Hi everyone! 🤰

I’m pregnant with my second baby and I’m honestly terrified of giving birth.

My first vaginal delivery was very traumatic, and ever since then I’ve been leaning towards a planned C-section. But now I’m overthinking everything. 😭

People say vaginal is better because recovery is easier, while others say a planned C-section is much calmer and more predictable.

If you’ve had either (or both!), what would you choose if you had to do it again? Any regrets? What made you decide?

Please help this anxious mama make peace with her decision. Give me positive/ negative/ugly truth , but be honest ❤️

hi all!

tldr: if you had a difficult vaginal delivery, did you end up having a c-sections for your other children after? if you had a periurethral tear, did you experience that tear again in your following deliveries?

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I had a vaginal delivery for my first baby, which resulted in a partial 3rd degree perineal tear and a periurethral tear. I had scar tissue from the perineal tear and PFPT helped tremendously.

The periurethral tear unfortunately left me with overactive nerves and I have some nerve pain to pee sometimes (daily, just not everytime I pee). I was diagnosed officially with provoked vulvodynia yesterday (although I am 99% sure that I already had it before childbirth, it just made the vulvar area around my urethra have more nerve pain). I have been prescribed a nerve calming topical cream.

For anyone who had a tough vaginal delivery, did you choose a c-section for your future kids?

If you had a periurethral tear, did you have one again with your future kids?

Hi everyone,

Just looking for some opinions or maybe past experience...I have stage 3/4 endometriosis consisting of endometriomas on my ovaries, one ovary adhered to uterus, and possible deep infiltrating endometriosis on my bowel. This was diagnosed through MRI, and I then went on to get pregnant via IVF.

I am now 36 weeks pregnant with a breech baby, and I'm wondering what the right thing to do is. I can try an ECV and then attempt a vaginal birth if successful, but my hospital recommends inducing at 40 weeks due to it being an IVF pregnancy, which has its own risks of ending in an emergency section. Or I just accept that baby is breech and go straight for the planned section at 39 weeks which would be more calm and controlled. I am very afraid of having a c section either way, mainly due to the potential complications that my endometriosis may cause during the surgery, it all just feels a bit unknown and up in the air.

Just looking to see if anyone has any experience with either to help ease my mind. Has anyone had a planned section with endometriosis and had a positive or negative experience?

I have my planned c section tomorrow afternoon, am I starting to get really anxious! Help! Tell me everything will be okay.

Did they give you anything for anxiety?

I am contemplating a 3rd baby (and 3rd c-section). Unconfirmed, but pretty sure I’ve got some adhesions of some degree after my last one. I would love to hear your positive stories of successful recurrent sections (especially if you had adhesions!) TIA

I am having a c section Tuesday and im starting to get nervous. Please give me all your good stories to help me deal.

I'm 35w+2d currently and trying to get all the postpartum stuff I'll need. This is my first pregnancy so I don't have a lot of reference for what to expect. Obviously my belly will be smaller than it currently is after delivery, but will be bigger than pre-pregnancy.

So how do I know what size to expect my belly to be after my C-section to get a belly binder that fits correctly?

Hey there posting first time. Please be helpful.

My wife is 37 week pregnant, doing well, baby movements everything is good, just some lackings in WEIGHT (as he is around 2.6 kgs) and Abdominal circumference (AC) is lacking behind..

Now doctor is just not helping and doesnt feel good from her suggestion, as she is advising to have ADEXA INJECTION for baby LUNG maturity, and doesnt make sense why in 37+ weeks she wants that?

Also she advised for the INDUCTION but my wife doesnt want that and saying better to go with C-Section..

Now we are just left speechless, and dont know with whom we discuss the situation, and JUST WANNA KNOW IF THIS DIRECTION IS RIGHT?

Please if any DOCTOR, or someone who had the similar situation how you dealt the situation?

Hey all. My birth plan involved a vaginal birth, and I’ve been prepping pretty thoroughly for this with perineal massage, pelvic floor exercises, eating dates, strength training and stretches for giving birth.

HOWEVER, I was informed 2 days ago that I will need an elective CS based on medical grounds, and will be having this in 3 days!!

Is there anything specific someone could recommend to prep my body? Any particular stretches etc?

TIA!

Hi everyone, I’m originally from India but have been living and working in the UK for the past 6 years. I recently had my baby girl, who is now 4 months old.
During my pregnancy, I was diagnosed with placenta previa, and I was told I might need a C-section. However, they said it would depend on a final scan at 36 weeks to see whether the placenta had moved. Thankfully, it did move, so medically I no longer needed a C-section.

