Did you have a Natural or C-Section?
- Thread starter rani
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rani
Administrator
Everyone has their reasons for selecting a c-section. The only reason I posted the poll is that a few popular HK Drs tend to prefer c-sections and convince their patients to schedule one. At least my first Dr tried and I switched to another who would let me try a VB.
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nycschatzi
Registered User
An experience different from the assumptions noted
As a mother of 2 HK born babies, I must comment on some of the generalizations here, based on my own experience.
My doctor does do quite a few c-sections, I've heard , however both my children were born vaginally.
My first child was scheduled for a c-sect for medical reasons, but she arrived before the appointment (4 days overdue) and my doctor respected my request for no episiotomy and encouraged the vag. birth.
My second child was a week late and the doctor did not even suggest a c-section as being an option. The baby was 9.5 lbs. and I had an episiotomy.
The recovery from the episiotomy was much easier, more comfortable, and faster than the tear.
I am quite thankful for the medical care I received from my OB/GYN and have only good things to say.
As a mother of 2 HK born babies, I must comment on some of the generalizations here, based on my own experience.
My doctor does do quite a few c-sections, I've heard , however both my children were born vaginally.
My first child was scheduled for a c-sect for medical reasons, but she arrived before the appointment (4 days overdue) and my doctor respected my request for no episiotomy and encouraged the vag. birth.
My second child was a week late and the doctor did not even suggest a c-section as being an option. The baby was 9.5 lbs. and I had an episiotomy.
The recovery from the episiotomy was much easier, more comfortable, and faster than the tear.
I am quite thankful for the medical care I received from my OB/GYN and have only good things to say.
tried for natural birth, but baby was stuck behind the small pelvis. so ended up with emergency CS. the stuff you have to deal with after a CS is horrible. the cut still itches now, baby is one y.o. already, and have heard that it would be itching for YEARS. it is really one big deterrent for me to have another one. the thought of being cut open is not that nice.
having said that, really appreciated that Adventist and doctor was willing to let me try. i went 9 hours without progress.. dilation was -2 after a very long time, so we had to go for the CS. but now, i know if there's a next one, i don't have a choice but to plan a CS. bummer..
having said that, really appreciated that Adventist and doctor was willing to let me try. i went 9 hours without progress.. dilation was -2 after a very long time, so we had to go for the CS. but now, i know if there's a next one, i don't have a choice but to plan a CS. bummer..
I was supposed to have natural delivery but I only reached 5 degrees after trying for 12 hours. The contraction was so hard to bear but the most painful thing was the 'waiting'. I just couldn't stand it so I asked the OB for a c-section. Everyone who had c-section told me the pain was excruciating but I was lucky! I only needed pain killers the first two days and that's it! The pain was really minimal and I was glad that I had c-section. The only downside for me was I still looked pregnant after 6 weeks.
***BTW, I delivered mine at public hospital and it only cost me $650. If I had an emergency c-section with the OB that I visited, that would have cost $50,000+ instead. And for the record, my OB (Dr Anne Fang) NEVER suggested cesarian. She encouraged me to have vaginal delivery***
***BTW, I delivered mine at public hospital and it only cost me $650. If I had an emergency c-section with the OB that I visited, that would have cost $50,000+ instead. And for the record, my OB (Dr Anne Fang) NEVER suggested cesarian. She encouraged me to have vaginal delivery***
kiwifi said: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!
I am thinking about it. Just seems both have advantages. I have not yet decided. How you made your choices?
Mine was a VB with episiotomy at Adventist.
Hubby made the VB choice for me as I was undecided. He felt that I will not be able to take the pain that will comes after a C-sect.
VB with epidural was a breeze i.e no sensation at all.
But I was/still am a timid mouse.. the moment I saw my doc came in, I started to throw up (whatever little there was in my stomach).. so imagine having to push whilst throwing up..yucks!
