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• January 14, 2012 12:17 a.m.

  I always get a good chuckle when I hear about the "conspiracy theory" that healthcare professionals are behind c sections. It brings to those professionals more money and convenience with scheduling? Given the way that our legal, liability insurance, and health insurance systems work, caregivers that perform a cesarean section INCREASE their risk of being sued! More liability on their hands. I do not believe that most doctors (sadly their are probably some) are all about the money and convenience. Most work 60 or more hour work weeks whether you choose vaginal or c section and as we are seeing more and more of a shortage with doctors the pay is probably not all that it is cracked up to be. But for someone that goes to school for 18 plus years I don't hold it against them. My doctor was pro vaginal but due to my husbands schedule I have chosen c section. It is important for my husband to see the birth of our first child. It also allows him to schedule two weeks off after the birth to be with me and the baby. Just DO YOUR HOMEWORK and do what you FEEL is right. Don't read posts or blogs or opinions. (like this :)) FIND FACTS. There are many out there that are so EMOTIONAL about the delivery of a child. In the end it is you and child. No one else will matter.

  - Katimballs

• November 28, 2011 1:52 p.m.

  I do wish that more facts were included in this article of why a vaginal delivery and trial of labor are beneficial for the health of the baby. If you are reading this and you are pregnant, do not be scared of labor and delivery! Having had a c-section (emergency due to fetal distress, so the doctor noted... but my baby was born with APGAR 9...so was he really in distress or was the MD ready to go home on a Sunday night?), and a normal vaginal delivery, I can honestly say that the normal delivery was by far a less scary, less painful, and more rewarding experience (and I had a 4th degree tear and episiotomy). I don't pee when I sneeze. I run. I bike. I have sex that feels the same as pre-baby. Ignore horror stories. If you are considering the elective c-section, please educate yourself. Check out www.ican-online.org the international ceserean awareness network. Know the facts before making this important decision.

  - Mindy

• October 17, 2011 3:37 p.m.

  Julie, I believe you have made your choice after considering benefits and risks. It is a very individual process and it sounds like you have given it great thought and have made the right choice for you and your family.

  - Mary Murry @ Mayo

• October 13, 2011 6:39 p.m.

  I am pregnant with my first child and after much research have decided for an elective c-section. I don't feel less of a woman. I believe it is bs that I won't be able to bond as well with my baby. It is my idea, not my obgyn. My husband fully supports me. It is safe. I'm not convinced it is any less safe than a vaginal birth given the horror stories I've heard. The thought of natural childbirth with or without drugs is scary. The thought of natural childbirth birth is disgusting (for me). I'm not afraid of "major surgery" as I have recovered from surgeries before. I want an intact perineum and don't want to stress about tearing or episiotomy. I don't want vaginal stretching and sexual dysfunction. I don't want to worry about urinary incontinence and blowing out my pelvic floor. I would like my parents to be able to schedule being here as they live in another state. I have a high pain tolerance and expect recovery to be more painful and will have both my husband and mom here to help out. I don't have to worry about stress of labor, position of baby, baby getting stuck, cord wrapping around baby's neck, retained placenta, any kind of fetal distress. It is safe (not without risks I know, but safe). I am waiting as long as possible for my baby's lung development. It ismy body. It is my baby. It is my choice. Are these enough reasons for you, Ms Murry?

  - Julie

• August 24, 2011 2:18 p.m.

  If I were a lay person, giving birth in an American hospital (now matter how private or fancy) I guess I would opt for an elective c-section too. I mean, to ask a woman to be awake and participating, while at the same time completely taking away any control she may have of the situation sounds to me like torture. automatic IVs, epidurals too soon, pitocin like it's going out of style, putting the woman on a gown and calling her «mommie», O2, and then telling her when to push while laying completely on her back??? Count me out! Luckily I made it very clear to the hsopital staff that I wanted nothing to do with them unless there was something really wrong going on. Luckily, they allowed me to move freely, to drink and eat a little), no IV automatically. Luckily I had a doula who kept holding the monitor now and then to my belly, so I could move about freely (and boy were they looking for those d-cels!!!). luckily the resident understood she didnt need to do a vaginal exam every 5 mins, because it was very clear without the epidural that things were progresing. I had a 10 hr labour, gave birth on top of the bed on all fours with no medication whatsover. No one barely touched me exept for my husband. But had I not done all the proper research (as a health professional working in perinatal health) the outcome may have been quite different. people: Don't believe the hype. So much for evidence based medicine!!!!!

