I need all your guys' advice again! I went in for my 39-week appointment yesterday and "got checked" down below for the first time, to see if I was dilating or anything. I still haven't had any contractions at all, but I wanted to get checked anyway, hoping they would discover that I just have an amazingly high pain tolerance and was already dilated to a 5. ;) Hehe, just kidding. Anyway, the doctor checked me and said, "Hmmm, I'm glad we checked you. Your pelvis bone is rather small, which could make a normal delivery not possible if your baby is large."
Getting a big baby out of a not-so-big birth canal obviously can cause problems, the biggest of which would be possibly getting his head out, but having his shoulders get stuck. This could cause permanent damage to him, and I could possibly have to get an emergency c-section. They also couldn't/wouldn't use suctioning or forceps to get him out, since this would impose a danger as well, trying to pull him out of a space he can't fit through. Anyway, my doctor and the ultrasound tech said from looking at me/my belly, my baby didn't seem really big and that it probably wouldn't be a problem. They said if he was close to 9 pounds, I'd for sure need to have a c-section.
So, I got an ultrasound (which I was happy about--I hadn't seen my little boy in like four months since the last one!). Turns out my "little" boy is already 8 pounds! And he'll probably gain at least another half pound by his due date (Monday, Feb. 2). The average baby is 7 to 7 1/2 pounds. And all this time I've been thinking he'd be malnutritioned from me throwing up so much!
So, my options:
#1: Let nature take its course. Wait to go into labor naturally, go through labor, and then hope he has room to come out. If he gets stuck or in distress, have an emergency c-section. (If I don't go into labor by Monday, they'll have me scheduled for a c-section no matter what.)
#2: Schedule a c-section, probably for Thursday morning. Have surgery, and a longer recovery, but avoid any problems/worry of him "fitting."
#3: Get induced early, probably Friday. Wouldn't have to go through surgery and longer recovery; still could be a "fitting" problem, but less of a chance of one since he'll have a few days' less weight/size.
What should I do? Dr. Allred suggested I get a second opinion from Dr. Barton (they're "team doctors" together), so I have an appointment with him tomorrow. I'll obviously heed their advice, but also want to have my mind made up on certain things. Right now I'm leaning toward just scheduling a c-section. But I'm open to advice! Thanks, you guys!
Sterling's FIRST Birthday!
4 weeks ago
26 comments:
Here is my 2 cents. I have never had a c-section so I don't know much about it. My sister's friend had the same situation, but they didn't know about it until it was too late. She ended up tearing clear threw her anus because they had to pull the baby out (she was too far into delivery otherwise they would have done an emergency c-section). Dr. Barton said it was the worst tear he had ever seen. If I was you I would probably just go for the c-section and potentially save yourself from what could be a very scary situation. Births are supposed to be happy occasion, not stressful and scary. Good luck and I can't wait to see pics of your little guy!!
What a hard decision to have to make!! I think if I was in your position I would heavily think about what is the safest for you and the baby. I wouldn't induce unless your body is already kinda ready for labor because that could bring on alot of complications. I think I would do the scheduled C-section, even though its a longer recovery I think it would be a lower risk to have it scheduled and done instead of having it done in an emergency, which looks like it would be highly likely! I hope everything works out for you and you have a safe delivery!!
Oh honey I am so glad you got checked and are blessed to have a little time to actually make a decision with a bit of a clear mind.
I have been through a normal labor and a c-section (that was a suprize)respectively with my two kiddos. If you want to e mail me I would be happy to give you the long drawn out explanation about my experiences good and bad with each one. Also if you have specific questions you need answered from someone who has been there I would be more than happy to help out as much as possible. My e mail is khsedurham@yahoo.com.
If you don't want to, just know that a scheduled c-section is far easier to recover from then if you start going the other direction and they have to do one after you have been laboring for hours. Just some food for thought.
-Erin
You've already had a lot of advise but let me give a little.
By the time I was 39 weeks my body had done NOTHING! 4 days after my due date the doctor decided to induce me. BAD IDEA! I was in labor for 12 hours and I never got past a 1 (dilation) It was awful. They sent me home that night without a baby!
The next night due to all the stress my body had gone through my water started to leak. I went through another 24 hours of labor and only made it to a 3. They finally had to do a c-section. So after over 30 hours of labor I had my baby...who by the way was stuck in the birth canal!