To top it off, I have a neck problem... the problem spot was aching so badly that I could not 'push' with my head leaning forward... After what seemed like an eternity(i.e 2 hours of pushing), I finally agreed to have the baby vacumn out (out of fear that the baby will be too stressed out and that they may wheeled me to have an emergency c!).
The wound healed pretty fast but then again, I was such a scary cat that I would cried out for new painkillers in the hospital even before the effects of the old ones wears off! And I walked real slowly i.e like a tortoise for close to a week... just to be on the safe side!
So to all women out there who has experienced child birth and still brave enuff to go thru it again, I salute all of you!
Hubby made the VB choice for me as I was undecided. He felt that I will not be able to take the pain that will comes after a C-sect.
VB with epidural was a breeze i.e no sensation at all.
But I was/still am a timid mouse.. the moment I saw my doc came in, I started to throw up (whatever little there was in my stomach).. so imagine having to push whilst throwing up..yucks!
To top it off, I have a neck problem... the problem spot was aching so badly that I could not 'push' with my head leaning forward... After what seemed like an eternity(i.e 2 hours of pushing), I finally agreed to have the baby vacumn out (out of fear that the baby will be too stressed out and that they may wheeled me to have an emergency c!).
The wound healed pretty fast but then again, I was such a scary cat that I would cried out for new painkillers in the hospital even before the effects of the old ones wears off! And I walked real slowly i.e like a tortoise for close to a week... just to be on the safe side!
So to all women out there who has experienced child birth and still brave enuff to go thru it again, I salute all of you!
sweetdream
Guest
Wow.... so informative
I think I will try natural delivery first. It seems good to both mummy and the baby. However, I scare I can't tolerate the pain!
I think I will try natural delivery first. It seems good to both mummy and the baby. However, I scare I can't tolerate the pain!
Millerwhisk
Registered User
undecided - Dr Dawkins is also very good for not pushing c sections. I had my first son nvd, he said he would encourage a natural birth rather than c section unless I particularly wanted a c section due to my past experience.
One reason for elective c section may be due to insurance. Regardless of medical necessity it would be financially beneficial for us to have a c section rather than a vaginal delivery which seems quite bizarre to me really.
One reason for elective c section may be due to insurance. Regardless of medical necessity it would be financially beneficial for us to have a c section rather than a vaginal delivery which seems quite bizarre to me really.
VB at public hospital - I laboured for an awful long time (one full day). The first 12 hours I had contractions one after the other, with literally no breaks to be able to breath. The second half of labour, I got gas for inhalation and, when the anaesthesist was finally ready, an epidural to be able to go through the wait time painlessly. I'm sure not every birth takes this long. Will definitely go for VB again next time!
one reason i'm going to say no the epidural is fear of giving 'them' an excuse to give me a c-section. i'm afraid they'll be like "oh well, since she's already half prepped and it's taking so long, might as well just slice her up an get it over with." i know i sound paranoid but6 i just don't feel that these OB's are truly working on behalf of the patient's interest.
M
MLBW
Guest
I didn't give birth in HK but I had a vaginal delivery without any drugs or pain killers--43 hours of labor--about 50 minutes of hard labor and then my son was born. I think the only way this is possible is if you are ready, trained and prepared to do it and you have a great team on your side--my husband and mother did most of the "work" of helping me out and the nurse midwife attending the birth just sat back and did minor things--at one point she left the room and I actually progressed even faster! I am so thankful for the great people there to support me and help me stick to my birth plan even when I wanted to give up on it.