  - Joy

• June 12, 2011 12:20 a.m.

  I'm a Mom that. Had a c-section Android want to know. After care fofor the cut scare and when do the bleeding stop.

  - mom

• August 23, 2010 1:32 p.m.

  When speaking about an elective c-section based on fear, I think you also need to consider what the motivation and reason for the fear is. With my first son, he was having fetal distress and at 6 cm, the doctors decided it was best to do an emergency c-section. I was on time for delivery, but when they broke my water, there was so much meconium, that he aspirated some on the way out and spent 8 days in the NICU to clean out his lungs. With this pregnancy, I was allowed the choice of a VBAC or a scheduled repeat c-section. I chose the c-section because after weighing our options (risk of another fetal distress, risk of rupture, etc.) the c-section was a better fit for us. So, is my motivation fear based? Sure. But it is also my choice, my baby, and my body.

  - Emilly

• July 21, 2010 4:03 a.m.

  From most of the healthcare conferences I have attended lately, many practitioners are saying that the national trend is going in the direction of scheduled c-sections. C-sections are performed so frequently nowadays that there are fewer and fewer complications. They have it down to a science. The benefits are many: planned, controlled deliveries; no shoulder dystocia (where the baby's shoulders get stuck in the birth canal); no damage to mom's pelvic floor (which requires surgery later in life); no retained placenta; no fetal distress caused by labor. Of course, there are risks as well: infection, damage to the bowel or other organs if they accidentally get nicked; excessive blood loss (this happens with vaginal deliveries too); placenta previa/placenta accreta with successive pregnancies; uterine rupture (if a woman goes into labor); anesthetic complications. I think right now it's a decision that should be made by the mother and her doctor. There are many things to consider. Childbirth can be risky no matter how you do it. i have been a Labor and Delivery nurse for 13 years and had 3 children all via c-section.

  - dansaremm

• July 21, 2010 3:42 a.m.

  i am happy i had an elective c-section. everyone important to me was against me. my first doctor refused to even consider a primary c-section. i was rushed to find a doctor who would give me the birth i wanted. i had nightmares about birth. i couldn't sleep..i wasn't eating properly..i had a short fuse,i was depressed, and cried excessively. after my first apt. with my new doctor/surgeon, i felt a weight lift off my shoulders. my stress went away. i felt happy for the first time in months. i had some normal anxiety about becoming a mother..but i was no longer terrified. the surgery went well. the baby very healthy. she breast fed just fine. i only needed pain meds for 7 days and then sometimes when i overdid myself being a new mom. i felt pretty normal after about 14 days. its been a year and my scar is gone. it makes me very angry to hear people say C-section should not be a birth option unless something is medically wrong with the mother or baby. its not the right option for everyone but it was the right one for me. I deserved the birth i wanted just the same as any other woman does! i am proud to say i will be having another C-section in Sept and this time its a boy!

  - melody

• July 13, 2010 6:42 p.m.

  I can tell you from my previous two failed attempts at a vaginal delivery that I am opting for an elective c-section this pregnancy. Both times I was in labor for 36+ hours after lots of walking the halls, squatting, even with the aid of Pitocin and I failed to dialate beyond two centimeters. It felt like a personal blow to my ability to birth my girls naturally. So with this pregnancy I am going with an elective c-section and save myself the agony of enduring days of labor only to have another c-section anyway for failure to progress. I think that it is really short-sighted to assume that every mother who elects a c-section does so for vanity.

  - Ericka

• June 26, 2010 9:22 a.m.

