I'm going to go against the grain here, I am really assuming that there is some medical information that we don't know have and that is why she is pushing the c-section. To share a different story, I was induced at 1cm at 40 weeks, the baby was not tolerating the labor (who knows if it was the pit from the induction or another reason) and ended up basically being an emergency c-section for still birth*, after he was fine in labor all day.
These posts here sometimes rub me the wrong way. I know that what I went through isn't typical, but if my doctor would have given me the option to have a c-section, I can't help but think that he would still be here today. My doctor wasn't a huge fan of inducing at 1cm either, but still did it.
*He was still born, but they brought him back to life after trying for around 20 min.
I'm so sorry for your loss. That must have been awful.
Post by Velar Fricative on Dec 7, 2013 12:04:53 GMT -5
@bunnybean, has the doctor said point-blank that your weight is the reason to go straight to the c/s? Because I'd be more inclined to consider the c/s if she explained why it would be necessary. There are plenty of good reasons to get a c/s done but I wish she'd offer up reasons why because it seems like she's being vague. You deserve to be walked through this without her being vague.
Boo. I hope you go into labor before monday. I'd say I hope your water breaks dramatically tomorrow, but according to my OB that increases your chance of a complicated L&D. That was true in my case. Major surgery sucks. I'm sorry you have to go through it. But if you do, you'll still get your baby on the other side. A year from now labor, however it happens, will be a distant memory.
And I totally get this. My worry is how many c-sections are safe to have. As rupertpenny put it, I have no Duggar aspirations (haha!), but I might want to have 3 kids. I worry about 3 c-sections, as I'm sure I won't end up being a good candidate to VBAC unless I can lose some significant weight between pregnancies. I believe it is said that you CAN safely have 3 c-sections, but risk of course goes up with every one of them.
Perhaps realistic, perhaps another anxiety symptom, but I am literally terrified of surgery. I have accepted it as a possible necessity in getting pregnant, and will accept doing it if it is all we have to get a healthy baby here safely. I just don't want to turn to that without feeling like it's literally all we have.
I understand how you feel.
I hate the fact I'm going to be having a c-section in 10 days. I've been dreading it for three years (since my last baby was born). But I also know I can't do a failed labor like I had last time followed by a c-section. So that is still the plan.
Frankly, being unhappy is a natural reaction. It doesn't mean this recommendation isn't the best option under the circumstances and the doctor isn't using the best of her professional judgment. The only saving grace is that a scheduled c-section is supposed to be a better recovery than laboring for a few days and then going under the knife. That is what I'm clinging to. But it is still major surgery. Cutting through skin, muscle, and tissue. In your abdomen. And it makes life afterwards pretty miserable.
Post by weardogbride on Dec 7, 2013 14:41:39 GMT -5
This was exactly my situation with DS. High BP brings a lot of risks and I had a c/s at 39 weeks because of it. I had no progress at all and the doc said she would prefer not to induce bc I was in a high risk category for a c/s with induction anyway. I went ahead with the c/s and don't regret it at all. She probably doesn't want to put you through stress of induction with high bp. My bp wouldn't even come down after the c/s and I had to stay in recovery for a while. I think high BP makes docs nervous. DH is a dentist and regulations are they have to take patients BP before any procedure. If it's high, he won't work on them at all.
Post by fortnightlily on Dec 7, 2013 15:59:11 GMT -5
I know everyone is different and that surgery carries risks, but FWIW my c-section was so much easier than I would have expected. It was very fast, and I never needed the narcotics to manage the pain afterward, just the ibuprofen. I was walking just fine within a few days. Some of my friends who had vaginal deliveries sounded like they had a rougher recovery than I did. So you never know.
Post by sporklemotion on Dec 7, 2013 21:16:22 GMT -5
I'll ditto fortnightlily that my recovery hasn't been horrible. The first day was brutal, but I had also labored overnight and pushed for over three hours before the section, and hadn't had solid foods for about 36 hours. It's annoying that I can't drive or overdo lifting/stairs right now, but I don't really feel pain except when I sneeze/cough or over exert myself. I can't say how much easier recovery from vaginal birth would be for me, but I am doing OK less than a week after.
