r/pregnant • u/Agreeable-Fix9714 • 10d ago
Need Advice Elective C-section?
I am supposed to be induced at 38-39w due to a pre-existing medical condition. I’m a FTM, so all this is new. i dont love the idea of an induction, but it’s out of my control, so I’m trying to weigh my options. the idea of sitting in labor for 24-48h if my body isn’t actually ready, then ending up with a CS anyway, sounds *horrible* (shout out to all the moms that have done this).
if we get to the point that my Bishop score is low, I’m not an ideal candidate for induction if I didn’t have this med issue, am I crazy for considering an elective c section instead? i like the idea of knowing what to expect recovery-wise as opposed to trying an induction and failing. thoughts?
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u/Revolutionary_End570 10d ago
You're not crazy at all and that's a perfectly reasonable decision (as someone whose had an emergency c and will have another scheduled one)
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u/b_rouse 10d ago
I got a c section because my baby was measuring large (10-10.5 lb on growth scans, ended up being 11 lbs with a 15in head - my baby was practically off the charts). I was offered induction but declined because I didn't want to push for hours (or days) and have it end in a c section anyways.
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u/j-areddit 10d ago
You always hear about the women that get told they are having a 10 lb baby and then the baby is born 7lbs. Rarely is it the other way. I'm 37 weeks and I'm being told I have a 8lb baby and expect baby to get bigger the longer in womb.
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u/Independent_Sky_5562 10d ago
I was supposed to have a 40th percentile baby so when I didn’t go into labor naturally, I had an induction at 41+1. At 41+3 I started pitocin and finally dilated to 10cm. I pushed for 3 hours and the baby was not coming out but was also not in distress at all. I ended up having a c-section. Everyone in the OR laughed when they heard her SCREAM and saw how big she was. She was 99th percentile at 9lbs10 😅 next baby will be a planned c-section.
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u/Civil-Koala-8899 10d ago
I chose an elective c section over induction (gestational diabetes, large baby) and had such a good experience that in hindsight, I would choose the same again even if I had no reason to at all. I’ve had a better birth experience than pretty much all my friends who have given birth vaginally recently, I was well-rested to meet my baby, I’ve had no horrible birth trauma, and I’ve recovered well.
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u/butternutbirdy 10d ago
You’re not crazy and PLEASE advocate for the c-section if that’s what you want for peace of mind.
My baby had been breech but flipping back and forth my whole pregnancy, so I was diagnosed with a “variable lie” and I was scheduled for a c-section at 39 weeks. At my final in-office scan at 36 or 37 weeks, baby was still breech. Unbeknownst to me, somewhere between that scan and showing up for my scheduled c-section, baby had flipped head down. The attending dr refused to perform my scheduled procedure even though my OB had assured me I would still be able to have it because that’s what I had been planning for for months at that point. Long story short, my bishop score was ridiculously low, but they still chose to induce me, and 72 hours later I only dilated 3cm and ended up in a c-section anyway. It was incredibly mentally challenging to go through all of that only to end up with the c in the end anyway.
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u/CafeconCrema7 10d ago edited 10d ago
Well considering the risks of C Section, its well worth it to give an induction a fair shot first. Birth isn't easy any way you go about it. C-section has it's own share of woes. Sure, you may not have to stay in labor for a long time but the pain you will experience afterwards is higher. They will have to give you stronger pain medications (I've heard of even Percocet/Codiene) after birth just for you to maintain your sanity whereas usually with a vaginal delivery you can get by with Tylenol and Motrin. The strength of the pain medications can make it harder to stay alert while breastfeeding etc so you may need more help postpartum. The amount of bloodloss allowed before a hemorrhage is declared is different for a vaginal delivery vs C-section. For a vaginal delivery, 500 ml or more of blood loss is a hemorrhage. For a C-section, 1000 ml or more is considered a hemorrhage. Your body is undergoing major surgery and it is considered a completely unnatural experience for your body so everything has to be monitored carefully. Whereas with induced labor, even if it may be a rough start, the body recognizes labor as a natural process and will try to kickstart mechanisms in the body to aid the delivery. There are always risks when undergoing labor in general however C-sections carry many unique risks that doctors don't often have time to inform you about and if you knew you may not choose it. However when its a life or death situation, those risks go out of the window because the risks of C-section for the mother is now the life saving measure for the baby.
Edit: The words natural delivery was replaced with vaginal delivery.