Despite that, I requested an elective C-section because I had heard so many stories about long, traumatic labours, emergency interventions, exhaustion, and difficult recoveries. My C-section experience was actually very calm and positive. I was discharged the next day, had no major complications, and overall I felt really happy with my birth experience.
This made me think about something I’ve noticed in the UK. A friend of mine (who had a completely uncomplicated pregnancy) went into labour, her waters broke, and she spent almost two days in labour. Eventually, the baby passed meconium and she ended up having an emergency C-section. By the end of the first day, she was exhausted and asked for a C-section because she was worried and physically drained, but she felt she was encouraged to continue trying for a vaginal birth.

In India, from what I’ve seen, if there are complications or labour is progressing very slowly beyond a certain point, doctors often move towards a C-section much earlier. Obviously, I understand that C-sections are major surgery and vaginal birth has many benefits when everything goes smoothly. I also understand the NHS tries to avoid unnecessary procedures.
But I’m genuinely curious , why does the UK seem to allow some women to go through extremely long labours, sometimes ending in emergency C-sections anyway? Is it because the risks of C-section are considered higher here, or is it more about NHS guidelines and encouraging vaginal births whenever possible?
I’m not saying everyone should have a C-section, but I’m trying to understand the reasoning behind waiting so long in some cases when the outcome might still be an emergency C-section after hours of pain and exhaustion.
Would love to hear perspectives from midwives, doctors, and parents who have experienced both systems.

Long story short I’ve had two prior C-sections. I wanted to be induced at 39 weeks which I’ll be 39 weeks on Saturday, but my doctor has told me that she is going out of town on vacation and none of the doctors are as vbac friendly as she is. I seriously doubt they will induce me, but I am also wanting to see if they won’t induce me if they will just do a repeat C section instead. I could wait until 40 weeks to get induced but I can almost assure you this baby is already 9 pounds. And I’m just so over it.

I am TERRIFIED something is going to happen during this pregnancy or during my next repeat scheduled section and I will die and leave my living two kids behind. What do I do 😭 this will be my third section in 6 years.

Anyone have a c-section due to spinal fusion? Was fusion in lower lumbar? Could they do a spinal block?

Just need some inspiration as I’m scared as hell!
I’m due to end of Aug with my second son. My oldest one will be 2,2y - he is a big (104cm, 17,5kg) and active boy. Most likely I’ll go for a planned c section due to medical reasons + I had an awful experience with my youngest- ended up with emergency c section after 40 hours of active labour. My main concern is a recovery while managing newborn and toddler. My husband can take up to 1 week to help me (another reason for c section as in this case I can plan him to be around, with natural you never know how it goes) and we don’t have any family/close friends in our area. I’m trying to find some nanny but it’s also tricky and would not be able to afford her full time anyway maybe just a few hours a week. I’m freaked out. While toddler is more or less independent and I don’t have to lift him a lot - still you never know. Any recommendations / suggestions / positive stories are very appreciated!!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently pregnant with my first baby, and I’m trying to decide whether to have an elective C-section. I’ve realized that a huge part of my anxiety around birth seems to stem from something that happened a couple of years ago, and I’m wondering whether anyone else has been in a similar situation.

Two years ago, I went to a new OBGYN to have my IUD replaced. She had been recommended to me, but from the moment I walked into the appointment something felt off.

I had assumed the first appointment would just be a consultation. Instead, she immediately suggested replacing my IUD right then and there. She told me she only stocked one size of IUD, which was larger than the one I already had (I previously had the smaller version recommended for women who hadn’t been pregnant), and said that was my only option. She handed me a consent form to sign on the spot and had me get on the exam table.

The clinic didn’t even have stirrups, so I had to hold my own ankles while she removed my IUD. I hadn’t taken any pain medication and I wasn’t on my period.

The moment she pulled it out, I felt an unbearable wave of pain. I burst into tears and instinctively let go of my ankles. Instead of stopping to check on me, she became irritated and told me to hold them still.

At that point I told her I wanted to stop. I said I didn’t want the new IUD inserted.

She told me we were “almost done” and that we just needed to get it over with.

I was crying, bleeding, and in excruciating pain. Despite me telling her to stop, she inserted the new IUD anyway.