So you want to know what i think....get the c-section. The recovery is really not that bad. I was up and walking with in 2 days and for the first 2 weeks i just got to relax and hold my little baby. Not a bad situation. I promise recovery really isn't as bad as every one says. The first 2 days aren't great but after that it's nothing!
If you are unsure if he'll make it down don't put your self through all the pain of labor and wear yourself out. I was so exhaust after labor that I could do nothing. Seriously Quinn took care of everything!!! And if you are worried about missing out on the birthing process you wont. If you have an epidural with the c-section you still feel things. There is still a lot of pressure as they take the baby out and it's an amazing feeling to feel them pull that baby out and then hear the first cry!
Ok that was long and I'm sure not worth reading....but I've been in that situation and thought i would just let you know what i thought. If you need any one to talk to about c-sections you should call I'm no expert but would love to chat and help you figure things out! here's my number 307-883-4200.
Good luck!!!!!
Hey! What a hard situation. I would probably do the c section. I wouldn't want to go into labor and have bad contractions and dialate and have something bad happen and need an emergency c section especially since they think he is already 8 lbs. My mother in law had a big baby 10 13oz and they were going to break her hips to get him out. Anyway, let us know what you decide.
I had the same problem... my baby was huge... after 8 terrifying hours of labor, they had to do an emergency c-section... Simply stated, don't chance it... Go C-section...Don't induce, it sucks.
PS I have now had 2 c sections, and recovery was fine... just more of an excuse for people to do things for you...he he he
I had a c-section with my twins after 20 hours of labor because I stopped progressing. It turns out that Brayden (the second baby) had the cord stuck under his head, so even if I had delivered Brennan ok, I would have had to have a c-section for Brayden. Anyway, I had them Sunday night, and I was up walking to the NICU to see Brennan the next morning. (He was ok, it was just a precaution). Anyway, the recovery was fine, and I even had to go off the pain meds 2 days into it because I broke into a rash. I was super scared about the c-section, but it wasn't bad at all. I will probably opt for a c-section next time. Good luck!
What I just read sounds EXACTLY like I went through with Beckett! Which is just hillarious considering our boys are going to share names :) I won't go into details, but I opted not to have the c-section and I am so so so so so grateful that I didn't. Not to say that 3 hours of pushing wasn't way hard! It was and they did use suction to get him out, but it was not as bad as you might think it would be. I will try giving you a call today, my mother in law had 4 c-sections and told me all about the recovery and so I was not wanting to do that at all. Also even if the doc says he is 8 lbs, they can be off by a 1 lb either way so he could be less than 8 lbs too. Anyways.. I am not a seasoned mother yet, but I would love love love to tell you the pros and cons of what happened!
So I have no kids, so I'm only going off what the women in my family have gone through. My mom had all her kids the natural way, only her body was a lot like yours (but c-sections were not even an option unless it was a emergency....and even then....) and she had extremely difficult labors with all of her kids - and her recovery sounded even worse (honestly, her stories have made me second guess if I want to have any kids of my own, or if I should just adopt!! =D)
My sister is built like my mom - and she went in with her first and was going to have a regular birth, but after something like 30 hours or something the baby was stressed and the heart rate was dropping, so she has an emergency c-section. It wasn't til after the c-section did they realize that her body wouldn't have been able to give birth vaginally, so it turned out to be a good thing that she had a c-section. She had a scheduled c-section for her second one and it was so great that we could all come to the hospital and see her and she wasn't exhausted or in pain at all.
My sister was up and walking around a day or so later for both - and she was going up and down stairs a week after her first little girl was born. It was amazing. My mom was in amazement that my sister was able to do the laundry and pick up her baby only after a couple days - my mom was on bed rest for months after each baby was born.
Anyways, the c-sections sounds like the best option... I'm thinking about going that route when I'm pregnant... even if it's not necessary... =D
Ultimately it is up to you and what you, Adam, and the doctors feel is right. I hope you are feeling ok - your baby is almost here!!! =D
Hmm...I think I'll need to email you some information, but in the meantime I would encourage you to do some personal research. A second opinion from a doctor is great, but still not as valuable as a personal investigation. Same goes for taking others' advice. It's a slippery slope in my opinion. Not on my life would I schedule a c-section and I wouldn't induce either. I would wait and see because doctors really have no way of knowing if your pelvis is too small to birth a large baby and ultrasound is highly unreliable as a weight measure. Often, they are off by 2 pounds in either direction. Also, even if your pelvis is small and your baby is large, the majority of the time things work out perfectly fine because babies naturally grow to a size that fits the mother. When all is said and done, trust Heavenly Father on this one. Do some research, pray about it and trust your instincts.
