Caesarian Sections.

Join the club loopylou ! My mother (who did a lot of ballet) used to be appalled by my stiffness when I was a child I've never been able to touch my toes or bend much at all. Annoyingly DD was a very good gymnast and represented the county. I was a completely normal birth so can only blame it on total lack of ability.

That's just what my mum said granjura!
I'm wondering if my less-flexible right hip has anything to do with it or whether it's just because I've always been unbendy even as a child?
I couldn't do somersaults or anything gymnastic.

Our DD1 was like that, born with her feet around her head, and a very long baby on the 90th %entile. For nearly 2 weeks, as soon as she was out of blankets for changing, her little legs would come up and lodge on either side of her head- bless. Made changing her very easy- bless.

I was an extended breech, born with my feet up by my ears, nearly killed my poor mum....
I've never been able to touch my toes and as a child I couldn't stand clothes being pulled over my head, am also very claustrophobic and sometimes wonder if it is all connected?

DiL had a c section because she has glaucoma and they were worrying about raising her blood pressure. DD's best friend had a planned one which turned into a full blown emergency (think Amanda Holden and LOTS of blood) she and the baby were lucky to survive, but she went on to have another with no problems.

DH was a breech birth in 1948. He was born at home and the midwife (I'm not even sure she was a proper one) propped the foot of the bed up on encyclopedias to slow him down. She never had another baby so I think she had been left with problems "Down There" but of course that sort of thing was never talked about.

ahaha Juliette, I knew there would be at least one;). He was quite flamboyant and had a big flashy sports car-( a Jensen) but very pleasant bedside manner. He was rather embarrassed and the midwife discovered baby was transversal breech- a couple of hours he'd induced me and told us it would be 'like a letter in the post' (not!).

DD was a footling breech, feet have a different birthday to the rest of her! She was a normal delivery with forceps used as a kind of crash helmet to protect her head when the rest of her was delivered. BUT she was my third and the other two were 9lb + boys so I was assured there was room to drive a bus in there

Mr. Clubb was my Consultant too granjura DS2 born in 1974, though in the north of the County. Small world!

I never ever even considered I could possibly need a C section- I was not anxious about the birth- the Consultant said all was fine and i was as fit as a fiddle- it is the midwife who noticed baby was breech about 3 hrs into labour- some red faces around, I can tell you. But yes, I was so so lucky I was able to have the c section under epidural, as I just did NOT want to miss the birth. Rare in 73, so feel very lucky about that.

My experience was almost identical to yours except I did not get my x Ray until after my disastrous unsuccessful labour. Actually I don't feel I missed anything , but as my experience was so negative, I felt very anxious when I first saw DD clearly in more than a little discomfort going off to hospital to have DGS a 2.

I was 23 in 1969 when I had my first baby by C section. I was prepared for normal delivery but my daughter was always in a breech position. My consultant tried, several times to manipulate her into the correct position, but, as soon as I stood up she would flip back to her breech position!! He then told me not to worry as there was room for a bus to be delivered! No scans then except in dire emergencies. Nothing was said to me about the dangers of a breech delivery , and being a naive first time mum I carried on regardless! I went into labour and when the pains were 2 minutes apart went to hospital. Nothing further happened for 48 hours!! Suddenly it was all systems go and My daughter was born weighing 9.1oz and very long length . Apparently she had been very distressed and so was I !! 2 weeks in hospital and 6 weeks to recover. 2nd baby 2 years later. Perfect pregnancy, 3 hour labour, son weighing in at 8.10oz, no stitches and my comment to nurse was "is that all there is to it" greeted by stunned silence!! Home next day, perfect!

I had a C section after a trial of labour and an elective C section with no 2. This was 1977

With no 1 DS's head had not engaged when it should. I saw the consultant and had an xray and a scan. The following day after this Xray, a Saturday, I had a letter telling me to go into hospital ASAP if I went into labour.

This happened early next day, a Sunday the day before I was due to see the consultant. The locum explained that my pelvis was not an ideal shape and rather flat at the back which might not give enough room for the baby to easily get through.
They gave me a trial anyway as I was in labour but in the end there was no progress and they did a C section at about 10pm.

I suspect that if I had seen the consultant the following day, there would have been an elective C section.

DS was 7lb 12 oz so he was not a small baby. (By comparison my DGS was 6lb 11oz and that is a heck of a proportional difference.)

There was no doubt that I would need an elective C section for any more. I had an epidural for DS but the anaesthetic made my BP drop dramatically. Just as she was pulled out, I heard the staff say it's a girl and a cry and that was all until I was back on the ward. The aneasthetist just had to take over to keep me alive.

I sort of feel "missed" the birth of both of them really, but in earlier times DS and I would have been in real trouble.
We should be glad it is such a relatively safe option these days.

I can remember having two young doctors reading an instruction manual when they fitted something to my babies head prior to her being born [I'd had an epidural]. It was all very surreal. I told them to hurry up cause I needed to vote [it was election day] and they laughed and said the polling boothes were about to close.