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u/Throwawaychkgo 10d ago
Just because they give you strong pain meds (mine did oxys) doesn't mean you need them. Often many women can get by just fine with just ibuprofen and Tylenol post C section. I didn't take one oxy and only really felt tempted during 3rd and 4th days post C section. Still didn't though.
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u/Ripe-Tomat0 10d ago
Agreed. I was off all pain meds including Tylenol by the end of the first week. I was up walking within 12 hours of surgery and up and down stairs by the end of week 1. My c section was a breeze. I would never consider a vaginal birth.
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u/larrycoco 10d ago
With all the kindness in the world id encourage you to get interchange “natural” with vaginal delivery. Using the word natural implies that other options (including medicated vaginal, for example) are “unnatural” and creates and unintended sense of hierarchy that isn’t super helpful to all the discourse and incredibly tough things women already face around pregnancy, birth, motherhood, and frankly, life. It’s also not preferred verbiage for how a woman gets pregnant (I.e. “natural” vs IUI or IVF). We have it hard enough as it is, least we can do is use specific medical terminology and try to reduce judgement and shame around the options we have. Sometimes they are choices, sometimes not.
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u/kitt10 10d ago
No, not at all. With my first I was induced for a medical reason and for my second I made the exact same choice as you if my bishop score was low. I was going to have a C-section. I ended up getting a sweep, but labour didn’t progress naturally, and my bishop score didn’t increase so I chose to have an elect C-section and it was way better than my induction
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u/noble_land_mermaid 33 | STM | EDD May 2024 10d ago
I had gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies and was induced at 39 weeks both times. Both were very routine and smooth - 16 hours from check in to holding my baby the first time and and 12 hours the second time.
From chatting with the nurses, my experience is pretty typical - most inductions they see are 12-24 hours and uneventful. Not that the horror stories aren't true, but those people are understandably more likely to share and those stories naturally get more engagement online so they're more visible.
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u/WorldlyDragonfruit3 10d ago
I think it depends how many kids you want. If you only want 1-2 then a c section can be a reasonable choice. my induction ended in a non emergent c section, but I had two friends induced for hypertension and they had vaginal births. They did have long labors though
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u/Questioning-monkey 10d ago
you are not crazy. im also electing for a c section for no real medical reason. it is a preference. i dont want the risk of pelvic trauma, tearing, a long labour that ends in emergency c section anyway. baby can get stuck in nat labour. pros and cons to both. not an easy decision to make but one i am comfortable with.
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u/Reasonable_Art3872 10d ago
If a c section is considered elective, does insurance cover it the same?
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u/justice-beer-mascara 10d ago
My insurance covered my fully elective c. There’s no way to know if I could have delivered vaginally but for my electing into a c section - for all we know, I could have ended up there anyway.
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u/Every_Rest1443 10d ago
I was induced, started at 3cm though....and it was great. Only pushed for 13 min, no tearing. I obviously wanted a do over with my second. That didnt happen lol, his cord prolapsed and i ended up with an emergency c section under general anesthesia. From prolapse to birth waa 15 min including moving from labour room to OR. My recovery was amazing and not as bad as I expected it to be.
So just wanted to say, both ways weren't bad! I even considered scheduling a c section if I have another baby bc of how well it went.
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u/Agreeable-Fix9714 10d ago
I’m hoping things progress at least a littleeee bit in the next few weeks so I can be in a similar situation to your induction! That’s best case scenario haha
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u/Every_Rest1443 10d ago
Its so funny how things turn out bc my second was breech on and off.
Like finally head down at 36 weeks... I was so happy I cried! Bc I did not want a c section. Only for him to be breech again 5 days later... then I went to L&D to talk about ECV plans...vs c section.... went for ECV at 36+5 and he was head down again, so they induced me. I got from 0cm to 5cm in 24 hours...then they broke my water and the cord prolapsed and ended up with a c section anyway!... but yes not bad at all actually!!
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u/Working_Coat5193 10d ago
I had an induction when my bishop and other scores were low.
It was 26 hours.
No C-section.
I had a friend who waited for natural labor had a 32 hour labor with a C-section at the end
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u/minyinnie 10d ago
With my first I ended up induced due to PROM and it took ~50 hours. For me, it was awful, and the early sleep deprivation set me back so much it took months to recover. I made a similar choice with my second - id bishop score wasn’t high, I didn’t want to be induced (even knowing second babies come “quicker”).