Well there is a lot of good advise. This is my advise....the Doctors know more about it than we do and most people I've talked to in this situation end up with just having a c-section in the end. So I would just listen to what the doctors have to say and then pray about it. But hearing other peoples experiences I'd probably just schedule the c-section. :) Sorry if this doesn't make any since...it's been a long day!
If I were you I think I'd schedule the c-section and not increase the worry and stress that you're already going to have.If my baby hadn't been 2 weeks early I probably would have had a c-section because he weighed 8 1/2 lbs (big surprise because I didn't get very big with him). But I was lucky because I dilated to a 6 without any pain and had him quick. A friend of mine had a c-section and has recovered just fine with help. Study your options, talk about it, and then go with what you feel is best for you and the baby. Good luck, I'm so excited to see pictures of him! You will love being a mom, especially when you start getting sleep at night!
First of all, GOOD Luck with your decision! As for my advice I would definitely get Dr. Barton's advice on the situation and then weigh both opinions. Dr. Allred told me when I was 38 weeks along with Gracee that I would definitely have to have a c-section because my pelvis is so small. A week later Dr. Crouch told me that I did indeed have a small pelvis however he had seen women in the same situation deliver a 10 pound baby and some women with a wider pelvis have to get a c-section... Anyway my point in telling my long story is you should definitely listen to the Doctor (I do like Dr. Allred, he is a nice doctor) but sometimes it is good to hear what the other doctor has to say. I am sure you will do the right thing and everything will work out great! Again good luck with everything!
Yay... my turn for advice! First, definitely think hard about what the doctors think you should do. Then, like Mele said, pray about it.
As for the C-section... there are pros and cons. I was in labor for 21 hours before they decided on a C-section. The recovery wasn't anything near as bad as I thought it would be. At my six week check-up, I was totally fine and was given the okay to do anything I wanted! Although, I would recommend taking it slow at first. A lot of girls ignore that advice and do too much too soon. My sister in-law's sister said she could still feel her scar hurt sometimes months after her baby was born. Well you know what? She did not take it easy AT ALL! After a C-section, do exactly as the doctors and nurses say and you should be great! In fact, I'm secretly hoping my doctor tells me I have to have another C-section because I'm scared to death of my sister in-law's stories about tearing so badly during natural birth! Ugh! And seriously? I don't want to try natural and have to end up having a C-section 21 hours into it again. It is so much less stressful, if it is a scheduled C-section.
In my experience with Allred he tends to jump to c-sections. He's the one that told me to have a c-section with Travis (he said travis was too big 8lbs 11oz) after 12 hours of labor and pushing for three. And then with Tyler he said that I should just schedule one. I took his advice both times and everything worked out fine. Just remember that after this c-section you are limited on the # of children you can have. And recovery, I think is harder the more you have because you have more children to take care of. Good luck! Get a blessing pray about it and you'll know what is best for you!
About what joe and mary said.. I don't think you're limited with the number of children you can have after having a c-section.. My mom had the first 4 of her kids c-section, #5 natural, and then #6 c-section. I agree with the advice to pray about it and see what is best for you! Everyone is going to have their own opinion and you just need to find out what works best for you and Adam!
Haha. I was laughing about your "high pain tolerance and was already dilated to a 5" comment because that happened to me with Dean and Eli. LOL. Pregnancies are hard for me but delivery is a breeze. Remember when I was in Scroll meeting with you guys and I was like, "I think i should leave early, I haven't been feeling well all day..." and I drove to the hospital and was IN LABOR!!! Hahaha. Classic.
Anywho, my personal advice would be NO WAY on the C-section!! But that isn't sound medical advice, I am just all about natural labor and you never know (nor does the doctor) what your body is capable of until you try at least once. That being said, Dr. Allred delivered Dean and is very good at what he does. So, truthfully, he knows best from experience and I would trust his honest professional opinion.
