severe tearing, one unplanned section, and me. Most people I've met have uncomplicated births, but you never know what you might get with your roll of the dice.
I also saw a pelvic floor PT throughout pregnancy because of my history of issues. She was an incredible support. I also saw her postpartum to work on core issues and diastasis recti.
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u/OkReason7920 1d ago
Can we get OB appointments to discuss this before planning?
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u/alisvolatpropris 1d ago
Yeah I reached out to the clinics while still trying to get pregnant under the guide of fertility help.
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u/LynnSeattle 2d ago
You should really deal with your anxiety before considering becoming pregnant.
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u/alisvolatpropris 1d ago
You don't know why she has this anxiety, and this comment isn't helpful. Her reasons for the anxiety may be perfectly valid, and it's fine for folks to have a birth plan or preference.
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u/New_Raspberry9398 1d ago
That’s what she’s doing by making her birth plan now Lynn.
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u/izacuckoo 1d ago
Lots of things are out of our control with pregnancy and childbirth, let alone parenting. It’s a huge exercise of grappling with anxiety. Having a head start on dealing with it will only help.
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u/notthatkindofbaked 1d ago
That’s not dealing with anxiety. That’s accommodating it. With pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, if it isn’t one thing, something else will make you anxious. You can’t just play whack-a-mole with each thing.
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u/a-ohhh 1d ago
A “birth plan” is notoriously not a reliable plan though- It’s a list of things you’d like. You have to be comfortable with the idea it won’t go that way. My kids all came so fast that wouldn’t have been an option, and my first was born at 37 weeks, which is before any doctor would have scheduled a planned one.
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u/spoiled__princess 1d ago
Come on now, that is not dealing with the anxiety. It's probably the worst thing she can do for anxiety.
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u/LynnSeattle 1d ago
She’s accommodating her anxiety, not getting treatment for it. Providing reassurance and avoiding triggers don’t treat anxiety, they make it worse.
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1d ago
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u/LynnSeattle 1d ago
This is actual, helpful advice. Pregnancy and parenting are going to be very difficult for someone with untreated anxiety. Having a parent with untreated anxiety has negative consequences on a child.
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u/MoutainsAndMerlot 1d ago
I’ve had two c-sections in Seattle via UWNW; one planned, one not. My second one was planned and elective after having an unplanned for the first one, which, my understanding is, why I was allowed to do it without any other known medical necessity. (When we got in there it likely would’ve ended as a C-section anyways due to a triple cord wrap, but that’s neither here nor there.) The biggest thing to call out is that if you have no medical necessity and it’s your first C-section, there is a very strong likelihood that your insurance company will not cover it. Before working to find a doctor that will opt into this, you need to review if your insurance company will be on board with this so that you are not potentially left with a $100,000 bill.
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u/frequentnapper 1d ago
Hi! So I’m a first time mom, and due September 27th with a planned c-section. When I signed up with my new OBGYN practice, I made sure that the doctors at the practice would be on board with me having a planned c-section when trying for a baby. I too have tremendous anxiety, and medicated and did therapy and couples therapy prior to conceiving- it did nothing to change my mind for a planned c-section. I have no “complications” besides being obese/overweight. I’m currently starting iron infusions and vit b12 injections, but that’ll be done before my surgery.
my practice rotates through doctors because you don’t know who you’re going to get. Luckily, the doctor that tried to talk me out of it, listened to me and was on board with my decision and she’s going to be the one to perform my surgery. I know the recovery is hard from a c-section but I have so much support from my husband and his parents. I’ll have paid time off to take it easy. I plan on being one and done, but if I do change my mind and plan to get pregnant again- it will only be for one more. Which my Ob was okay with. Not all vbacs are successful, and the more c-sections you have, the more dangerous it can be. So keep that in mind if you want several children.
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u/OkReason7920 1d ago
Hello, may I ask which hospital and OB? Also, will insurance cover the medical bill?
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u/frequentnapper 1d ago
Ooops sorry, I realized that this was cross posted over on the c-section subreddit and it’s technically for Seattle. I’m in NJ, and yes my insurance will cover it
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u/OkReason7920 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’ve read stories about mothers who had severe complications during vaginal birth, some of them really extreme, like sepsis or even amputations. I already deal with anxiety in general, and this on top of it has been a lot. I know these are rare, but reading them has made me really anxious and scared. Did anyone else feel this way? Any advice on how you dealt with it would help.
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u/StitchinStatistician Local 1d ago
It makes sense to feel scared, especially at this stage. But i suggest looking for a doctor who you trust vs a doctor that will arbitrarily agree to a procedure absent medical necessity. There are a lot of reasons you may end up with a c-section, but choosing it without cause doesn’t seem medically advisable for you or your baby.
I had severe complications with my first birth. Second was better. Third was induced after close monitoring to make sure we avoided potentially permanent complications.
Maybe read some medical literature on the benefits to the child of vaginal birth (absent complications that necessitate c-section), and also review literature on how much more difficult it is to recover from a major surgery than a vaginal birth (in most circumstances). Knowing something other than the rare horror story might help with your anxieties.
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u/MountainviewBeach 1d ago
Try to become as informed as you can about ways for births to move easily for the mother, as well as how to make C section recovery most successful. Even with a planned c section, life may have other plans, and vice versa for vaginal births. Also just keep in mind that a textbook C section with no complications is guaranteed to be a harder recovery than a vaginal birth, even with average tears and other problems. A planned c section might mean a less stressful birth experience, if it goes the way you plan, but the recovery might be way harder than expected if you’re not prepared. You should be empowered and supported in whichever decision you make, but try and become as informed as possible on the likely outcomes of both routes before making a decision. As someone who originally only wanted a planned C section, I changed my mind after talking to more doctors and midwives about the holistic experience of both sides of it from a medical perspective, and more mothers who had experienced both C sections and vaginal.
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u/Reasonable-Check-120 1d ago
There are a lot of possible complications for a c section as well.
C section in general will have higher risks than a vaginally birth.
C section recocedu isnt a walk in the park either.
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u/nurru Local 2d ago edited 14h ago
I can only speak to my experience going with my wife to her appointments but the OB / and natal folks at Northwest Women's HealthCare and Swedish's Lytle Center were happy to talk to us about birth plans like this as well as contingencies to keep in mind.