M
MLBW
Guest
The risks involved in having a C-section (major abdominal surgery) are higher than a vaginal birth--including bleeding problems and infection. In the States, most "good" hospitals are supposed to keep their C-section rates below 20% but that doesn't happen very often. I don't think a C-section is a cop-out but I do think that a lot of women make the choice to have one based on an inadequate amount of information. Vaginal births aren't easy but the area heals very quickly. Some women need to have C-sections for emergency purposes but having elective C-sections because of a fear of pain or something else seems a little uneducated.
karmah1
Registered User
I have to say I agree with the post from Vegemite kid. I too have booked in for an elective C-section. Not so much out of fear of the pain but out of fear of what can go wrong with vaginal births. My mother's experience was horrific and nearly died in child birth having both my brother and I. My Aunty's mother actually died in child birth. So having this type of thing run in the family has always scared me. Ok this was back in Australia in the 70's and 50's but I have known about it since I was little and has always been in the back of my mind. I'm naturally a very organised person who likes to be in control, so a c-section seems the only option for me. I certainly did consider the option of a natural birth and attending a hypno-birthing course, but I realised I would be more stressed out if I went that way. And to top it off my pregancy has not been great, especially as I'm still suffering from morning sickness at 28 weeks! Now that I've made my decision I'm more relaxed and trying to enjoy the rest of my pregnany. I'm not planning on any more children, this will be our one and only so I'm not worried about future c-sections or v-bacs etc.
I think in this day and age we should have the ability to choose how we give birth. While I certainly admire women who choose to go down the natural route I just know it isn't for me. Anyway no matter which route we go, we all end up with a precious baby in the end.
M
MLBW
Guest
One thing I would like to point out that in the 1950s and 1970s the common practice was that women were forced to lie on their back (sometimes tethered to the bed, actually), husband was not allowed in the delivery room and they were forced to give birth the way the doctor ordered them too. This is probably the least condusive to a vaginal birth as when one is lying on their back (stressed out without the comfort of familiar people added) gravity is not working with them to push the child out. In the 1950s was also the beginning of exposing women to serious drugs that would "knock them out" so the doctor could "drag out the baby"--these drugs were even more miserable than the ones we have today. And...doctors were more prone to allow women to labor for days and days without allowing them to do a C-section in emergency situations. Even when my husband was born in the early 1980s his mom was in labor for 2 days before they even considered taking him by c-section. So, the world today in medicine is not even comparable to the world now when there are doulas who can attend your birth and help you, spa bathtubs available to ease pain and speed up labor as well as a plethora of other options including hypnosis. Just wanted to point that out. And, I am really saddened to hear that you lost an Auntie :0(
I think it's a case of different folks - different strokes. It doesn't make you any less of a mother which ever way you choose - the end result is still getting the baby out.
I had both mine VB without any pain relief (and the first got stuck - had to be dragged out with forceps after 19 hours). However, the mental support I had was brilliant. (Had mine in Japan where natural birth is recommended). Birthing balls to wobble on, hot showers, aromatherapy oils and comedy on the TV . (Though got mad with the hubby for watching this instead of attending to me!) At the end of the day, it was horribly painful, but the pain was forgotten the moment I heard that cry at the end. For the second one, I had acupuncture for 4 weeks before my due date (from someone who had experience in prenatal acupuncture) and that seemed to help a lot - almost had him in the taxi!
I had both mine VB without any pain relief (and the first got stuck - had to be dragged out with forceps after 19 hours). However, the mental support I had was brilliant. (Had mine in Japan where natural birth is recommended). Birthing balls to wobble on, hot showers, aromatherapy oils and comedy on the TV . (Though got mad with the hubby for watching this instead of attending to me!) At the end of the day, it was horribly painful, but the pain was forgotten the moment I heard that cry at the end. For the second one, I had acupuncture for 4 weeks before my due date (from someone who had experience in prenatal acupuncture) and that seemed to help a lot - almost had him in the taxi!
I think every woman has the right to choose how they give birth.
I went into labour with my son expecting to have a VB but in the end had a c/s- in that moment when my husband and I had to choose between a c/s or trying to continue with VB all that mattered was that our baby was born safe and well- I didn't care how he came out, just as long as he did.
With my daughter I opted for a c/s- because we decided it was safest.
I went into labour with my son expecting to have a VB but in the end had a c/s- in that moment when my husband and I had to choose between a c/s or trying to continue with VB all that mattered was that our baby was born safe and well- I didn't care how he came out, just as long as he did.
With my daughter I opted for a c/s- because we decided it was safest.