Thankyou Granjura

I can remember when I got to the theatre for DS2 doctor told me that the ''bikini'' cut was being used now , but because I had the long cut the last time he would have to use that one again.
At the time I was neither bothered or cared!.

pinkprincess- I was very lucky to have an emergency C-section with an epidural in 1973 (after very long labour and not dilating due to transversal breech). The Consultant in charge (wonder how many gave birth at the South Staffs, and remember the jokes about being in the Club or under Mr Club)- called the Consultant anesthetists who had just done a course on epidurals, and he came over immediately to assist and do his first one. It was most surreal, chatting to all during the Caesar, as most of the assitants and staff were friends- as my OH worked there.

I was wondering if the fact that mums are older nowadays had anything to do with the trend for C Sections.

I was 30 when my third baby was born (quite young by today's standards) and I did find the labour much harder when really as it was baby 3 it should have been easier. All 3 babies were thankfully normal deliveries but the sheer effort of pushing out baby 3 made me decide that there wouldn't be any more children.

Respect to the midwives of old who coped with complicated deliveries often single handed i.e. the breech birth mentioned by pink princess and my aunt's midwife who safely delivered my cousin who was presenting the wrong way up. It was a home delivery and the midwife was on her own!!!

My DIL's first baby was delivered by C Section and with the second the midwifes helped her have a normal delivery. It was a huge struggle but successful. My DIL said that she felt much better after the normal delivery because after the C Section she felt as if her body was in two halves and not properly attached.

Absentdaughter is expecting her sixth child in April and is determined to try for a vaginal birth but her obstetrician is very unwilling because she has had emergency C-sections in the past. (Her first child was a vaginal delivery but the others have all been C-sections, one of them terrifyingly premature.) There is a lot of pressure on her to agree to an elective Caesarean and heavy disapproval of her decision to wait and see.

Both of my two children were born by emergency ceasarian section in 1969 and 1972.
Both times there were only two of us in the post natal ward who had had sections and we were all emergencies.
All sections were done under GA then and we were opened up with the longitudinal or classical incision which were the main risks to ceasarians then.
I am only 4ft 10ins and (was) a size 6 so now I would be most likely to be a candidate for an elective section.
Myself and my DS1 almost died during the first one. He had gone into transverse lie in labour, had passed meconium and his heart rate dropped.I stopped breathing during the GA and my son was brought out more dead than alive but thankfully we both recovered.
When I got pregnant the second time I was told that I would need an elective section and advised to have the tubal tie done because the consultant told me that I could not be cut open every time I had a baby.
Later on he changed his mind and decided to give me a ''trial of labour''.
Well this failed, after a long time in labour my contractions stopped and there was another mad dash to theatre as they thought my uterus was going to rupture.My DS2 had got his head wedged in my pelvis and they had to ease his head out with forceps after I was cut open.He was also born in a poor condition but was successfully resussitated.
Yes I had my tubes tied during the operation.I was told after this that my pelvis was very narrow-surprise surprise.
I am a retired nurse and had done midwifery training before I had my children and remember that that the C-section rate was very low then.
Electives were only done for conditions like placenta preavia and no one would dream of asking for one like they do now.
Saying that there were some poor mothers and babies who suffered dreadfully with difficult births which now would have been prevented if they had been delivered by section.I never saw any maternal deaths but did remember babies dying or left badly brain damaged by these births.
One of my five grandchildren was born by emergency section.She was a premature baby in the breech position and had become distressed.She is 18 now.
My uncle was a breech birth born at home in 1921.My grandmother said no more babies after him and stuck to her word.My mother's cousin had permanent facial damage caused by her forceps birth in 1920 also at home.Both of these babies would be most likely born by ceasarian now.

Perhaps the current fashion for postponing a family until a woman is in her 40s and established in her career, has a bearing on this. I read that older mothers are more likely to suffer complications in pregnancy and presumably this includes needing a C-section.

loopy; that seems to be happening with my DIL's group of pregnant friends as well. Thankfully she is breastfeeding with no [as yet] problems but she didn't get as much help in the hospital to do so, which really annoys me.

Purple; I was told that a few years ago as well, which is why it annoys me that there is so much pressure put on other young mums to look svelte as soon as they've given birth. I was really surprised by the name of one 'celebrity' that did it.

I meant the first Caesar with an epidural!

That was my experience of NCT too Gill. I had very quick labours (1st 1hr 45, 2nd 45 minutes which was scary!) but for others where the so-called birth plan didn't come to fruition then they were almost made to feel a failure, which is horrible.
DDIL's experience was similar and out of a group of 8 five had emergency CS and only two successfully breastfed. She said many of them were upset and struggled with the first few weeks of motherhood which is sad. DDIL admits that she wished she had known that breastfeeding isn't the be-all and end-all....

Caesarians are real life savers- for some mothers and children. Our first DD was a transversal breech- and there is little doubt we would have both been in serious trouble- if when things turned desperate, we had not had that chance. I had the first Ceasar at the hospital where I was- as I just refused to go under the anaesthetic- and I am so grateful.

But there is no doubt that there is a significant number of Ceasarians which are done for absolutely NO medical reasons. They are certainly NOT totally safe, and many children born by Caesar have more allergies, and all sorts of health issues. There is little evidence that they are safer than normal births for the great majority of women.

i have been assured that some celebs go for a c section and then a "mummy tuck" which gets rid of all that stretched skin so that they can be back in their size 6 jeans very quickly. This may be apocryphal but some post natal pictures in the magazines I see in the hairdressers are ridiculously svelte.