At 32 weeks we met with my obstetrician, who specializes in high risk pregnancies and has followed us since the beginning of our journey to having our second child after the loss of our son.
Because of the quickly approaching holidays he brought up my upcoming delivery, I am due February 9th but with our history of stillbirth and placental abruption at 40wks we have known since the beginning that I would deliver this baby before my due date. We discussed my first delivery, which abruption and stillbirth aside went very well - approximately 12 hours since arrival at the hospital, contractions at their worst were uncomfortable and it only took a few pushes to have our son in my arms. I did tear and because of the placental abruption there were difficulties removing all of my placenta/the blood clot that was behind it. Because of the internal bleeding from the abruption my body struggled to recover from the blood loss and there was talk of blood transfusions by luckily my blood started clotting and rebuilding. I was up and on my feet quickly and by two weeks post partum I had returned to work fulltime. Like I said, if I could take away the physical trauma of the placental abruption and the emotional trauma of loosing our son - my first delivery was good.
In what seemed like a very delicate tone, my ob said we could try to labor naturally (for a vaginal birth). Due to my history I would still not be able to wait for labor to begin on it's own and would need to be induced early but he seemed apprehensive and if baby girl was still in a breach position we would have to go for a c-section. He also brought up a scheduled c-section, which even he seemed more comfortable with as our history, the shape of my uterus and baby girl still being in a breach position each would send us for a c-section let alone with all of the above.
Dylan and I quickly discussed it and soon agreed that a scheduled c-section was best for us (and most important, best for her). With my obstetrician we went over some general pros and cons for each option and soon were discussing a date. It was exhilarating and emotional, we couldn't believe that we were scheduling her delivery and ultimately deciding her birthday.
So let's talk our pro's and con's, everything from the cruitial decision making ones to the vain and less important.
PRO/Reasons for
- it is scheduled, we will know baby girl is okay going in and then she'll be in our arms.
- my obstetrician will perform the c-section.
- baby girl has been in a transverse, then breach position since the second trimester. With a bicornuate uterus, it is unlikely baby girl will move head down. While there are some women who deliver vaginally with a breach baby it would put me at a much higher risk of an emergency c-section.
- my bicornuate uterus also removes the possibility of a procedure that is used to manually turn baby head down. Under normal circumstances this procedure can put baby into distress (which may not be successful and may likely lead to an emergency c-section)
- very high probability that both baby girl and I will be safe and alive through her delivery (after my stillbirth and nearly bleeding out myself, this is a HUGE benefit)
- it is scheduled, we will know baby girl is okay going in and then she'll be in our arms.
- my obstetrician will perform the c-section.
- baby girl has been in a transverse, then breach position since the second trimester. With a bicornuate uterus, it is unlikely baby girl will move head down. While there are some women who deliver vaginally with a breach baby it would put me at a much higher risk of an emergency c-section.
- my bicornuate uterus also removes the possibility of a procedure that is used to manually turn baby head down. Under normal circumstances this procedure can put baby into distress (which may not be successful and may likely lead to an emergency c-section)
- very high probability that both baby girl and I will be safe and alive through her delivery (after my stillbirth and nearly bleeding out myself, this is a HUGE benefit)
CON'S/Reasons against
- I labored and recovered wonderfully with our first (placental abruption and stillbirth aside).
- Due to an otherwise good labor experience with our first I would have liked to experience a vaginal birth with the possibility of NOT having an abruption or stillbirth (praying every day that our baby girl is born safely).
- a very high risk of an emergency c-section, usually with mom being put under general anesthetic and dad not being able to be present.
- I won't get immediate skin to skin and she won't be placed on my chest immediately.
- I will need to be stitched up and moved to recovery. Although possible, she will likely not get to stay with me the entire time. But hopefully Dad will stay with her and I will see her in recovery.
- Longer hospital stay, generally 3 days versus 24 hours with a vaginal birth.
- could cause difficulties with breast feeding.
- MUCH longer and more difficult recovery. 6 weeks of minimal lifting, walking, stairs ect versus being back to nearly normal in 24 hours.
- pain medication.
- the risk of reopening the incision or getting an infection if I don't follow recovery guidelines.
- a risk of bleeding/needing a blood transfusion.
- I labored and recovered wonderfully with our first (placental abruption and stillbirth aside).
- Due to an otherwise good labor experience with our first I would have liked to experience a vaginal birth with the possibility of NOT having an abruption or stillbirth (praying every day that our baby girl is born safely).
- a very high risk of an emergency c-section, usually with mom being put under general anesthetic and dad not being able to be present.
- I won't get immediate skin to skin and she won't be placed on my chest immediately.
- I will need to be stitched up and moved to recovery. Although possible, she will likely not get to stay with me the entire time. But hopefully Dad will stay with her and I will see her in recovery.
- Longer hospital stay, generally 3 days versus 24 hours with a vaginal birth.
- could cause difficulties with breast feeding.
- MUCH longer and more difficult recovery. 6 weeks of minimal lifting, walking, stairs ect versus being back to nearly normal in 24 hours.
- pain medication.
- the risk of reopening the incision or getting an infection if I don't follow recovery guidelines.
- a risk of bleeding/needing a blood transfusion.
Ultimately, even if I were able to put our history and high risk nature aside with my bicornuate uterus and our precious but stubborn little girl I will not be able to labor or deliver on my own. I think being able to know this and have it scheduled has helped me deal with the anxieties that come with a c-section.
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