Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Definitely not!!!! I had a planned c-section because years ago I broke my pelvis when I was hit by a drunk driver. The pain of recovering from that was horrific! The dr said he would let me push for a little while but would then give me a c-sect for fear the pressure of the baby would break the pelvis again. The fear of dealing with that unbearable, imobilizing pain while caring for a newborn helped me decide to listen to the dr and have a c-sect. The pain of the sect was nothing compared to the pelvis!!!!

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Not at all. I knew it was the safest thing to do for my baby after 18 hrs of labor and my water breaking. I carried the baby for 9 months...that was the greatest gift!

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

When I heard I was going to have to have a C-section, yes I was extremely upset. I was adamant about having a very natural childbirth (no epi) and had taken natural birth classes. At 36 weeks I found out my son was transverse/breech. We tried everything, including a version (ouch!) to turn him but he would not budge. After I knew I did everything I could, I had absolutely no regrets and no bad feelings towards having a C-section.

Looking back, I think my headstrong feelings about how I wanted the birth to go may have been a bit shortsighted. I have a HEALTHY happy gorgeous son and that is all that matters. The birth process is a matter of hours, at most days. Your a mother for the rest of your life and that is what is most important. While I will try for a natural vaginal birth my next go round, I wont hesitate to have a C-section if necessary for my baby's or my health.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

I said yes at first but not now. I didn't feel like less of a woman but when DH was like "you did great" my reaction was...but I didn't do anything. I was definitely having contractions after my water broke, 1-2 mins apart, had the epi and all but my body just wouldn't dialate past 3.5 cm. I really had no choice and after they got him out, the OB told me he was so big he never would've come out vaginally even if I got to 10 cm. I just felt like it was too easy (even though I hated the feeling or lack there of during the c/s)

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

I have mixed emotions about this, I had a c/s becuase of failure to progress. For some reason I feel like if the nurses were more willing to try different positions to labor in I might have been more successfully. Like I came so far but just couldnt get the job done. I had a bad c/s experience and I am currently trying to overcome it since I know #2 will most likly be a repeat c/s. But it did not affect how I feel about my success as a mom!

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

i couldnt have cared less. as long as the baby was healthy and i was ok. she could have come out of my ear for all i cared.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Most people know that when I came "out of the closet" about feeling like a failure, less of a women and honestly do not feel like I gave birth in any way (I say I had surgery) I was attacked by many women. It took a long time for people to understand that these are MY feeling about MY experience and NOT about how I feel about their c/s. It isn't that I think less of other women. It is a very private feeling that I have about myself.

It was not until I found ICAN that I learned that thousands of women feel like I do. That I wasn't weird or that my hatred of the c/s is not a reflection on the love I feel for my child. When I heard "but you have a healthy baby" I want to hit someone. Honestly, my daughter and my c/s are not even part of each other for me. Hard to explain unless you have felt the way I do. I was guilt ridden and suffered horrific Post Tramatic Stress and PPD for almost a year. It took a lot for me to finally not care what other people thought about MY feelings and to say to myself that it is okay to not be okay with the situation and that nothing I ever do will fill that hole left in my heart. Now I don't think about it every day but when I read other women's birth stories I do feel left out of something.

I will say that my c/s experience was full of stress, some very mean nurses and very poor aftercare..it all contributed to my PPD/PTS. I really do try to help other women find ways to make their c/s feel more special and less like surgery to help them avoid the feelings that I have.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

hmmm, good question.

At first I would say no, definitely not. But the more I thought about why I had my c/s, the more I just felt a bit bad about the situation and wondered if I could have prevented it.

We were moving from our apt into our first home 2 wks before my EDD. Obviously it was very stressful on us both physcially and mentally - I was working FT, packing, moving, unpacking, etc and we didn't have a lot of help. So I think I just overdid it and the next morning my water broke

I didn't think anything of it at first but then when I got to the hospital I hadn't progressed at all and long story short, she was just not ready to come out So for that I feel a little bad - like if I had taken it more easy, I would have eventually gone into labor on my own and it would have been a different story.

But I don't consider myself a quitter, failure or ANYTHING because all that matters to me is that she was born safely and was healthy

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for answering this question open and honestly. It's not an easy thing to talk about for some women.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Not one bit. In fact, I am 100% happy with my decision with the planned c-section. I still gave birth like every other mommy, IMO I don't understand the guilt associated with having a c-section.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

My first was a c-section and it was an emergency situation - I went through an excruciatingly long labor. I had a UTI, I wasn't progressing, they had me on pitocin and when I FINALLY got dilated enough - my real ob came in and realized that the baby was too big and would rip my cervix!!!

