Did you have a Natural or C-Section?

Did you have c-section or normal delivery in HK?

  • Natural

    Votes: 143 54.8%
  • Emergency C-section

    Votes: 71 27.2%
  • Elective C-section

    Votes: 47 18.0%

  • Total voters
    261

rani

Administrator
You always hear that the c-section rate in HK is high. Thought we should do our own poll
 
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c-sections in HK

I don't think your survey is going to give a "true" picture on the number of C-sections in HK - the locals tend to have elective cesareans - in part as encouraged by their doctors. Expats tend to try for normal deliveries. Most of my work colleagues (locals) confirm this: elect to have c-sections for convenience, picking birthdate, fear of pain etc etc.

p.s. I had all 3 of my kids in HK - each time a normal delivery, and each one faster than the last! :lurking:
 
You're right most locals do prefer to go for elective c-sections.

But recently I've noticed that a lot of Expats are also having c's too. Primarily on the advice of their Drs. From my baby group, we were 7 and only 2 of us had SVB. I would say thats pretty high. :bounce:
 
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The evidence so far suggests that for Hong Kong C-Sections are the norm. It would also be interesting to find out the level of intervention in the 'normal' births.
 
i had 2 cs and my second one was fantastic.my doc didnt encouraged nor i picked a date but the fear of pain prevented me from electing normal delivery.just to share with you...plus rani,i never joined your playgroup before..could you email me at [email protected] or please tell me what s the ages of your group?
 
I don't understand anyone who chooses a C-sec due to fear of pain. They are ****ing painful. I had emergency C, and could not sit up for 5 days, my friends who all had Cs had the same experience. Could hardly even get to the bath room for a week without nightmare pain. but those how had "normal" births were up and about within a day..... I went into labour on and off for 3 days before they made me go for a C-Sec. there was no pain at the time but afterwards ..... unbelievalbe. I would much rather have pushed, but my boy was well and truely trapped - he could not have got out any other way.
 
you're lucky you didn't experience any pain during the section.... mine was EXCRUTIATING! and i'm talking the actual operation... they had me frozen up to my neck...and gave me gas... i was still screaming in agony! thank god it only took 45 minutes or so!
 
If you go here and scoll half-way down the screen, you'll find numbers of births and numbers of C-sections at different hospitals in the 1990's.

Then you can really see the difference - for example, in 1999, ~52% of all births at Baptist Hospital were C-sections; 62% of all births at HK Sanatorium; 39% at HK Adventist, and 31% at Matilda.
<http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr98-99/english/counmtg/hansard/990203fe.htm>


*************
The caesarean section (CS) rate amongst women delivering at PWH increased steadily from 14.7 % to 20.5% during the period 1992-2003.

* CS-rate in all public hospitals increased from 18.65% in 1998 to 22.3% in 2003.

* A territory wide maternity audit statistics of the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (HKCOG) showed that CS rates for all births Public & private) increased by 4.6% from 22.5% to 27.1% between 1994 and 1999.

*The proportion of planned caesarean deliveries in public hospitals decreased between 1998 (44.3%) and 2003 ( 32.0% ).

* But for all caesarean deliveries in Hong Kong it increased from 51.4% to 55.3%.

Based on these figures ~1/3 of babies in Hong Kong are now delivered by CS and over half of them are planned.
- For full text go to:
<http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/330/7495/806-a>

*******************

"From 1987 to 1999 the overall annual cesarean section rate rose steadily from 16.6 to 27.4 per 100 hospital deliveries, resulting in a 65 percent increase over 12 years.

The mean difference in rates of surgical delivery between public (mean(public) = 16.0%) and private (mean(private) = 43.4%) institutions was 27.4 percent (95% confidence interval (CI) = 24.1, 30.7; p < 0.001)."
- Leung G.M. et al.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11552964&dopt=Abstract>
 
From what I've heard, it's way more painful a recovery for a c-section. I had a normal vaginal birth with an epidural and only had slight vaginal pain for 3 days and then felt no pain after that. The delivery wasn't painful and I only had slight tearing. My advice is to do perineal massage daily from 34 weeks on and kegels through your whole pregnancy to prevent perineal damage. Every person I have ever talked to always heals quicker with a tear rather than an episiotomy too. In Hong Kong it is standard procedure to do episiotomies for first births so it's good to prepare a birth plan to tell them what you want. Even at the public hospital they followed my wishes.
Happy birthing - my next is due on October 23rd and I'll definitely get another epidural if I can!
 
My first was natural and 2nd was via C-section as she was a breech baby. I must say I healed must faster with a natural birth, I was driving to the supermarket on the 3rd day to buy Pampers while I was hobbling in pain even after 1st week after the C-section. Natural for me anytime!!
 
Buyer Beware

I was told by a doctor that some doctors encourage their patient to have C section because:
- it costs more ( so doctor can earn big fat fees)
- it is easier and faster for doctor than if he/she does a normal delivery.
so.. Buyer Beware!
 
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I agree with butterfly.. seems to be the trend especially here in the region...

another thing I would like to add is that a breech baby doesnt mean C-section.. you can have a perfectly normal Vaginal delivery with a breech baby.. but of course it needs a lot of patience.. and the correct doc to support/advise you.. which seem to be lacking here...
 
This C-section craze is not at all encouraging!
Any advice on doctors who were not pushy and would respect your choice?
I'm not even pregnant yet, but there is nothing I worry more than having to do a CS.
 
my dr is louisa lam. she lets u do whatever u want as long as it's safe for mom & baby. she even let me try hypno-birth! with my instructor w/ me at the delivery rm. she said "u can choose however way u want. but my job is to make sure that u & your baby are safe. i reserve to right to make any decisions i consider fit for you when call for." i trust her 100%. tel. 28691881. she's very busy & very patient, so expect to wait long time cos she never hurries a patient out of her office. but she gets a bit too mother-y sometimes, which i like.
 
I had both natural birth. The 2nd almost needed 'C' due to pre-mature and breech. However, she turned on the last minute and it was a quite birth without cut on me due to her small size - 2.1kg. So I recovered extremely fast.
 
vbAC

Firstly, who says that a C-section isn't normal???? We live in the 21st Century where they are just as normal as any other birth - they are pretty much all assisted aren't they? You go to hospital don't you?

I have an elective C-section - not due to pain but because of the types of things that I have heard go wrong with vaginal births and because I had a career - it was a simple way to book the brith in and have it all go smoothly. recovery was painful but that comes with having operations.
 
Sorry Oz, didn't mean to upset you. This is an old post. How about I change it to Natural?
 
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