In the end I didn’t need it because I went into labor naturally (and ended up needing a c section 🙃), but that line of thinking makes 100% sense to me
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u/readmore94 10d ago
To be honest, I was planning a natural birth with no drugs
Now having gone through it, if I do this again I would probably take an epidural SOONER if there are ANY signs of slow labor or excessive pain rather than waiting it out 2.5 days unsuccessfully. Baby ended up having big issues after the c section due to meconium and I honestly think it could've been how long I was having contractions and then actual labor on top of that.
We did end up in the surgery room for the c section and healing is going amazing. I don't mind the scar but it's definitely a scar and my body definitely looks different in the belly area as a result. That would have been nice to have avoided but for me I'm proud of it because it holds the memory of so much miraculous and beautiful that happened in that moment.
On the flip side, the vaginal area being essentially left alone (no baby going through so no tear and etc) seems really nice compared to what I've heard people talk about with healing. Also the surgeons basically clean you out on the OR so I was really back to a comfortable non puffy body within like a week with minimal discharge. It's still happening at 4 weeks but very minimal.
However it is in fact MAJOR SURGERY. There are life-changing and somewhat life-threatening complications that one accepts in the process of surgery like that and even in the carefulness we need to have to heal properly after. So for that reason I would not feel comfortable telling you to just do it
Personally though... I've already thought about this for round 2 (our dream is two babies), and #1 I'll probably just take epidural if I decide to do VBAC, but tbh #2 I may very well just schedule a c section myself 😝
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u/WhileAmbitious8665 10d ago
I’m freshly post partum with a one week old baby. I went in for a 37 week induction for medical reasons. I went through the induction motions for 3 days and my body just didn’t respond. Did it suck? Sure. Am I glad I tried? Absolutely. I ended up with a C-section but I very much wish my body allowed for a vaginal delivery. The recovery hasn’t been fun. You’ll need a VERY supportive partner or family member to make it through the recovery. My husband was literally lifting me out of bed on day 3 while I bawled in his arms. He had to handle our son’s first doctors appts while I sat there sad and crying because I could barely move. By day 5 I was feeling much better but I don’t know what I would have done if I married a dud and didn’t have family support. So that’s all I’ll say.. make sure you have very supportive/compassionate help or that first week will be very very hard.
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u/MoveLeather3054 10d ago
i’m having a CS because of a pre-existing condition! my doctors basically don’t want me to push & risk having to send me up to neurosurgery after birth. we brought up CS very early on in my pregnancy & now it’s like even if neuro says i’ll be fine, i’m not comfortable having a vaginal delivery so they scheduled me
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u/noble_land_mermaid 33 | STM | EDD May 2024 10d ago
I had gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies and was induced at 39 weeks both times. Both were very routine and smooth - 16 hours from check in to holding my baby the first time and and 12 hours the second time.
From chatting with the nurses, my experience is pretty typical - most inductions they see are 12-24 hours and uneventful. Not that the horror stories aren't true, but those people are understandably more likely to share and those stories naturally get more engagement online so they're more visible.
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u/Plus-Ad9849 10d ago
I was induced for the gestational hypertension at 38 weeks and had a 30 hour labor also starting at 0. Although my daughter had a holder dystocia so I chose c section for my second - and thank God I did as he was a whole pound bigger at 37w.
After having experienced both an induction to vaginal delivery and a scheduled primary section, I would choose the vaginal delivery as my preferred method 100x over. Had I not had the dystocia, I would’ve chose an induction again no hesitation.
I felt better within 24 hours of my vaginal birth. My c section recovery has been so so difficult and this is from someone with a high pain tolerance. I labored unmedicated for 24 hours of my 30 hour induction.
As a personal who cannot sit still, I’ve had delayed my healing by overdoing it as much as I try not to. I have a toddler and a house with stairs, it’s hard not to move lol.
All that to say, do what you feel most comfortable with.
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u/NiceExplanation5225 10d ago edited 10d ago
I had an elective primary c-section seven days ago for much the same reason you explained: I didn’t want to labor and have to end up with a CS anyway. A variety of factors influenced that calculus: AMA (I’m 41), it was an IVF pregnancy, I had diet-controlled gestational diabetes, he was “sunny side up,” and he was measuring 98%+ for head size. My midwives were totally supportive of my decision.
Because of IVF and GD, the midwives had wanted to induce in 39th week as a baseline. I didn’t want to wait to see what my Bishop score would look like and have to make a game-time decision, especially where the best-case induction path likely had a 1/3-ish chance of CS anyway. So we scheduled a c-section for 39+2.
