Help! I am undecided about Ceserean or Vaginal Birth!

Submitted by meri3 on March 24, 2005 - 10:05pm
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Hello. I found this website sometime in December (?), not really sure. Glad to have found your but have not returned lately because I do not like to think about the prolapse issue I was diagnosed with at 12 weeks of pregnancy. At first I only felt something coming out and could see it in my vagina and then after about 3 weeks when I would push my cervix (I didn't know what it was at the time)came out about 1/2 or 1 inch. Around this time I got a correct diagnosis, uterine prolapse. I had been diagnosed twice with a growth! Anyway, my doctor inserted a pessary which I only wore for two days because it hurt my rectum and I couldn't have a bowl movement. Well after it was taken out it never fell again, Thank God.

I am almost 8 months now and am debating what kind of delivery I should have. I visited two other doctors for opinions/advice on delivery. One doctor told me that it didn't matter and was very negative and said prolapses only get worse with time. The other doctor was more positive and said that maybe the relaxants released during pregnancy caused the prolapse by relaxing my pelvic floor muscles and was further aggravated by my violent vomitting which I had for 4 months. He said we would have to wait and see what would happen after pregnancy and that delivery was a choice up to me.

I am taking care of myself, eating healthy, and resting ALOT. I really do not want to deal with prolapse after my pregnancy. I was so depressed after the diagnosis and with a new baby I just don't want to even think of the prolapse at all.

What do you all suggest or think? Do prolapses get worse after vaginal birth? Should I just have a ceserean and avoid stretching my pelvic floor muscles any more and continue to take care of myself? Please HELP! Thank you for your input.
Meri

fullofgrace

March 25, 2005 - 10:42am

Meri,
See Christine's post about the problem with vaginal delivery is not that the muscles stretch too much, but that they are typically in a hospital setting not given enough time to stretch to their full capicity before the woman is forced to push the baby out. Also, Diane Lee discusses (as does Christine) it's the whole girdle of muscles, not just the pelvic floor muscles that must be rehabilitated after pregnancy. I don't know how many births you've had, but my first was a c/s, my second a vaginal homebirth (squatting position, instructed to breath-hold push, pushed for about an hour), and my 3rd a vaginal homebirth-- very gentle and controled completely by me and how my body told me to deliver the baby, most pushing done in "babypose" and birthed baby standing up, pushed about 10 minutes). I am much better almost 5 months postpartum after my third than I was at 8 months postpartum with my second--can only say that posture is the only difference between the two and resting a lot prior to birth and for the first six weeks after birth. I would never have another c/s unless it really was evident that my baby's health depended on it. I am so empowered and feel so healthy after my son's birth and I think the positive attitude and hope that I ahve gotten from the posture and knowing that I can control the prolapse was the most important aspect to my healing. Ultimately, only you can make the decision as to what you are most comfortable with. The problems with dr. is that most decisions they make are influenced heavily by fear: mainly fear of malpractcie. So they may promise you one thing and then once into the labor they change their mind and you end up with something else. Do you research well and try to make certain that you and your dr are on the same page. If not, do not hesitate--even at this late of a date-- to find a new caregiver. I wish I would have when I had my first daughter. I knew at about 7 mo that we weren't on the same page and that she was going to micromanange my birth and that I didn't want that but I was too afraid to switch providers. Don't make my mistake.

Christine

March 25, 2005 - 6:16pm

Dear Meri,

Well, I think the lesson here is that even though it

Becca

March 29, 2005 - 11:21pm

Hi Meri,

I don't know if it will help or not but I had a c-section with the birth of my first child and still suffered bladder and uterine prolapse. I am now facing the same choice as you are now with the birth of my second child (due june 28)and I believe I have decided to try a vaginal birth this time around knowing that c-section did not spare me the first time around and my doctor assures me that everything does drop more during pregnancy and will draw up some on it's own if I take good care of myself postpardom. I don't know if its true or not but my doctor believes you can give birth without ever pushing at all. He says if you are patient and let nature take it course, the baby will gently come down and out on it,s own without pushing and he believes this to be the gentlest and safest aproach to childbirth in case of prolapse. Unfortunately I cannot tell you first hand if it is true yet, but maybe you could research it or talk to your doctor about it.
congratulations, and I hope all goes miraculously well for you.
And of course a healthy and Happy Baby.

Becca

Christine

March 30, 2005 - 7:34am

It