  Dear ladies. I think that every expectant mother has the responsibility to make decisions as to what is best for her and her baby based on the information she has available. Since every person is different (health situation, pain tolerance, risk tolerance, cultural background, etc.) the decision is likely to be different for each woman. Elective C-section (as well as vaginal birth) has both its risks and benefits. If a woman is informed about her options, she has the right to chose what is best for her, and if her doctor is not being supportive she should find a different one. Personally, I chose to have an elective C-section to deliver my son. My OB-GYN was very supportive. (And the insurance did not mind it either.) It was done under local anesthesia (spinal). The procedure took less than an hour and resulted in a healthy baby. The recovery was relatively easy, and taking into account that I breastfed my son for a year afterwards our bonding did not suffer too badly. Why did I chose C-section? Low risk tolerance. C-section has its detriments but they are known and most of them predictable. Uncomplicated vaginal delivery is healthier than C-section, but if I were to attempt vaginal birth I had 20-30% chance to end up with an emergency C-section or instrumental vaginal delivery which are more detrimental than an elective C-section. For me 20-30% risk was too high. For someone else it may be acceptable. Let us not point fingers at each other.

  - Leah

• June 5, 2010 11:00 a.m.

  I had a Emergency C-section due to the epidural. My heart rate and blood pressure sky-rocketed to 230. When they gave the epidural they ended up getting into my nerves and spine then tried to do it again and succeeded the second time but every since the epidural I have had non-stop aching back pain.. and it worsens the more activities I do. Does any one know why I have this severe back pain or what I can do to get rid of it?

  - Stephanie

• May 24, 2010 2:55 p.m.

  I am sorry, but electing to have a cesarean section for the reasons of fear of pain or sexual dysfunction is, in my opinion, one of the most selfish things a woman can do. What happened to putting our babies first? I mostly blame the media and many modern medical professionals for portraying birth as inherently dangerous- something that a woman could not possibly do on her own. Well guess what- the female body was designed to give birth. I have nothing against women who have C-sections for legitimate medical reasons, but doctors really need to stop feeding women’s fears and encouraging elective C-sections. People tend to overlook the fact that C-sections are major surgeries and DANGEROUS. Elective C-sections are never the best option for mother or baby. Melanie was correct in saying that when healthcare providers choose to give women elective C-sections, it is all about the money. That is just shameful!

  - Anne-Marie

• May 13, 2010 2:25 a.m.

  I am a no 1 diabetic and nearly 8 months pregnant. My doctor told me I am a high risk . He only want to do a c-section but I would like a normal delivery. Can you help me can I deliver normal?? and what is the risk if I do.. thank you

  - Miena

• April 10, 2010 8:54 p.m.

  *sorry* why should the reasons NOT be enough for a woman to make this choice? Thank you.

  - Anna

• April 10, 2010 8:52 p.m.

  Thank you for the information. You do a great job of persuading women to research their choices and try to convince them that "elective" c-sections are not the way to go. You do not, however explain WHY you think this. Why should fear of a painful and complicated vaginal birth, coupled with familial horror stories of delivery be reason enough to choose a c-section?

  - Anna

• April 7, 2010 8:22 a.m.

  Hi, I actually had a few questions, my mom suffers from urine incontinence and my husband was an 11lb. baby also I do not deal with pain very well at all, when I am on my menstural cycle I literally always faint and I get so out of it and dizzy that I just let the pain consume me. Are these good enough medical reasons to request a c-section? I haven't talked to my doctor yet and i know you will probably reccommend me to doing that, but I am just curious as to what some doctors may say because of that. Also will the c-section be covered by insurance.

  - Rebecca

• March 30, 2010 9:02 a.m.

  very good topic! thank you for underlying the trend. i am pregnant in 13 weeks and want to have a natural delivery. most of my friends have chosen to deliver thru C section from fear. i think most of the blame goes to healthcare providers who, by performing C-sections, can earn more money and can plan the deliveries according to their schedule rather then portraying the real picture of both scenarios and supporting women to overpass fear. looking forward to reading other comments and your posts about the topic. thank you

  - melanie

• March 28, 2010 10:09 a.m.

  ITS MY FIRST PREGNANCY AND I AM AFRAID OF C-SECTION BECAUSE I AM ALLERGIC AND I MAY HAVE COMPLICATIONS AFTER GENERAL ANATHESIA ,WHATS YOUR ADVICE FOR ME???

  - JACQUELINE