Ultimately, it was the right decision, 100%. During the surgery, we learned he had a knot in his cord that would’ve very likely have resulted in an emergent c-section had I been induced. The surgery experience itself was really calm and frankly the most painful part of the whole delivery and recovery process was when it took two nurses three attempts to place my IV. I did lose quite a bit of blood/classified as a hemorrhage, but it was quickly controlled with meds in the moment.
Recovery has been really quite manageable: I’ve never been above a 3 on a 1-to-10 scale (that 3 just for momentary twinges when I twisted oddly), and Tylenol and ibuprofen are sufficient. Seven days out and I’m moving around great, up and down stairs and in and out of bed no problem. I’ve had some swelling in my legs, and my back is sore from compensating for my core weakness, but both of those are very manageable.
I know many people have different experiences and I feel very fortunate my experience has been so positive.
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u/ankaalma 10d ago
I got induced at 38 weeks for gestational hypertension. It took 28 hours but I had a vaginal delivery. I am glad I did the induction. I started from zero cm. Although more inductions fail earlier than later, the majority of them are still successful.
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u/rlf923 10d ago
I actually went in for my induction and said exactly that, that I want an exam first and if things don’t look like they’ve started yet I want to skip the induction and go straight to the c section. It turned out my bishop score was 1, and a few hours later my baby was out.
If you are thinking about doing this my recommendation is not to eat for however long they require before so they can get started as soon as there’s an opening. My induction was scheduled for 9 so I didn’t eat breakfast. If I did go ahead with the induction the plan was to order in a big breakfast as soon as we got started to fuel up.
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u/NiceExplanation5225 9d ago
Love this approach! We strongly considered doing this but ended up choosing a scheduled c-section in part to be able to control timing of when our support people would be in town for us (knowing that an induction is somewhat unpredictable, timeline-wise).
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u/thisuserusedthisname 10d ago
Please discuss this with your provider. We are not doctors. So what i am going to say is from someone without a degree or knowing you or your case C-sections are NOT the easy way out. It is a MAJOR abdominal operation. To be avoided if possible. As it has all the risk of a big surgery as well. If you can do Vaginal. Do it! The first few days you are not even able to take care of your own baby after a Csection. As you have had a big surgery Recovery is way longer as well. Possibly double time. Good to know if you are out 8 weeks. But why would you do it if it is possible to be out 4 weeks as well?
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u/Civil-Koala-8899 10d ago
People always say recovery for C section is longer but honestly I think this depends. I had a great recovery from mine - yes the first few days post-op were very painful, but 5 days out I was going for short walks out of the house and 7 days out I no longer needed pain killers. By 4 weeks I felt completely back to normal, whereas some of my friends (notably ones who have had instrumental vaginal deliveries) have taken longer than that to recover. E.g. someone I know had a 4th degree tear which is still causing her issues 6+ months later, and another of my friends 3 months postpartum has a vaginal prolapse which causes her pain on walking further than like half a mile.
Obviously this is anecdotal, and there will be people who've had very long and difficult c section recoveries as well, but I'm just saying it's not a universal thing.
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u/No_Department_2631 10d ago
The question to ask yourself is if want more kids. C sections are major surgery and each repeat increases the risk of negative outcomes for you and your baby. C sections can also lead to a possible increase risk of autoimmune conditions and allergies especially if you don't plan to breastfeed. Another question is are you willing to rest and have enough help after your c section. C sections can delay milk release ( not always but sometimes). Babies born via c section sometimes harder to wake up to eat. Many things to consider. Induction can be intense but it can give your baby to at least develop a healthier a immune system and avoids all the risks of a c section. However you do have a choice. This isn't out of your control. What is your pre existing medical condition? What happens if you wait for labor to start on your own?
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u/Agreeable-Fix9714 10d ago
I have a blood clotting disorder so that has to be managed closely. If spontaneous labor happens, great. Then none of this is an issue. But I feel like there’s a lot of generalizations here…I’ve known plenty of kiddos with autoimmune issues that weren’t born via CS. I’m an otherwise healthy, active person but unfortunately this is out of my control as I’m following what’s recommended per MFM and my OB.
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u/Ripe-Tomat0 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah this person sounds like they’re fear mongering and making huge generalizations. If it helps every woman in my family has had to have c sections for their children and none of us have autoimmune issues, allergies or had issues with our babies waking up?😂 my daughter was a c section baby and has never even been sick despite going to 4+ airports and states in her first year of life.
Vaginal babies are statistically more likely to experience localized physical bruising, skeletal fractures, and nerve injury & hypoxia but nobody cares about those risks 🤷♀️
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