If you had your heart set on natural, I would try to give it a go knowing you may end up C-section anyway if it gets bumpy - but at least you tried, right? (and how wonderful if it worked out which it does for many.) If you didn't care either way and just want to meet your little guy, go straight for the c-section (just keep in mind that recovery is a b!).
Wow, haha - I am no help.
Isn't parenthood fun? Right from the get go we are required to sacrifice of ourselves for these precious little children of God. My advice would be to do what will be the safest for the baby. I would say it was no coincidence that you felt you should be checked, no matter what your reasons were. The Lord communicates with us on a level that we can understand. I would make a trip to the temple and pray about it.
I know the majority of the comments say go for the scheduled c-section but if I were you I would get induced and try to have him vaginally. However Heavenly Father will help you with this very important desicion so for sure pray about it and he will guide you.
With working up on L&D I would just say pray about it, and take into consideration everything that Barton and Allred have to say. They are extremely experienced and are the best source of information, second to the answers to your prayers. Everyone's body is different and react differently, so you really just need go with how you feel. The one amazing thing about having a baby is the spirit is so strong, you will feel strongly Heavenly Father's presence and you will know what to do! Best of luck, maybe I'll get to see your baby!!!
Man, you got a ton of advice. I didn't read it so I may be repeating someone else. I had a scheduled c-section, then tried a vbac but ended up (after 40 hours of labor) having another c-section. And then Daisy was a scheduled one. Personally I don't see what the fuss is about c-section. I did fine with them. I have nothing to compare to but I don't mind having them. They give you medicine for the pain and when I am on the medicine I get hyper and could do anything. I was glad that I experienced labor with Kaylee because now I know what it feels like and will be able to help my girls later. Anyway, hope that helps. C-section aren't that bad...but maybe that is just me.
As a woman who was talked into a c-section because her baby "looked" too big.
I'd advise you find another Dr.
There is absolutely no way a Dr. can tell at 39wks pregnant how your body will work in labor.
For pete's sake you could still be 3wks from natural labor, of COURSE your body isn't ready yet.
Agreeing to a c-section for the Dr.'s convenience (that's what would happen...Dr would rather you schedule a "tidy" c-section than labor sit you) was the worst mistake I ever made.
I would be curious to know if your Dr. has a vacation scheduled soon, or if he just has a high rate of c-sections. Many OB's try to clear their calenders prior to taking time off by doing scheduled inductions and scheduled c-sections. And some Dr's just think c-sections are better (well for them they are...the only c-section that isn't sued for is the one not done...)
I'd get a second opinion honestly. Perhaps from a Midwife.
I am kind of with the last comment about talking with a midwife. Not that I am totally opposed to C-sections or anything but I do know that ABC clinic has a high rate of C-section. I saw a doctor with my first baby and third baby and then a midwife with my second and the difference was amazing. The midwives new how to help my little body progress quickly where as a doctor might have been more prone just to do a c-section. When I was in labor with my third the doctor tried to talk me into an epidural because he didn't want me to become irrational. A lot of times the doctors are thinking about their own agenda vs. the patients. Anyways, like I said I am not opposed to c-sections in a threatening situation, which may be your case, I don't know. But maybe just meet with a midwife to see what she says about your size and the baby's size! Hope that helps!
So I pretty much love your record breaking comments on your blog. You are awesome. Every singe person has a different story and different situation, I think it is cool. I also think it is safe to say that most people would have a c-section to save their life...and their babies. After my nightmare delivery I will be having all c-sections. I am totally cool with that...anything to avoid being paralyzed again for a year! So Barton and Allred are awesome, I trust their judgment. They have delivered more babies than anyone I know. Good luck anyway! Can't wait to see pictures!
hey hone. I would go with a c-section because lindsey jenks who just had her baby, he was almost 11 lbs and instead of doing a c-section they just pulled him right out and it tore her really bad, and she is still recovering. I would rather him be safe and you be safe then worrying about harm to either.
You've received so much advice that all I want to say is good luck. It's a tough decision, and I hope you and Adam can feel peaceful with wichever way you decide. I am excited to see pictures of your little one in a few weeks. You will be wonderful parents, and just think, someday this decision will seem easy compared to other decisions you have to make as a parent. I had a hard enough time deciding which car seat to purchase.
Post a Comment