I wanted a totally drug free, hippy birth and I wound up completely out under general anesthesia and woke up with staples!

I was really disappointed that I didn't deliver vaginally and MORE disappointed that I was unable to see my son the second he came out or hear them say "It's a BOY!"

With my 2nd pregnancy, the doctor said I COULD go vaginally, but since it was so close to the first he might not recommend it. And he advised that if the baby was as big as the last, I might have to go C-section anyway. THEN I lost my job and they gave me 6 months medical as part of my severance, the baby was due July 29th and I couldn't take the chance of going late and not being covered... so I scheduled another c section - but this time I was awake.

It made me sad for a bit... but the end result is 2 happy, beautiful and healthy little boys... how sad can you be with that?

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Well I don't feel bad about having a c-section but I do feel a liitle bit like maybe I couldn't have handled a natural birth. I don't know, its hard to explain. Not a failure. If the recovery wasn't so horrible, maybe I would think I took the easy way out. Although it wasn't a choice. Some people have said they missed the bond with the child, I don't. I know I have a bond with Hailey.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

No- i didn't feel that way- but it was a crash c-section- so it's not like there was a choice in the matter-heck- i even felt them cutting b/c there was no time.
next time I'll do a c-section again- and I won't feel bad about it- it is the same baby at the end.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

I had a feeling I would have a c b/c of the twins so I was kind of prepared for it. I did feel very disappointed and almost cried when the dr. said it was time for a c, especially since both DDs were head down and I had progressed so nicely during labor and thought I'd definitely be able to push. I figure I can always have a VBAC next time so I haven't given up hope yet.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

I just had a c/s a week and a half ago. Although the recovery has been horrendous, I don't regret it b/c it was was the best thing for my little boy. I did have a very easy vaginal birth with my first guy and really hoped to have the same situation the second time around.
Although this time has been more difficult, I wouldn't change it if I could. Everything worked out for the best.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

No regrets at all...

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Honestly, after Christopher I didn't feel like a failure. His heart rate kept dropping. It was an emergency C-section and all I cared about was that he was healthy and happy.
With Kaylee, on the other hand, I did feel like a failure. I felt like I could've pushed for a VBAC more. I should've stressed how important it was to me. I hate the fact that I had a scheduled C-section. We're not having any other children, so I feel like I missed out on the natural childbirth experience.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

I voted for yes and I still feel badly about it. I feel like you do Rachel..surprise surprise eh?

I never thought I was going to wind up with a c section. When I thought about delivering my baby, I just thought about a vaginal birth, plain and simple. After pushing for 3 hours, I just wanted her out. I was begging for a section. There was nothing else for them to do at this point either, her heart rate was dropping every time she entered into the birth canal the tiniest bit and then went back up again. My blood pressure was so dangerously low it was all that could be done. At first it didnt bother me at all..as long as I had her in some type of way, I accomplished my biggest fear in life.

But..as time went on..and I spoke to my doctor about what would happen next time around, I became a little depressed. I dont think I will have a chance to experience having a child vaginally and it bothers me. I didnt experience seeing her when she first came out...they didnt even hold her over the curtain to show me. I was so drugged and so sick, I dont even remember seeing her for the first time. They whisked her away and that was it. I feel that maybe if i "pushed harder" or was a little better at it, that I would have been able to do it. I know deep down inside thats not the case at all but I still feel sad about it. When people talk about their recoveries from a vaginal birth, I just sit there..or how it felt to push their child out into this world, I feel like I missed out on a huge experience. Not saying that what I went through wasnt hard, it was terrible actually, my recovery stunk and of course its major surgery but I just feel like I missed out on a very important experience. So yes, it does get me down a lot. Just wanted to be honest.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

BUMP for Donna

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Yes - I did feel like a failure in the beginning. I was having contractions for 2 days - the doctor had broken my water - and I wasnt dilating past 1 cm. Turns out the cord was around her neck and was preventing her from descending. When the doctor suggested the c-section I burst into tears - after the surgery the doctor said that there was no way I would have been able to deliver her vaginally w/o serious complications - yet I still felt that I failed.

I've gotten over it but I really hope that the 2nd time around I can deliver vaginally.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

absolutely not, I do not feel that way and none of you ladies should feel like that

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.

Posted by Stefanie

I'm glad that I had a c-section. I didn't want to imagine the pain of pushing that baby out of there. I only hated the pain afterwards. I was cursing the woman next to me that was walking upright while I was hunched over.

Re: Yet another poll...for the exclusively C-section moms.