Can you write out a list of all your questions to ask the doc on Monday morning? Flat out ask her why she is recommending that? Ask about other patients she's worked with similar to you and the outcomes etc. You want to make the decision that's right for you and your baby and you need more information from her to do that!
I had DD 10 days over her well-established due date, so I was really up on any issues that could come up after the due date past. Everything I read from actual books (not just chatboards ) said that issues come AFTER 42 weeks. That's when fluid goes down, placenta gets crappy, etc. FWIW, placenta degrading is what is supposed to start labor anyway. It's not like all these momma's go into labor on their own w/o any degrading at all, if that makes sense. If she SEES degrading via a NST u/s or measures that the fluid is low - fine. Water is draining, lets get out of the pool, kwim?
I also thought doctors would want to avoid c/s surgery on an obese woman - so her recs sort of contradict what I've seen.
Is she your only OB or is she part of a group? I'm just wondering if there is a scheduling thing for her later on this week and that's why she wants to get this done Monday or so?
Post by Stingyshark on Dec 8, 2013 16:27:15 GMT -5
Wow @bunnybean she seems equally as unprofessional as the other guy. Complainjng to patients? Geez. I would leave bad reviews over the place. They are just awful!
Every time I see her, she says how the job isn't worth it anymore, isn't interesting and challenging anymore, and all she has is delivering healthy babies to mothers (?). She always complains that she has been working for so many hours, has had a rough day, etc. Actually, that's just something I'm realizing right now--she is ALWAYS COMPLAINING to me about something. It's kind of weird.
H has taken the day off (mostly because we are planning for it to be induction day if at all possible) so that he can back me up and make sure we ask all the right questions. I have a tough time really parsing out what is real and what is my anxiety with situations like that, so I am so, so thankful he'll be there.
WAY weird. This is so incredibly unprofessional. I know it's too late for you to change now but I'd definitely be leaving some honest reviews on Yelp or Zocdoc or Angie's List or whatever other sites might be relevant for your area.
1) good luck tomorrow, whatever may happen. I'll be thinking of you.
2) I was giving her the benefit of the doubt but she sounds really unprofessional. That doesn't mean she isn't good at many aspects of her job, but complaining to you is not okay. My OB is a friend of a mutual friend and would still never do anything like that.
Every time I see her, she says how the job isn't worth it anymore, isn't interesting and challenging anymore, and all she has is delivering healthy babies to mothers (?). She always complains that she has been working for so many hours, has had a rough day, etc. Actually, that's just something I'm realizing right now--she is ALWAYS COMPLAINING to me about something. It's kind of weird.
W. T. F. Who says that to their patient??!?!?? Yeah, you need a new on/gyn after you've completed follow up post delivery.
Good luck tomorrow (today). I'll be thinking about you!
I was reading that this area (DMV) has a really high c/s rate...40% or something, and it's likely b/c of doctors in the practice you chose. I'm really sorry you have to deal with all this stress before meeting your little one and I am holding out hope that they will give you an induction and she'll pop right out.
I'm sorry I missed this until now! Good luck today and I hope things are going well.
I'm sharing everyone's confusion over the rush to c/s over induction, and if nothing else I'm confused that you have no pre-op instructions. They should have at least told you not to eat for 12 hours, I also got a call from my anesthesiologist the night before just to check in.
Anyways, as another anecdote, my first OB induced me with A at 1cm and 40w3d in order to AVOID c/s since he was measuring big, which indicates to me that even unfavorable induction is preferable to c/s. And I am/was obese. Of course I didn't progress and we ended up with c/s anyways, but maybe w/o the fever I would have made it.
This is all too late for you, I'm sure, but I'm sending you tons of good vibes today!!! I'm so glad you get to meet your baby girl and put these docs behind you soon!
Just catching up on this now. I'm so glad your OB was responsive to your request. Best of luck to your family tonight and can't wait to see pictures of Baby Bunny!!