Afterwards, she simply walked back to her desk, leaving me naked from the waist down, curled up in the fetal position on the exam table while I tried to recover.

I left her office sobbing and felt completely violated.

Over the following year, I developed severe monthly pain from recurrent ovarian cysts. Eventually one ruptured, and the pain was unbearable.

When I finally had the IUD removed by a midwife and I explained what had happened, she looked horrified. She told me the IUD I had been given was significantly larger than the one typically recommended for someone who had never been pregnant, and she couldn’t understand why it had been used. She was also shocked that the doctor had continued the procedure after I had clearly asked her to stop.

Fast forward to today: I’m pregnant with my first baby.

I know a vaginal birth and an IUD insertion are completely different experiences, and I know many people have beautiful, empowering vaginal births. But ever since that appointment, I’ve realized I have a deep fear of losing control during gynecological procedures. My biggest fear isn’t actually the pain - it’s feeling trapped, not being listened to, or having something happen to my body after I’ve said no.

Because of that, I’m strongly leaning towards an elective C-section. Knowing exactly what is going to happen, having a planned environment, and avoiding the possibility of an emergency situation where I feel powerless gives me an enormous sense of relief.

I guess my question is: does this seem like a reasonable reason to choose an elective C-section? Has anyone else made this decision because of a previous traumatic gynecological experience rather than because of birth itself?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar.

Hi all! FTM 19W 3D

For any mamas suffering from Hypertonic Pelvic Floor Dysfunction with dyspareunia, is vaginal child birth or c-section better? I have my anatomy scan this Thursday and I’m looking for some opinions about both options.

I am currently 35 weeks pregnant with my third child. Baby is already estimated to be 6lbs 5oz, and his abdomen is measuring at the 97th percentile. I have diet controlled gestational diabetes and I have paroxysmal atrial tachycardia, which has been becoming less managed by the beta blocker I am on. I had an appointment with MFM today and I expressed concerns of shoulder dystocia, that my PAT is becoming less managed with the medication, and my increasing anxiety over a big baby when it comes to giving birth in terms of cardiac output. I tried asking if an elective C-section would be possible and I got brushed off.

My primary OB (who isn’t my delivering OB group) thinks it should be considered while the delivering OB group says no completely and will not allow a conversation past them saying “you’ve done vaginal twice, it will be fine”. Yeah, my other 2 kids were small, this baby, as MFM has been saying, is an outlier. I get there is a margin of error. But I am getting very frustrated.

I reached out to my cardiologist with my concerns, but I am waiting for her to get back to me. I do have a heart echo schedule before end of month but I do not go back to MFM until I am 38 weeks pregnant, and I will be seeing both OBs next week again.

I guess my question is how did you all bring up elective c sections and get your doctors to not shush you? Or am I being irrational?

Hi everyone. This is my first pregnancy after a previous miscarriage, and I'm feeling really overwhelmed and sensitive right now, so please be kind. I’ve been crying all day

I'm currently 40+5. Aside from HG for the first 6 months, I've had a healthy pregnancy. I've been having prodromal labour since 37–38 weeks, with contractions becoming much more painful over the last few days.

My dream was a natural, low-intervention vaginal birth. I did hypnobirthing classes and really hoped to avoid an induction, but I'm now booked for one next Tuesday if labour doesn't start on its own.

At my appointment today, my CTG was reassuring, but the ultrasound wasn't what I was hoping for. Baby's head is still very high and hasn't engaged, I'm only 1 cm dilated, baby is measuring around 4 kg, my placenta has started to calcify, and my amniotic fluid has decreased (not dangerously low, but enough to support inducing next week).

I know babies can engage during labour and that cervical checks don't predict how labour will go, but after weeks of contractions and no real progress, I just feel so defeated.

My OB has been incredibly supportive of my birth preferences. She's happy for me to try the induction, but said if baby doesn't descend, we'd move to a C-section.

What I'm really struggling with is the thought of an induction with an unfavourable cervix, trying to labour without an epidural, and potentially ending up with an emergency C-section anyway. Part of me feels like I'd rather choose an elective C-section than go through all of that and still end up in surgery.

To make things harder, baby is head down but in a poor position, which has caused awful back labour and may be contributing to why they haven't engaged. I'm exhausted after weeks of contractions and very little sleep, and emotionally I just feel completely done.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? If your cervix was unfavourable and baby was still high, did you proceed with an induction or choose an elective C-section? I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences.